Mississippi State, Mississippi
October 17, 2008
Source:
Mississippi State University
Pumpkins do not grab the headlines
as a significant crop, but they fill a niche for many
Mississippi farmers who need to supplement cash flow.
“It’s best to spread your effort out with several different
enterprises because your farm is a business, after all,” said
pumpkin producer Clay Meeks of Tippah County, who also grows
soybeans and strawberries, and raises cattle. “It helps to have
money coming in at different times of the year.”
Meeks operates Pumpkin Patch Farms in Blue Mountain and is
advertising this venture online at
http://www.pumpkinpatchfarms.com to capitalize on the
agritourism wave spreading across many Mississippi farms. He has
20 acres of pumpkins this year and may add another 15 acres in
2009 if business conditions are right.
“I had a good crop this year, and I grow just about every size
of pumpkin there is,” he said. “You sometimes just have to ease
into the pumpkin business to know what you need to do.”
Producers are indicating that the pumpkins coming out of the
fields have good shape, size and color. Agents with the
Mississippi State University Extension Service concur. Pumpkins
have become a good supplemental cash crop for many farms.
“It would be hard to determine the total number of pumpkin acres
we have in the state because acreages are small and scattered
around in every county,” said Stanley Wise, Union County
Extension director. “We have maybe 5 acres in Union County,
Tippah County has about 30, and DeSoto may have 15 acres, and
that’s an estimate in just one area of North Mississippi.”
Weather was not a big problem for most producers, although it
did delay planting and slow maturity in some fields. First-time
pumpkin producer Stephen Bailey, who primarily grows sweet
potatoes as operator of Bailey Family Farms in Vardaman,
understands the problems weather can cause.
“Weather is the critical factor in farm production,” Bailey
said. “I would rather have to deal with higher input costs than
have to deal with problematic weather.”
Pumpkins range in size from 15 pounds to well over 30 pounds.
The crop’s yield potential, if weather cooperates and growing
conditions optimize, is 1,000 pumpkins to the acre. Prices may
vary from 8 cents to 10 cents a pound wholesale and from 20
cents to 25 cents retail.
Many producers like Meeks either operate pumpkin patch
businesses or plan to install them. The patch business adds yet
another option to wholesale, retail and direct-to-consumer
marketing.
Marshall County nursery operator Brooks Brownlee decided to
diversify for the same reasons producers give when explaining
their cash-flow situations. Brownlee is in his second year of
growing pumpkins and currently has 7 acres in production.
“There are many things that can work against your effort at
growing pumpkins,” Brownlee said. “Pumpkins are susceptible to
fungus and insect pressure, and you must have an intensive
management plan to be successful.”
Another consideration for pumpkin producers is a source of
labor.
Pumpkins are a hand-harvested crop. Their marketability goes
down if their appearance is damaged.
“If you have one row of pumpkins in your garden and the yield is
20 pumpkins, that’s no problem,” Brownlee said. “If you have 10
acres and your yield is 10,000 pumpkins, you’d better have a
reliable source of labor.” |
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