Dry September is a blessing for fall harvest, farmers say
NEW PRAGUE, Minn. — In the 30 years or so the Barten Family has been growing pumpkins, few years have been quite like this one.
It started with one of the wettest planting seasons on record – and will end with one of the driest harvests.
"It's just rolling with it. It's always that way. When you work with the land, you're not in control," said Fran Barten. "I think farmers are really good at rolling with it. Because honestly, there isn't a normal."
Barten says the wet spring delayed seed planting by weeks.
"We were seeing rain just about every day. The soil didn't have a chance to dry," she said.
Now, the farm is seeing pumpkins "catch up" thanks to the dry weather.
"Nature is so amazing, we feel like even though the pumpkins were planted a little bit later, some of them caught up. They still ripened up in time for us to get them here," Barten said.
"Farmers are really good at rolling with it and adjusting, and we did that," she said.
Barten Pumpkin Patch will stay open until Oct. 31.