Missourians will see higher prices for many local pumpkins this fall.
This season’s pumpkins encountered many drought-related problems.
The most noticeable of these problems is size. Most plants consist primarily of water, and without it, horticulture experts say these pumpkins won’t be quite as plump.
Sanjun Gu is an assistant professor at Lincoln University and the state horticulture specialist for Missouri. He says the crops in southeast Missouri are among the worst affected.
“In the southeast region of Missouri we got more affected because they are kind of sandy soil, [they] cannot hold water. And most pumpkins have been produced without irrigation. So this year, the drought really hit the production in the southwest region and the southeast region," Gu said.
According to Gu, farmers who used supplemental irrigation can expect a nice yield.
David Trinklein is the associate professor of Plant Sciences at the University of Missouri. He says the reason behind higher pumpkin prices is more than simple supply and demand.
“A lot of folks who sell pumpkins and who used to buy Missouri pumpkins have been looking to other states, and Michigan evidently had a fairly good crop this year," Trinklein said. "So, the cost is going to be greater because they have to be transported by truck all the way from Michigan, even though the crop is ample in Michigan.”
Trinklein says he does not expect the taste of the pumpkins to be affected.
Many horticulture experts say the drought did have one benefit - the number of mildew cases that commonly plague pumpkins decreased drastically.
