Man Breaks State Record With Nearly 1,800 Pound Pumpkin

REPUBLIC, Mo. (CBS Local) -- A Missouri man recently broke his own state record for the largest pumpkin -- twice in one day.

Richard Bottorf set the the Show-Me State record two years ago at 1,563 pounds. But this year, he brought two giant pumpkins for competition at the Republic Pumpkin Daze festival, held on Oct. 5.

The first pumpkin weighed in at 1,677 pounds, topping his own state record by more than 100 pounds.

But that record only held for a few minutes because the second pumpkin weighed in at a whopping 1,798 pounds. It measured nearly 16 feet around.

Yes, Linus, there is a Great Pumpkin.

Bottorf said a record pumpkin can gain up to 40 pounds a day during the peak growing season.

"By using great seed genetics and the help of mother nature I was able to pull the feat off in 2019," he told KSDK.

Last week, Bottorf used a dump truck to bring it to his granddaughter's school so the students could get an up close look.

He also planned to lend the pumpkin to his church for trick or treating. Bottorf says after Halloween, it will go in his garden patch.