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Pumpkin Farms in Central Illinois Aim to be Eco-Friendly

 

                                                                             Photo Courtesy of EvgeniiAnd/Shutterstock


By: Hannah Mitchell

Date: 10/4


On September 29th, ABC News shared that Central Illinois pumpkin farms are adapting to improve soil and lower emissions. With fall in full swing, families begin to take to pumpkin farms to enjoy the cozy season. As fun as pumpkin patch season is though, it's also important to reflect on the environmental impacts of jack-o-lantern carvings.


According to Hope Ngo, writer for mashed, “The World Economic Forum says in Britain alone, of the 10 million pumpkins grown every year, 95% are tossed after Halloween, resulting in 18,000 tonnes of food waste. It's not much better in the United States, where 900,000 tons of pumpkin is tossed. These pumpkins end up in landfills where they start to rot and produce methane, making them environmentally problematic as a result.”


Its quite unbelievable and frankly hard to realize that an innocent tradition in households during spooky season could be causing such large environmental damage. This is why farms in Central Illinois are taking a step to fight back by using regenerative farming. According to greenamerica.org, Regenerative farming is known as a holistic land-management practice that uses the power of photosynthesis in plants to isolate carbon in the soil while improving soil health.


 Associated Press Writers Dee-Ann Durbin and Teresa Crawford reporting for ABC News share, “On the Central Illinois farms that supply 85% of the world’s canned pumpkin, farmers are adopting regenerative techniques designed to reduce emissions, attract natural pollinators like bees and butterflies and improve the health of the soil.” This effort is backed by the 150-year-old canned food company named Libby’s. The company Libby’s processes 120,000 tons of pumpkins each year from Illinois fields. Libby’s parent, the Swiss conglomerate Nestle, is one of a growing number of big food companies supporting this transition to regenerative farming in the U.S.


Illinois families can still find themselves enjoying time making pumpkin flavored goods, but now with a lower carbon footprint. 

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