CINCINNATI —

Fall festivals are underway at farms around Boone County, but a local problem with pumpkins is causing concern as dry conditions have dramatically reduced the pumpkin crop on farms without irrigation.

Mary Marcum from Benton Family Farm highlighted the issue, saying, "We've had no rain, we've had no rain here." She added, "All the fields are dried up." Advertisement

In a five-acre field at Benton Farm, the expected yield was about 3,500 pumpkins, but only 1,300 have grown, which is about a third of the anticipated amount.

Amanda Hanger, operations manager at Gorman Heritage Farm in Evendale, explained the impact of the droughts.

"Ever since these summer droughts, we've had to shift and we now have to go up and buy pumpkins in bulk at a produce auction," she said. "Crops

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