For conference goers not yet involved in the draw of pumpkins, and for some who have grown and marketed pumpkins for years – this is your workshop. The first half of this full day workshop is dedicated to production practices that help you harvest the best pumpkins you can. Then we devote the entire afternoon to marketing the crop and the season.

John Berry, Agricultural Marketing Educator, Lehigh County Cooperative Extension with Penn State University, and coordinator of Pennsylvania Retail Farm Market Association, facilitates a collection of speakers who will share their strategies, expertise and views on pumpkins. Attendees of this session will also receive The Pumpkin Production Guide, a must-have resource for book both new and experienced pumpkin growers. The 152-page guide covers the basics of pumpkin production and research. Twelve chapters offer practical information for preparing the field, evaluating varieties, and choosing the best cultural practices; insight into fruit set and pollination to help growers maximize yields; descriptions for identifying and controlling weeds, insects, diseases, and wildlife pests; ways to maintain postharvest quality; and sample budgets and marketing ideas. Over 115 color photos supplement the text.

Pumpkin Production
Steve Groff leads our pumpkin production discussions. Steve is an award winning speaker and production expert. He pioneered the "Permanent Cover Cropping System", which includes no-tillage, cover crops, and effective crop rotations as a way to increase profits, enhance soil and water quality, and reduce pesticides.

Steve is joined by Scott Barnett, CCA Agronomist and Leslie Yoder, VP Marketing; both of Homestead Nutrition, Inc to bring you the most up to date production techniques available.

Production discussion will include:

• Ten Steps For Successful Pumpkin Production
• Defining Small Pumpkin Fertility Needs vs. Large Pumpkin Fertility Needs
• Controlling Insects From Planting to Harvest
• Building a Defensive Disease Program and Understanding  Curative Programs
• The Importance of In-Field Scouting and Plant Tissue Sampling
• A Birds-eye View: 2009 Crop Successes and Failures
• Building a Solid Pumpkin Program for 2010

Pumpkin Marketing

After lunch we will listen to two different farms that specialize in the fall pumpkin season as they detail what they have found works for them and what does not. The finale will be a one hour open discussion facilitated by John Berry on what is hot across the country. For this portion, we invite all the attendees to bring a few pictures (on a cd or jumpstick ), and/or handouts of the one thing that is really working for them to add to this lively discussion.

Becky Walters, Walters Pumpkin Patch, www.walterspumpkinpatch.com

• Pumpkin Varieties
• Pumpkin Treats
• Pumpkin Entertainment

Family fun is what the fall is all about and the Walters Pumpkin Patch in Kansas specializes in everything pumpkins. They have truly made pumpkins their business with over 100 varieties of pumpkins available on the farm. Then there is the “Pumpkin Pantry” (bakery), where guests can purchase such delightful treats as pumpkin chilli, pumpkin deserts, roasted seeds and the newest taste sensation, pumpkin juice! School tours focus on how the pumpkins are grown and admission to the pumpkin patch allows guests to experience all types of entertainment including a giant pumpkin launcher and pumpkin chunkin with slingshots. Becky Walters covers all the details.

Kate Zurschmeide, Great Country Farms: www.greatcountryfarms.com

• Season Extension
• Pumkin Chunkin Weekend
• Pumpkin Destruction

We all know how much pumpkins are worth on November 1^st – or do we? Most farms shut down immediately after Oct 31st and few manage to make much of what is left of their pumpkins in November. Our next guest has found several creative ways to keep the energy flowing past the end of October. Is there useful risk management in getting that one more chance at a fair weather weekend in early November?

Come and listen as Kate details their Pumpkin Glow night spectacular which is a display of over 1500 carved and lighted jack-o-lanterns. This amazing display leads into the after Halloween event which they have titled, Pumpkin Chunkin Weekend. Not only do they use their own pumpkins they also invite guests to bring your leftover jack-o-lantern to their smashing session. Their Silo Drop and the Zip Wire Sploosh let the customers do the smashing themselves or they can bring their pumpkins to the Pumpkin Drop Zone and add it to the upside down "fireworks display" as the pumpkins are dropped from a lift over their parking lot. 

John Berry, all the presenters, and YOU!

• Panel Questions and Answers with Open Discussion
• Photos and ideas from across the continent

Extension Educator John Berry facilitates a wide open discussion among all speakers and opening up for all attendees to share their additional thoughts and ideas to get everyone’s creative juices flowing for the 2010 pumpkin season from variety selection to planting to PYO to pumpkin destruction.