The Pumpkin Patch Fundraisers

Farmington, New Mexico

There's a 1,250 acre "pumpkin patch" farm in San Juan County, New Mexico that not many know about. These guys furnish the bulk of the nation's pumpkins each year for the nations churche's fund raising events just before Halloween. We got a call to help these guys with a load of bees in 2018 and spent a month at their amazing place just south of Farmington, which is just a little south of Durango Colorado in the middle of the Navajo Indian Reservation in northern New Mexico.

This was an  awesome experience for us and fun to meet and work with a great group of guys that work the farm year round. The farm go from about 8 employees a year, Navajo guys with a great sense of hospility and sese of humor as well. The farm goes from those 8 guys to around 800 workers the first week of October ever year. They weed and tend the fields until harvest time. One guy is on full time Prairie Dog patrol. (imagine that job!)

This is from their website:

Pumpkin Patch Fundraisers began in 1974 in North Carolina with 3 acres of pumpkins and a partnership with one church. We agreed to let the church sell the pumpkins and they would share the proceeds. There was no contract, no legal proceedings…just a handshake and trust in each other. Richard and Janice Hamby have been growing pumpkins and adding partners ever since.

PS. These  guys also have 2,500 acres of  Pop Corn  they grow each year.
More of their story here: https://www.pumpkinsusa.com/about-us/

The distance from San Antonio was a little further than we typically go for the low price of the pumpkin pollination fees, so we hooked these guys up with a beekeeper that is a lot closer to them.