Pumpkins

Six years ago, Illinois farmer John Ackerman didn’t hire any contract workers at all. Now he typically hires about 22 every year through a local coordinator that helps farmers hire crews of skilled workers.

Hoosiers celebrated National Ag Day on March 19. Gov. Eric Holcomb issued an official proclamation to celebrate the event.

Total farms and ranches and average acreage size all decreased in Illinois, according to the 2022 Census of Agriculture.

Blueberries, pumpkins, apples and tomatoes are all on the agenda for the 28th annual Stateline Fruit and Vegetable Growers Conference on Feb. 19 at NIU-Rockford in Rockford.

Kendra Downing has learned how to deal with adverse conditions and as a result won the National FFA agricultural proficiency award for agricultural sales — entrepreneurship.

Indiana Farm Bureau announced the winners of the inaugural 2023 INFB Photo Contest. The pictures showcase agriculture and life in rural Indiana.

There are plenty of pumpkins to go around this year, thanks to an above-average harvest on most pumpkin farms. The outlook for pumpkin quality is also good.

Lincoln Land Community College dedicated its newest learning space, 2.1 acres of land at 2320 West Lake Shore Drive, now known as West Lake Nature Grove.

Working with cattle and vegetables resulted in two Illinois FFA members receiving national Agricultural Proficiency Awards.

In a season traditionally overflowing with good things to eat, let’s add another entry to the dessert table, shall we? I’m talking about pumpkin bread pudding. This recipe elevates bread pudding to holiday worthy status.

Indiana’s fall pumpkin yields will vary, depending on summer rainfall and irrigation, according to an expert at Purdue University. Pumpkin growth depends heavily on timely summer rainfall — and much of Indiana experienced hot, dry weather.

This Thanksgiving, your pumpkin pie might have a lower carbon footprint.On the central Illinois farms that supply most of the world’s canned pumpkin, farmers are adopting regenerative techniques designed to reduce emissions, attract natural pollinators and improve soil health.

Northwestern Illinois residents seeking farm-fresh sweet corn just need to travel a couple miles outside of the Fulton city limits to Sikkema Farm, where the seasonal crop is picked every day, rain or shine.

The first of 17 People’s Gardens across the United States is open in Chicago. The new garden is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s People’s Garden Initiative and it is located at the Urban Transformation Network at Metropolitan Farms.

National reports of fungus and wet weather threatening U.S. pumpkin crops had pumpkin lovers spooked ahead of Halloween and Thanksgiving. But pumpkin farmers and experts said there is nothing to fear locally.