This year’s Texas pumpkin crop is faring above average, but rains have delayed harvest. Farmers are hoping for drier weather to get back into the fields.
Pumpkin growers have reported no major pest or disease issues, according to Cristen Brooks, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension agent in Floyd County.
Brooks said three to four inches of rain stopped harvest over the last week and is preventing growers from accessing fields during their peak season.
“The rains have put them three to four days behind,” Brooks told AgriLife Today. “They have enough pumpkins in warehouses, but they’re looking at about half their crop still in the field.”
Muddy conditions could lower their marketability, according to Brooks.
Tanner Smith, of Assiter Punkin Farm in Floydada, said the first two weeks of October are typically his busiest time to harvest and market pumpkins. But the rain could shorten the marketing window before his fields are fully harvested.
Most of his farm’s pumpkin varieties are sold for fall decorations. He sells directly to locals and provides wholesale pumpkins for retailers around the state.
“Demand is always good for pumpkins,” Smith told AgriLife Today. “But when you sell for display, you have a narrower window to get them to market.”
The wholesale market window will begin closing Oct. 14.
Smith said high temperatures in late-July and early August diminished pumpkin sizes. The weather threatens the quality of his pumpkins left in the field before they are brought to market.
“It’s just farming,” Smith said. “There are always challenges. You hate to wish away rain in this part of the country, but we need some dry weather.”