Wheatland, CA – It turned out to be a battle of Oregon growers Saturday in California. In the end, an enormous pumpkin nicknamed “Hank the Tank,” grown by Jim Sherwood of Mulino, Oregon, weighed in at 2,453 pounds to take first place in one of North America’s most prestigious pumpkin contests, the National Pumpkin Weigh Off at Bishop’s Pumpkin Farm in Wheatland, California.
Sherwood said, “after 23 years growing giant pumpkins, you can sum up this year by saying ‘old dogs really can learn new tricks.’ This was my first year growing in a greenhouse, and I really focused on networking with other top growers, sharing tips and growing methods, and it certainly paid off.”
Sherwood’s first place win earned the top prize of $9 per pound, for a total of $22,077. Sherwood’s winning pumpkin also happened to be a very pretty pumpkin, and was also given the coveted Howard Dill award by the judges for an extra $500.
A long-time grower, and good friend of Sherwood’s, Russ Pugh, of Eugene, Oregon, also grew a monster, weighing in at 2,301 pounds, earning the second place $4,000 prize. Initial estimates of a pumpkin’s weight are taken by measuring the width, height and girth. Going into the competition, Sherwood and Pugh’s pumpkins were within a half an inch of each other.
Sherwood missed breaking the Oregon State record by a mere 17 pounds. The record was set by Steve Daletas in 2018, at 2,469 pounds.
With the highest prize pool in the world, the National Pumpkin Weigh Off attracted growers from across the United States and the world. Last year’s winner was Canadian Dave Chan, of Vancouver, British Columbia.
In all Saturday, the top 25 pumpkins won cash prizes, totaling over $50,000. If a new World Record had been set, the grower would have received a total bonus of $30,000. The current World Record pumpkin is 2,749 pounds, grown by Travis Gienger of Minnesota.
In addition to giant pumpkins, seven additional giant vegetable categories were judged and awarded cash prizes, including bushel gourd, long gourd, tomato, marrow, sunflower, watermelon, and field pumpkin.
The Weigh Off opened with the Future Farmers category, where 15 youth, ages seven to 17, entered their giant pumpkins. Harrison Kennedy, age seven, took home the top prize of $1,000 for his 856 pound giant. All entrants were given an award, with the top ten splitting a total of $3,500 in cash prizes.
Volunteers from the California Pumpkin Growers Club emceed and ran logistics for the Weigh Off. The Club is part of the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth (GPC), the international organization which sets the standards for the competitive weigh offs held around the world and officially tracks every weigh off and pumpkin entered.
“The goal of the California Pumpkin Growers Club is to promote the growing of giant pumpkins and other vegetables through friendly competitions and through education of the non-growing public about what it takes to grow these giants,” said Brian Myers, Chairman of the California Pumpkin Growers Club. “Bishop’s Pumpkin Farm is the perfect location for a weigh off, and we were beyond thrilled to see such massive pumpkins entering our event this year.”
Open from early-September through early-November, Bishop’s Pumpkin Farm of Wheatland, California, opening to the public in 1973 as a place for local students to experience an agriculture field trip. Bishop’s has grown to a regional destination, offering homemade foods, authentic farm fun and the largest u-pick pumpkin field in the world. Over 275,000 guests visit annually.
“When the opportunity to host one of the most prestigious agricultural contests in the world presented itself last year, we gave a resounding yes,” said Bishop’s Pumpkin Farm Owner, Wayne Bishop. “It’s just the perfect fit for our business, our passion, and our ag-based community. Standing on the stage with 15 kids who spent their summer growing a giant pumpkin was absolutely heartwarming.”
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Sacramento at Fire Mountain, was the Weigh Off’s Title Sponsor. “We love supporting our local community,” said Meghan McCarthy, Vice President of Operations for Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Sacramento. “Our region is truly an ag-tourism destination. We are excited to partner on this unique event again and can’t wait to welcome new visitors.”
A top goal of the event organizers is getting more adults and youth growing giant pumpkins. If you would like to learn more on potentially growing a giant next year, join our email list at www.pumpkinweighoff.com. You will instantly receive a reply email with a link to download the ’25 Tips to Growing Giant Pumpkins’ and over the coming months, will receive updates when seeds or plants will be available, and how to connect with other giant pumpkin growers.
CONTACT: National Pumpkin Weigh Off 2024 Winner, Jim Sherwood, (971) 645-5488; California Pumpkin Growers Club Chairman, Brian Myers, (916) 505-7180; Bishop’s Pumpkin Farm Owner, Wayne Bishop, (530) 633-2568
