Pumpkin picking

Pumpkin farmer John Ackerman poses with some of his pumpkin crop at his farm near Morton, Illinois. Ackerman, a third-generation farmer, says he grows 160 pumpkin varieties, along with corn, soybeans and grain.

A 'magnificent harvest' for the pumpkin crop in some areas — despite dry conditions

Drought has affected several pumpkin-producing states, including Illinois, Indiana and Michigan. But rain arrived at the right time to produce a bumper crop in parts of the Midwest.

Loren Liebscher (pictured above) opened one of Oklahoma's first corn mazes, P Bar Farms Corn Maze, in 2001. Liebescher welcomes about 18,000 visitors come to his farm when he opens it to the public 45 days a year.

Economy & Business

Farms welcoming tourists now make up a $1 billion industry of corn mazes and pumpkin patches

Xcaret Nuñez

For many people, fall is marked by taking trips to the pumpkin patch, getting lost in a corn maze or catching a hay ride. These seasonal activities are part of agricultural tourism, and it's a booming industry.

The bounty on this Illinois farm is some evidence that the pumpkin harvest this year was healthy.

Economy & Business

No pumpkin shortage this year, but climate change could squash Halloweens harvests to come

Dana Cronin

A wet year threatened pumpkin farms with the threat of fungus, but the Midwestern 2021 gourd harvest looks healthy.

Phytophthora blight can create lesions on the underside of pumpkins and other vegetables that ruins the crop.

Health, Science & Environment

Early Onset Of Pumpkin Blight Could Squash Our Thanksgiving Pie Supply

Jonathan Ahl

A fungus that can damage some crops has shown up early this year in Illinois and is a major worry for growers and canners of pumpkins.

Jonathan apples are just one of many varieties available for picking at Eckert’s this season.

Health, Science & Environment

‘The Best Way To Experience An Apple’: Eckert’s President Offers His Picks, Insights

Evie Hemphill

The year 2020 has taken plenty of well-deserved criticism, but its pumpkin harvest is actually looking pretty good. That’s according to Chris Eckert, president of Eckert’s, which operates pick-your-own operations in Belleville, Grafton and Millstadt, Illinois. The company's pumpkin picking season got going last weekend, with apple picking also well underway. And if you ask Chris Eckert, there’s “no better way to grocery shop” right now than going outside and choosing produce straight from the source.