Pumpkin facts

In many parts of the Unites States, October is associated with falling leaves in various hues, a crisp autumn chill, Halloween, and big, round, orange pumpkins. From a marketing standpoint, this popular member of the squash family produces some pretty interesting fun facts, including:

The total production of pumpkins by major pumpkin-producing states in 2008 was 1.1 billion pounds. Illinois led the country by producing 496 million pounds of the vined orange gourd. (Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service)
Pumpkins are grown primarily for processing with a small percentage grown for ornamental sales through you-pick farms, farmers market and retail sales. (Source: University of Illinois Extension)
The town of Morton, near Peoria in central Illinois, is the self-proclaimed Pumpkin Capital of the World. Morton is the location of a pumpkin processing plant that cans more than 85 percent of the worlds pumpkin each year.

(Source: AG Marketing Resource Center)