KENOSHA, Wis. — Pumpkin patches across Wisconsin are gearing up for harvest time, as fall and Halloween are quickly approaching.

Jerry Smith Farm in Kenosha opens for its 49th annual “Fall on the Farm” season this Saturday. The farm has expanded over the years and now has its third generation of Smiths working there.


What You Need To Know

  • Jerry Smith Farm in Kenosha opens for its 49th annual “Fall on the Farm” season this Saturday
  • The co-owner of the farm said they’re seeing a return on only about half of their pumpkin crop

  • Jerry Smith Farm has enough pumpkins so far and is hopeful to harvest more good ones over the next month

  • Fall on the Farm at Jerry Smith Farm runs Sept. 14 through Oct. 31

Fall on the Farm offers animals to pet, intricate pumpkin displays, hayrides, caramel apples and more. It’s the farm’s busiest two months of the year.

“We are all excited, so excited,” Amy Smith, co-owner of Jerry Smith Farm, said. “It takes over six weeks to set up. So, it’s a lot of work. A lot of love we call it.”

There’s an added challenge this year. Smith said Jerry Smith Farm’s pumpkin crop was negatively impacted by a very wet growing season.

(Spectrum News 1/Megan Marshall)

“It’s sparse,” she said. “There are some fields that are good, and some fields that aren’t so good, and it’s all due to the rain we had this spring.”

Smith said they’re seeing a return on only about half of the pumpkin crop.

Nick Wojciechowicz, the manager of Jerry Smith Farm, said his team is not alone in this challenge.

“We had a lot of places that died off,” Wojciechowicz said. “These plants cannot sit in water. They are very susceptible to drowning. I mean, it’s kind of a one and done game.”

(Spectrum News 1/Megan Marshall)

Jerry Smith Farm said it has enough pumpkins so far and is hopeful to harvest more good ones over the next month for the rest of the fall season. If supply gets too low, Wojciechowicz said they may have to reach out to other famers for help. He pointed out other farms have already contacted them looking for more pumpkins.

Fall on the Farm at Jerry Smith Farm runs Sept. 14 through Oct. 31.