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Illinois pumpkin grower says demand for local products remains strong
Consumer demand for local products remained strong this fall according to an Illinois pumpkin grower.
Wayne Gehrke grows corn, soybeans, hay, and pumpkins an hour west of Chicago with his family. He tells Brownfield 2020 was not a flash in the pan for consumers visiting their farm stand.
“We had another great sales year, we had another year of great weather in the fall.”
Gehrke says there’s also growing interest in heirloom pumpkins by consumers to decorate for the season.
Gehrke is the retiring Young Leader Chair for the Illinois Farm Bureau. Brownfield interviewed him at the 2021 Illinois Farm Bureau Annual Meeting in Chicago.
