The labor shortage could affect this year’s pumpkin crop. John Ackerman, who owns Ackerman Family Farms of Morton, Illinois, says it’s hard to find enough people to pick the pumpkins. Word of mouth was always enough to bring in applicants until this year. He resorted to posting a message on Facebook.
Not having enough people to work means higher labor costs and worry about his farm’s future.
Morton is called the pumpkin capital of the world.
Information and sound from FarmWeek Now