{"id":410,"date":"2016-10-19T10:21:49","date_gmt":"2016-10-19T10:21:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/horticultural-science-new\/2016\/10\/19\/extension-agent-cultivates-a-sweet-spot-for-pumpkins\/"},"modified":"2023-03-01T10:24:37","modified_gmt":"2023-03-01T15:24:37","slug":"extension-agent-cultivates-a-sweet-spot-for-pumpkins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/horticultural-science\/news\/extension-agent-cultivates-a-sweet-spot-for-pumpkins\/","title":{"rendered":"Extension Agent Cultivates a Sweet Spot for Pumpkins"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Some six decades after his grandfather helped jumpstart North Carolina\u2019s Christmas tree industry, North Carolina Cooperative Extension Agent Travis Birdsell is helping growers explore a new industry: pumpkin production.<\/p>\n<p>Over the past five to seven years, pumpkins have taken off in Ashe and Alleghany counties, with farmers earning over $15 million dollars in annual farm-gate sales from growing pumpkins used in seasonal decorations.<\/p>\n<p>In early October, Birdsell met up with NC&#160;State University\u2019s Dr. Jonathan Schultheis to determine results of pumpkin research trials at the Mountain Research Station in Waynesville. Schultheis and Dr. Annette Wszelaki of the University of Tennessee at Knoxville have been conducting the tests for about a decade.<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Pumpkin Variety Trial Harvest\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/HUB5P-j5UMw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3>New pumpkin farmers face learning curve<\/h3>\n<p>\u201cFarmers have learned that the mountains have a great climate for growing jack o\u2019 lanterns, but they\u2019re new to pumpkin production and face a steep learning curve,\u201d says Birdsell, of Ashe County. \u201cBy sharing research-based information, we can help them become more confident and make pumpkin production more profitable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>To bring the research closer to the growers he serves, Birdsell has been growing 40 different pumpkin varieties in plots at the Upper Mountain Research Station in Laurel Springs. He started the tests with Schultheis just months after he began working for Extension in Ashe County in 2012.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_151029\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-151029\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-151029\" src=\"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/pile-2-2-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"Pile of harvested pumpkins in a field\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-151029\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The variety trials help growers determine the varieties that grow best in under local conditions and meet their customers&#8217; needs.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Those demonstrations were especially valuable in helping farmers know which varieties would produce pumpkins that were the right size for the market, says Ken Guyton, a farm manager at Sexton Farms. Birdsell helped determine two varieties that would grow well in the mountains and produce volleyball-sized pumpkins that were in high demand.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe never would have figured that out without Travis,\u201d Guyton says.<\/p>\n<p>Johnny Wishon, a CALS alumnus and former agriculture teacher who grows 400 acres of Christmas trees and began growing pumpkins four years ago, says Birdsell has been instrumental in helping with both farm endeavors.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe produce business is a totally different animal from the Christmas tree industry, and Travis has been one of my go-to guys if I see something in the field I don&#8217;t understand,&#8221; the Alleghany County farmer\u00a0says. &#8220;He&#8217;s steered me in the right direction on varieties and disease management. He&#8217;s been a huge asset to our whole industry.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>In addition to the variety tests, Birdsell also works to apprise his growers of the latest research related to pesticide use and other growing practices through production meetings and one-on-one consultations.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m just doing what the growers need me to do,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p>And that\u2019s probably the same way his grandfather, the late C.E. \u201cChuck\u201d Gardner, felt about his work helping growers build North Carolina\u2019s Christmas tree industry into the nation\u2019s largest. Gardner worked in Ashe County from 1948 to 1979, a period of tremendous growth for the industry.<\/p>\n<h3>Pumpkins linked to nationally leading Christmas tree industry<\/h3>\n<p>The mountain pumpkin industry has close ties to the Christmas tree industry, with about 75 percent of pumpkin growers producing both crops. The combination makes sense because pumpkins require the same type of climate that have made Christmas trees the area\u2019s number one agricultural commodity, Birdsell says.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_150627\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-150627\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-150627\" src=\"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/gourds-1-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"A pile of harvested decorative gourds of different colors\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-150627\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pumpkins weren&#8217;t the only crop being harvested at the Waynesville variety trial. Researchers are also looking at the performance of decorative gourds like these.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Not only that, the two crops\u2019 harvest seasons are complementary. Pumpkins are picked in September and October, right before farmers get busy filling orders for Christmas trees in November and December.<\/p>\n<p>Also, because both crops are seasonal, marketing possibilities are similar. Farmers can sell directly to retailers who purchase their Christmas trees, set up lots to sell directly to the public or offer pick-your-own experiences for fall leaf-peepers and others.<\/p>\n<p>Right now, Birdsell estimates that area producers grow more than 3,000 acres of pumpkins \u2013 probably three-quarters of the total produced in the state, says Schultheis, a horticultural science professor and Extension specialist who\u2019s an expert in vegetable production.<\/p>\n<h3>High country is &#8216;sweet spot&#8217; for NC pumpkins<\/h3>\n<p>Schultheis says North Carolina\u2019s proximity to southern markets provide an advantage for our growers, but unless the demand for edible pumpkins grow, he doesn\u2019t expect North Carolina\u2019s pumpkin industry to grow to be nearly the size of its Christmas tree or sweet potato industries.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe will probably have moderate growth. Not huge, but moderate,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p>And if the state continues to increase its pumpkin acreage, the high country has the best potential for being the center of that growth, Birdsell says.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHere, it\u2019s the perfect growing climate, in terms of average daytime and night-time temperatures, and diseases don\u2019t present as many problems as they do in other areas of the state,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019d say we are in the sweet spot.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>This post was <a href=\"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/news\/extension-agent-cultivates-a-sweet-spot-for-pumpkins\/\">originally published<\/a> in College of Agriculture and Life Sciences News.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false,"raw":"Some six decades after his grandfather helped jumpstart North Carolina\u2019s Christmas tree industry, North Carolina Cooperative Extension Agent Travis Birdsell is helping growers explore a new industry: pumpkin production.\r\n\r\nOver the past five to seven years, pumpkins have taken off in Ashe and Alleghany counties, with farmers earning over $15 million dollars in annual farm-gate sales from growing pumpkins used in seasonal decorations.\r\n\r\nIn early October, Birdsell met up with NC State University\u2019s Dr. Jonathan Schultheis to determine results of pumpkin research trials at the Mountain Research Station in Waynesville. Schultheis and Dr. Annette Wszelaki of the University of Tennessee at Knoxville have been conducting the tests for about a decade.\r\n\r\n[embed]https:\/\/youtu.be\/HUB5P-j5UMw[\/embed]\r\n<h3>New pumpkin farmers face learning curve<\/h3>\r\n\u201cFarmers have learned that the mountains have a great climate for growing jack o\u2019 lanterns, but they\u2019re new to pumpkin production and face a steep learning curve,\u201d says Birdsell, of Ashe County. \u201cBy sharing research-based information, we can help them become more confident and make pumpkin production more profitable.\u201d\r\n\r\nTo bring the research closer to the growers he serves, Birdsell has been growing 40 different pumpkin varieties in plots at the Upper Mountain Research Station in Laurel Springs. He started the tests with Schultheis just months after he began working for Extension in Ashe County in 2012.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_151029\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"300\"]<img class=\"size-medium wp-image-151029\" src=\"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/pile-2-2-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"Pile of harvested pumpkins in a field\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" \/> The variety trials help growers determine the varieties that grow best in under local conditions and meet their customers' needs.[\/caption]\r\n\r\nThose demonstrations were especially valuable in helping farmers know which varieties would produce pumpkins that were the right size for the market, says Ken Guyton, a farm manager at Sexton Farms. Birdsell helped determine two varieties that would grow well in the mountains and produce volleyball-sized pumpkins that were in high demand.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe never would have figured that out without Travis,\u201d Guyton says.\r\n\r\nJohnny Wishon, a CALS alumnus and former agriculture teacher who grows 400 acres of Christmas trees and began growing pumpkins four years ago, says Birdsell has been instrumental in helping with both farm endeavors.\r\n\r\n\u201cThe produce business is a totally different animal from the Christmas tree industry, and Travis has been one of my go-to guys if I see something in the field I don't understand,\" the Alleghany County farmer\u00a0says. \"He's steered me in the right direction on varieties and disease management. He's been a huge asset to our whole industry.\"\r\n\r\nIn addition to the variety tests, Birdsell also works to apprise his growers of the latest research related to pesticide use and other growing practices through production meetings and one-on-one consultations.\r\n\r\n\u201cI\u2019m just doing what the growers need me to do,\u201d he says.\r\n\r\nAnd that\u2019s probably the same way his grandfather, the late C.E. \u201cChuck\u201d Gardner, felt about his work helping growers build North Carolina\u2019s Christmas tree industry into the nation\u2019s largest. Gardner worked in Ashe County from 1948 to 1979, a period of tremendous growth for the industry.\r\n<h3>Pumpkins linked to nationally leading Christmas tree industry<\/h3>\r\nThe mountain pumpkin industry has close ties to the Christmas tree industry, with about 75 percent of pumpkin growers producing both crops. The combination makes sense because pumpkins require the same type of climate that have made Christmas trees the area\u2019s number one agricultural commodity, Birdsell says.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_150627\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\"]<img class=\"size-medium wp-image-150627\" src=\"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/gourds-1-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"A pile of harvested decorative gourds of different colors\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" \/> Pumpkins weren't the only crop being harvested at the Waynesville variety trial. Researchers are also looking at the performance of decorative gourds like these.[\/caption]\r\n\r\nNot only that, the two crops\u2019 harvest seasons are complementary. Pumpkins are picked in September and October, right before farmers get busy filling orders for Christmas trees in November and December.\r\n\r\nAlso, because both crops are seasonal, marketing possibilities are similar. Farmers can sell directly to retailers who purchase their Christmas trees, set up lots to sell directly to the public or offer pick-your-own experiences for fall leaf-peepers and others.\r\n\r\nRight now, Birdsell estimates that area producers grow more than 3,000 acres of pumpkins \u2013 probably three-quarters of the total produced in the state, says Schultheis, a horticultural science professor and Extension specialist who\u2019s an expert in vegetable production.\r\n<h3>High country is 'sweet spot' for NC pumpkins<\/h3>\r\nSchultheis says North Carolina\u2019s proximity to southern markets provide an advantage for our growers, but unless the demand for edible pumpkins grow, he doesn\u2019t expect North Carolina\u2019s pumpkin industry to grow to be nearly the size of its Christmas tree or sweet potato industries.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe will probably have moderate growth. Not huge, but moderate,\u201d he says.\r\n\r\nAnd if the state continues to increase its pumpkin acreage, the high country has the best potential for being the center of that growth, Birdsell says.\r\n\r\n\u201cHere, it\u2019s the perfect growing climate, in terms of average daytime and night-time temperatures, and diseases don\u2019t present as many problems as they do in other areas of the state,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019d say we are in the sweet spot.\u201d"},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Extension Agent Travis Birdsell is helping Christmas tree growers and others explore a new industry for North Carolina&#8217;s high country: pumpkin production.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":411,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"source":"ncstate_wire","ncst_custom_author":"","ncst_show_custom_author":false,"ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"","ncst_content_audit_freq":"","ncst_content_audit_date":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[9,6,1],"tags":[243,238],"class_list":["post-410","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-extension","category-impact","category-nc-state","tag-_from-newswire-collection-10","tag-_from-newswire-collection-21"],"displayCategory":null,"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/horticultural-science\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/410","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/horticultural-science\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/horticultural-science\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/horticultural-science\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/22"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/horticultural-science\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=410"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/horticultural-science\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/410\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13343,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/horticultural-science\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/410\/revisions\/13343"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/horticultural-science\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/411"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/horticultural-science\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=410"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/horticultural-science\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=410"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/horticultural-science\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=410"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}