Where would we be without pumpkins on Halloween? From harvesting the apples that go into Fourth of July pies to processing the turkey that we enjoy around our Thanksgiving tables, immigrants help bring home many holidays and annual celebrations – and Halloween is no exception. Without the labor and skills of essential immigrant farmworkers, we’d all have a tougher time buying, carving, and decorating this Halloween essential.
Approximately 2 billion pumpkins are grown and harvested every single year “for consumers to eat, decorate or use for their fall celebrations,” United Farm Workers (UFW) said last year. “Farm workers harvest the 5 to 25 pound pumpkins during late August to late October,” with some pumpkins growing so large it can take two workers to carry them. In New York state, farmworkers know that when the weather begins to cool down, it means that pumpkins there are nearly ready to go from the fields to store shelves.
Armando shared this pic of the pumpkin field in Hudson Valley NY. Appx 2 billion pumpkins are grown annually for consumers to eat, decorate or use for their fall celebrations. Farm workers harvest the 5 to 25 pound pumpkins during late August to late October. #WeFeedYou
— United Farm Workers (@ufw.bsky.social) 2024-09-01T01:45:00.341Z
In California, skilled farmworkers like Esteban help get pumpkins to consumers to enjoy. “Esteban was working in muddy, wet fields cutting these pumpkins from their vines,” UFW continued in another post from last fall. The organization shared one of the workplace hazards involved when it comes to harvesting this particular produce. “It was warm, but you’ll note he is entirely covered, including a mask. Pumpkin vines have very irritating hairlike fibers that can become embedded in the skin, eyes and respiratory system.”
Esteban was working in muddy, wet fields cutting these pumpkins from their vines. It was warm, but you’ll note he is entirely covered, including a mask. Pumpkin vines have very irritating hairlike fibers that can become embedded in the skin, eyes and respiratory system.
— United Farm Workers (@ufw.bsky.social) 2024-11-27T22:51:15.295Z
“All States produce some pumpkins, but six States produce most of them,” the Agriculture Department’s Economic Research Service said earlier this year. Illinois topped the list, producing 630 million pounds of pumpkins in 2022. “The next 5 largest pumpkin-producing States by weight were Indiana with 160 million pounds, California with 120 million pounds, Michigan and Pennsylvania with 90 million pounds each, and Virginia with 50 million pounds.”
“Most pumpkins are grown for decorative purposes, with a smaller amount processed into puree to be used in food products such as pies, muffins, or breads,” the Economic Research Service continued. “However, in Illinois—the largest producer by both acres and weight—about 80 percent of the State’s harvested pumpkin acres are used for processing” for food products.
And as farmers themselves have openly acknowledged throughout the years, this work can’t happen without the skills and oftentimes strenuous labor of essential immigrant workers.
Brian Campbell’s “pumpkin empire” began as a roadside stand when he was just 14, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported in 2019. Halloween “has propelled Campbell, now 53, from hundreds of pumpkins sold per season to the 600,000 he grows on 2,000 total acres across the county.” And, without the aid of immigrant workers, he wouldn’t be nearly as successful today.
“The local workers wouldn’t do this work,” Cambell said. “I couldn’t operate without [migrant labor], and I wouldn’t even try to.” In fact, he said his star employee was an undocumented worker who had lived in the U.S. for nearly a decade at publishing time. The worker, Roller, became eligible for a U-visa after a police officer pulled him over and robbed him of a week’s worth of wages. Campbell said he was outraged when he heard.
“I heard about it the next day, and those things really bother me,” he said. “We took that information and got the state police involved, and it took two years but we ended up in court, and that guy did jail time, lost his job, and had to pay restitution.” Campbell “lent him money to fight his case and believes the nation’s farms would be hard-pressed to harvest crops without undocumented workers,” The Inquirer continued.
“If all these people have to go home, we’re in trouble,” Campbell said. “Big trouble.”
Pumpkins get from the fields to our homes for #Halloween Jack-o'-lanterns thanks to the labor of farmworkers like Adrian and Jose who sent us this photo from Vista CA where they were laboring in the pumpkin harvest. This pumpkin was so heavy it took two men to lift it #WeFeedYou
— United Farm Workers (@ufw.bsky.social) 2024-10-31T13:00:22.744Z
With Thanksgiving just around the corner, it would be remiss to not mention that foreign-born workers are also essential to the production of canned pumpkin used in desserts and other cooking. “Food for Thought: Pumpkin pie made possible by migrant workers,” WCBU reported on an Illinois pumpkin patch and pumpkin canning factory in 2017. “Farmer John Ackerman, in Morton, says with the holiday’s focus on gratitude, he hopes Americans consider the people who help put the food on the table,” WCBU continued.
In Ohio, another pumpkin producer, foreign-born farmworkers “are a vital contributor” to the state’s agricultural economy,” the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services said in 2017. “Without a stable labor pool from which to draw workers, Ohio farmers have been reluctant to invest in an increase in crop acreage or diversification of commercial crops.”
Halloween is coming soon. Lupe" sent us this photo of the pumpkins he helped harvest in the Bakersfield CA area. He shares he is proud of the work he and other farm workers do to bring fruits and vegetables to the tables across America. #WeFeedYou
— United Farm Workers (@ufw.bsky.social) 2025-10-11T20:00:43.526Z
Of course, it’s not just pumpkins. Essential immigrant workers quite literally keep the entire agricultural industry alive through their skilled labor growing, harvesting, and distributing the items that go into our daily meals and celebratory feasts. Nearly three-quarters of U.S. farmworkers are foreign-born, meaning that if these workers were to suddenly vanish from their workplaces, grocery prices would go up for working families and our food supply would face collapse.
The simple fact is, that without these workers, farms couldn’t operate and we wouldn’t eat. Remember they also carry out this essential labor in rain or shine, cold or extreme heat. Standing up for these workers must mean more than just recognizing their contributions (though they do deserve our thanks every single day). And, more and more growers are demanding policies that legalize, not demonize, farm workers.
As we head into Halloween and winter holidays, it’s worth taking some time to remember all the ways that immigrants influence our daily lives. That includes being able to celebrate the spookiest of holidays. Without their vital contributions, Halloween would be a lot less fun for everyone.
