Climate Change and Rising Labor Costs Impact US Pumpkin Crop Production

Pumpkin farmers across Southwestern US face severe water shortages and high labor costs, leading to significant yield losses and farmers having to abandon acreage.

Farmers in southwestern US states such as Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado have struggled with significant yield loss in pumpkin production due to water shortages and increased labor costs aggravated by climate change.
This year's pumpkin crop failed to meet the predicted yields, with some farmers losing 20% or more due to droughts and heat extremes.
Higher temperatures exceeding 100 degrees Fahrenheit during the summer resulted in pumpkins decomposing during the shipping process.
Rising costs have affected every aspect of farming from irrigation, supplies and chemicals, to energy bills for groundwater pumping reaching thousands of dollars per month.
Intensifying labor issues, specifically linked to the harvesting process of pumpkins, which requires a larger manual labor force compared to other crops, has put farmers in a 'no-win situation' with an unclear future for the subsequent generations.