Norlan Hackman knew in late July that his pumpkin patch was in trouble when temperatures spiked, causing the first blooms on the vines to drop.
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By late summer, the longtime farmer had lost more than half of the 70 acres of pumpkins he had planted in the sandy soil of the Missouri River bottoms near Hartsburg.
Hackman is not alone.
Pumpkin producers statewide have experienced problems similar to those that plagued growers in central Missouri. As a result, there are fewer pumpkins available for harvest in Missouri, and the average weight for most jack-o’-lantern pumpkins is less, said Lewis Jett, a state vegetable and crop specialist with Lincoln University in Jefferson City.
“The whole state had the high-temperature problem in late July and early August,” Jett said. “Pumpkins may be later than usual across the state thanks to the excessive temperatures.”
Like most vegetables, pumpkin flowers will abort in hot weather. High temperatures also can make the flower pollen sterile.
Jim Quinn, a horticulture specialist with University of Missouri Extension, said rainfall amounts make a difference in the flower drop.
“It is not just high temperatures. It is also water stress,” he said. “In general, they got some rain to the north around Clark and to the south in Morgan County, while Columbia and Jefferson City did not.”
Tom Fowler, an extension horticulture specialist in St. Joseph, said pumpkin growers in his part of state also are harvesting partial crops, thanks to the weather.
“That is my experience with my little patch,” Fowler said. “I had around 250 pumpkins and should have two to three times that.”
Fowler said black rot wiped out most pumpkin vines for one grower in Northwest Missouri where heavy rains in August spawned fungus on the plants.
Hackman has been growing pumpkins in the Hartsburg river bottoms for more than 20 years. Last year, his crop was afflicted with fungus, prompting him to replant much of the land this year in soybeans to rid the soil of disease. Things were looking good until temperatures started to climb and rainfall dropped off.
“I lost about 40 acres,” he said. “The other 30 is pretty good.”
In general, Hackman said he produces about 500 saleable pumpkins per acre. That means, the summer’s heat cost him about 20,000 pumpkins. Sale information from the North Missouri Produce Auction in Fortuna, shows that on Sept. 29 pumpkins were selling for an average of $1.66 each. Take that price times the number of pumpkins Hackman potentially lost, and the cost is a staggering $33,200.
But he’s taking the loss in stride. Hackman figures he will have enough pumpkins to satisfy customers this weekend during the annual Hartsburg Pumpkin Festival. But he is cutting back on wholesaling his pumpkins because he doesn’t have enough to go around.
“We’ll just sell from the house,” he said.