Ronald Goldy, an MSU vegetable production educator, said Michigan has the perfect climate for pumpkins.

“(Michigan has a) good climate — good temperaturewise, good rainwise, good soils,” Goldy said.
But sales can greatly vary depending on the weather, Goldy said.

“The sales of pumpkins oftentimes depends on what the weather is like on the weekends in October,” Goldy said . “If the weekends are nice, people will go out and buy their pumpkins, but if the weather quality is cold (and) rainy, then the pumpkins don’t move quite so fast.”

Steve Tennes, owner of the Country Mill, a cider orchard about 22 miles southwest of East Lansing, said he thinks the main reason Michigan is a top production state is because of the availability of farm markets.

“We have the pumpkins, (and when) people are coming out during the weekend for something fun, they might as well get their pumpkins locally grown,” said Tennes. “That goes a lot to help with the local sales, and that’s why we produce so many in the state of Michigan … so we want to offer customers what they’re looking for.”

Generally, pumpkin farmers can sell their product for a greater price than it costs them to produce, Goldy said, making it an appealing seasonal enterprise.

Although Goldy said that there are many reasons that the pumpkin crop is profitable, there are downsides to it as well.

“There are some downsides to pumpkins,” said Goldy. “They do have a fair number of diseases and insects you have to be concerned about … (and) you can’t grow the crop in the same spot every year.”

If these conditions are not met, diseases will build up in the soil and farmers run the risk of never being able to grow pumpkins on that land again.

But no matter the weather, there will always be a market for farmers to grow pumpkins, environmental studies and agriscience junior Rob Selesky said.

“Everyone’s got to have their jack-o’-lanterns for Halloween,” Selesky said. “It’s in demand …no matter what.”