ROMULUS, Mich. — A Romulus pumpkin farm is making the best of a tough growing season after a prolonged drought cut its harvest nearly in half.
Cyril Bird, owner of Bird's Big Pumpkins and Raspberry Patch, said the farm's overall crop is down about 30% this year. He has been running the farm for nearly 50 years.
"Our crop as a whole has been down about 30 percent," Bird said. "Disappointing really."
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Bird said the farm's largest pumpkins — which can weigh hundreds of pounds — require rainfall during the growing season, primarily in June and July. That rain did not come.
"And then we run into the drought which lasted July to September. They just didn't grow like they had in the past," Bird said.
On an average year, the farm harvests more than 1,000 pumpkins. This year, Bird said the total sits at about 600 to 700 — roughly half the usual yield.
"You just do the best you can with what you got," Bird said.
When rain is scarce, the farm relies on irrigation — but Bird said it does not grow pumpkins at the same rate as natural rainfall.
"We got the two and a quarter inches in September. Yeah, it was late but we'll take it. You can't give it back," Bird said.
Despite the reduced crop, visitors are still turning out in force. Fall remains the farm's busiest stretch of the year.
"Hectic two months but we're into it," Bird said.
"It has been a pretty dry summer," Rick Wallace, a visitor picking pumpkins, said.
"Huge pumpkins," Joanna Dean, a visitor picking pumpkins, said.
"Don't know if we're going to go with one of them," Wallace said.
"I think we should," Dean said.
"Those are massive," Wallace said.
Dean and Wallace said pumpkin picking is a fall tradition they look forward to each year — and both believe Halloween has grown into one of the most popular holidays on the calendar.
"Especially the last five or ten years, I feel like Halloween sales have outsold Christmas sales," Dean said.
"There seems to be a holiday every month. Somebody's got to have something," Wallace said.
Now that the growing season has passed, Bird said he is actually hoping the rain holds off — because dry, pleasant weather brings more visitors to the farm.
"Beautiful. Nice. Perfect," Dean said.
Bird said despite the financial hit this season, all he can hope for is better weather next year.
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