Photo: Brittany Randolph (Flickr)
Hurricane Irene is continuing to take her toll — this time on pumpkins.
Farmers affected by the hurricane have been reporting damage to crops due to flooding, and areas affected by wet or dry weather had a smaller harvest.
Late harvests are especially threatening to pumpkins. Sales drop after Halloween, so demand is high for the month of October.
Does this mean there won’t be enough Jack O’ Lanterns to go around? Not necessarily.
Pumpkins are grown in nearly every state, and states with good harvests can move them around to areas short on pumpkins.
The result is higher shipping and wholesale costs — some northeastern states are even reporting double wholesale costs from last year.