MN Pumpkin Weighing 2,471 Pounds Wins World Title

HALF MOON BAY, CA — World champion pumpkin grower Travis Gienger of Anoka, Minnesota, made a 32-hour journey to defend his title at the Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off in Half Moon Bay, California this week. He did not make the trip in vain.

For the second consecutive year, Gienger will take home the title and the world's biggest prize of $9/pound at the Half Moon Bay event.

Gienger's winning gourd, Rudy, came in at 2,471 pounds, earning him $22,239. Rudy was grown in Nowthen, Minnesota.

The runner-up pumpkin — from Santa Rosa, CA — weighed just 6 pounds lighter.

Rudy is Gienger's fourth title overall. His 2023 winner weighed 2,749 pounds, a world record that will stand for at least another year.

Healthy soil is key to victory, Gienger said. But a cold growing season with record-breaking rain may have slightly stunted his pumpkin's growth this year.

"We had really, really tough weather and somehow, some way, I kept on working," Gienger said. "I had to work for this one, and we got it done at the end, but it wasn’t by much."

Gienger transported his pumpkin in a specially designed trailer lined with cushioning and soil for protection. He eagerly delays cutting his pumpkin from the vine for as long as possible.

"It takes a Herculean effort just to lift the thing," Festival Spokesman Tim Beeman told Patch.

This weekend's festival will feature a photo booth with the champion pumpkin. It's $20 for a photo, with proceeds going to local schools.

Photos with the second, third, and fourth place pumpkins are free.

Reporting from the Associated Press was used in this story.