Illinois pumpkin farmers say crops looking good

(The Center Square) – Illinois farmers are optimistic about this year’s pumpkin harvest.

Federal government figures show that Illinois produced 634 million pounds of pumpkins in 2022, which is more than the next five most productive states combined.

Michael Dittmar, of Dittmar Farms and Orchard in Elizabeth, in Jo Daviess County, said the weather has been favorable this year.

“Lots of rain, the crop is awesome. No issues whatsoever. We’ve just got some huge pumpkins,” Dittmar said.

Wayne Sirles is a fifth-generation fruit-and-vegetable grower at Rendleman Orchards in Alto Pass. Sirles said the pumpkins got an ample amount of rain from the spring into July in Union County.

“Now we’re kind of going through a little bit of spotty rains and so forth, but that’s good because the pumpkins got a really good start with rain. Now going through pollination and so forth, the cooler weather helps that. So I have to say that I’m really, really proud of our pumpkins. We’re doing very well with our pumpkin crop and we should have an ample supply of pumpkins for everybody,” Sirles said.

Dittmar reported that his other fruits and vegetables are also doing well.

“The apples are just loaded on the trees. The pumpkins are still green, just starting to turn orange. We also do raspberries. They’re everbearing raspberries. They’re popping right now, even as we speak. We’ve had a great growing season, a lot of rain, and just everything is looking awesome,” Dittmar said.

Dittmar added that the relatively cool weather has helped his business improve 15% the last two weekends.

“It’s so weather-dependent. I don’t know about you, but I think people are ready to get out. The cooler weather makes fall, and right now we’re very optimistic about what the season will be,” Dittmar said.

Sirles said the economy has been more challenging the last few years, but wholesale business remains strong.

“We still sell a lot of apples, because a lot of people still eat apples and still eat peaches and so forth like that. More in our retail business, you can see a little bit of fluctuation there,” Sirles explained.

In Tazewell County, the 58th Annual Morton Pumpkin Festival is scheduled from September 11-14.