By Jim Talamonti | The Center Square
The Center Square

(The Center Square) – Despite a recent decline in production value, Illinois is far and away the leader when it comes to one Thanksgiving dinner staple.

Nathan Johanning, Commercial Agriculture Educator for the University of Illinois Extension, said at least 80% of the pumpkin found in stores comes from Illinois.

“Pumpkins are a major player, given the share that we take in the marketplace, especially the canned pumpkin,” Johanning told The Center Square.

Illinois led the nation by producing about 485 million pounds of pumpkins in 2024, or about as much as the next four leading states combined.

“It’s a very significant portion that is grown and processed here in Illinois and goes out to all over the country and, in some cases, even the world,” Johanning said.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, nationwide pumpkin production in 2024 reached 1.44 billion pounds, just below the yearly average of 1.58 billion pounds from 2020-2023.

The total value of U.S. pumpkin production grew from $234 million in 2021 to $274 million in 2024, but Illinois saw a 10% decline during the same period.

Johanning said Illinois farmers overcame challenging weather to produce a successful harvest this year, noting that it was cold and wet early, then dry and hot during the summer.

“By the time pumpkin planting season came, the weather had moderated a little bit from some of the wet spell in May, so planting actually went through pretty well,” Johanning said. “Some areas did endure some areas of drought, especially the southern part of the state which is more where I’m located, we had some drought conditions as we got later into the summer.”

Johanning said it helps that pumpkins don’t have to be planted as early as corn or soybeans.

According to the Census of Agriculture, Illinois had 524 fresh market pumpkin farms in 2022. Johanning said he has seen more pumpkin farms pop up every year.

“The agritourism aspect and the support to the local community and economy that these farms is really significant,” Johanning said, adding that the industry has generated new farm businesses.

“A lot of times spinoffs from existing farms, they just want to diversify or maybe have a sibling or a spouse that wants to do something to contribute and kind of helps man a separate operation with sometimes only a few acres of the existing farm’s production,” Johanning explained.

According to the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 40th annual Thanksgiving dinner survey, the national average price for a 30-ounce can of pumpkin pie mix increased 0.1% this year to $4.16. The Illinois Farm Bureau found that the same product’s Illinois price was slightly higher at $4.24.

The AFBA said the average cost of a classic holiday meal for ten people decreased to $55.18, a 5% drop from 2024. The Illinois Farm Bureau found that the average price of the holiday meal for ten in Illinois is $49.20.