Dry weather hurts pumpkins
By: Meghan Backus
Updated: October 5, 2007
Halloween is coming, and picking out the perfect pumpkin has become a local tradition for some families. But this year, the lack of rain had Western New York Farmers like Ned Powers working extra hard to produce round, orange pumpkins.
For the last three months, Powers has had to run his irrigation system 24 hours a day.
“If we didn’t have irrigation, we’d have absolutely no pumpkin crop,” Powers said.
Despite the dry weather, the Powers family managed to produce 35 acres worth of pumpkins.
“Our pumpkin crop is actually pretty good,” Powers said.
Without those bright orange gourds, the family would lose close to 30 percent of its annual profits. And Powers says he knows farmers that are losing on this years crop.
“Their numbers our down, and definitely the size on a lot of their pumpkins aren't what they should be,” Powers said.
But he says pumpkin prices are holding steady, ranging from $1 to $9 at his market, so buying a great pumpkin is possible.
