Pumpkin people

Farm minutes from Otsego County
is famous for providing October’s
favorite fruit to region
and offering fall, family fun as well

By GREG KLEIN • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com

CULLEN — In September and October, the delivery trucks stop at Cullen Pumpkin Farm and its twin Shypski Farm nearly every day to load up on pumpkins.

“We certainly hope so,” said Barbara Shypski. “September and October are only two months, so there is a lot of pumpkins to get out.”

Just north of Otsego County, in the town of Columbia, in the hamlet that gives the farm its name, Cullen Pumpkin Farm has been supplying central New York with pumpkins for four, going on five, decades.
Brothers Tom, Richard and John, with help from Tom’s wife, Barbara, and other family members, have been carrying on the family tradition begun by their father, Nester.

The farm was established in the 1950s as a dairy farm. Nester planted his first pumpkin patch in 1985 as something to do for fun and to supplement his corn crop, according to the family history. However, within a couple of years, he sold the cows and turned to hay and pumpkins as his main cash crops.

Nester’s sons have continued the family tradition in the 15 years since he died. John still has a full-time job, but his brothers are “retired” and the farming they do is something they do for fun and to fill a need, in their lives and in the community, Barbara said.

In the process, they have turned the farm into a go-to-Autumn destination, with weekend events, a corn maze, a children’s playground and options for people to self pick pumpkins from the patch or buy them straight from the wagon.

“Every year we try to add something else,” she said.

The farm includes about 30 acres of crops and will produce about 30,000 pumpkins this season. Almost all of them will be sold in the region, but the Shypskis have customers as far away as Syracuse. “We wholesale and retail,” Shypski said. “A lot of the people we wholesale to operate roadside stands. So, a lot
of times, when you see a roadside stand, those are our pumpkins, too.”

Although the harvest and selling season is short, the work goes on for most of the spring and summer.
“We probably start two or three months before (opening day in September),” she said. “You have to get the soil ready. You have to plant.”

According to Cornell Cooperative Extension, pumpkin farming produces about $20 million in annual revenue in New York. Although pumpkin pies and pumpkin spice are popular seasonal treats — pumpkin spice season memes have become a popular trend on social media — Cornell estimates 99% of pumpkin sales are for seasonal decorations.

The Shypskis also sell corn, mums, squashes and gourds and their crop includes several different strains of pumpkin, such as black futsu and white, or ghost, pumpkins. The area around their farm is ripe for other crops and foods as well.

A roadside stand on Cullen Farm Road sells garlic and Ingles Maple Products is just a couple of miles away on State Route 28.

The farm will host a visit from Clydesdale horses from noon to 2 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 9; the Utica ZooMobile from noon to 2 p.m. Monday Oct. 11; and a snowmobile show from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 16.

Go to www.cullenpumpkinfarm.com for more information.