With fall in full swing, pumpkin sales are up. But in Illinois, the production of pumpkin products is a year-round effort.
Illinois is the nation’s largest
pumpkin-producing state, and produces nearly all the nation’s canned pumpkins.
Mohammed Babadoost, a plant pathology professor at the College of Aces, said the significance of pumpkins in Illinois is measurable.
“We grow almost all, at least 90% of canned pumpkins, meaning that if Illinois fails in pumpkin production there would be no pumpkin pie,” Babadoost said.
Other states, such as Indiana, Ohio, New York and California, produce seasonal pumpkins for decoration, but not for processing, he said.