2019 fall farm

Page 38 2019 Logan County Farm Outlook Magazine Lincoln Daily News Nov. 1, 2019 I t’s Fall and the pumpkin season is upon us. Everywhere you turn there is something good to eat or drink with pumpkin in it. From pumpkin bread to pumpkin cookies, this time of year is a pumpkin lover’s dream. Restaurants are serving up everything from pumpkin cheesecake to pumpkin-flavored ice cream. And of course, Starbucks fans go crazy over a Pumpkin Spice Latte as the weather cools off. But the most famous of all pumpkin delights is without a doubt pumpkin pie. Here in central Illinois at the heart of it all is the Nestle/Libby processing plant in Morton, which happens to be the “Pumpkin Capital of the World.” Eighty-five percent of the world’s canned pumpkin is produced in Morton. To be a leader in the world market, Libby’s contracts out approximately 5,000 acres of central Illinois farmland dedicated to the specialty crop. Right here in Logan County one local farmer is getting a “piece of the pie.” Bill Sahs, who has been farming for 46 years, is just one of a handful of farmers raising pumpkins for Libby’s. Sahs is currently Local farmer gets a piece of the pie - pumpkin that is Story by Teena Lowery and photos by Jan Youngquist Continue 8