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Esneux / Liège / BELGIUM

Well, this post was on the weighoff board, but I tkink I could be dedated here.

I don't know the organisateurs of Duisburg.

I didn't know there was no "big" (money) price in Duisburg. What about more sponsors?
I'm very surprised because we are one of the european country where growing pumpkins is popular. But we don't have a festival like Ludwigscastle in Germany.
Do you know if someone has the possibility to make increase the organisation?
Wouldn't it possible to join the Pumpkin festival from Tourinnes-Saint-Lambert (I know it was another city this year but I don't remember the name) with the official Belgian weighoff? I know the organisateur would like to change the date. It could be a good association, don't you think?
Just my two cents, but I'm sure it would be a very nice event, a lot of people would come and see BIG pumpkins and it could be a good promotion for this sport.

10/15/2004 3:13:53 AM

Cologne / Germany

Théa,

I wish you good luck to organize something better over there in Belgium! It was a shame that Jos went home with some 60 Euro garden stuff for one of the biggest pumpkins in Europe. Even at our local weigh-off here in Germany I won prices worth around 800 Euro.
Look at Carlos´ (Don Quichote) diary from 2003 and the prices he got even if it was not any official spanish pumpkin contest.
It´s just a reward for the hard work and money these growers invested over the years. It´s for the fun of it, but you can call it a "sport" so the winner should be rewarded, right? AG growing attracts TV and newspapers and I doubt media will do anything for free, why should pumpkin growers do?

Ingo

10/15/2004 8:34:03 AM

Belgium Europe

Don't feel pitty for me... lol. My pumpkin payed off for me 5 times the costs of growing it. You see , i sell fruits and vegetables,and pumpkins of course.Hit the national newspapers,hit regional papers several times.Hit regional TV 4 times,national TV two times. Normally i pay lots off money to have my ads in the papers or regional TV.Now i had front page for free.Every weekend my pumpkin is on a great event in the region here(they ask me ) and i go there for free ,but i can place the name of my bussiness near my pumpkin.Never sold more pumpkins and had more hits on my website(www.centerfruit.be) than the last 2 weeks..lol.
But i agree... would be nice for every grower if prices were bigger,not everybody sells pumpkins.But i also think that it will happen! the more we get in the media, the more people will start gowing... and more growers is the only way to make the sport bigger.If there are 40 or 50 good growers in Europe... in the states there are thousands and thousands of very good growers.And about the price money... How many miles did Joel Holland had to drive to Half Moon Bay?
Greetings to all and grow'em big next year !!!
Jos

10/15/2004 3:52:33 PM

Atlanta, Georgia

Sophie,
Now you know how it feels to grow big and get nothing for it in return.....although I have only grown big or beautiful enough to please myself...LOL!

It sucks totally but the EU sucks too since advertising dollars are nothing that people want to give up freely.
Forget it and grow carrots maybe!

I know your feeling but I have given up on trying. There is simply no support here and you have to console yourself with trying to grow a personal best cherie!
Michel

10/22/2004 9:17:16 PM

Atlanta, Georgia

Sophie,
Martin knows a lot more about the advertising rules since he is much closer to the people at Jucker than I am. Maybe you can ask him about the possiblities to go further in France.
I don't know.
Michel ton ami toujours!

10/22/2004 9:20:08 PM

Atlanta, Georgia

And sophie,
it's debated, not dedated ok?
correct me when I'm wrong too ok?
happens one or two times a year.....lmao

10/22/2004 9:21:53 PM

Atlanta, Georgia

lmao means laughing my ass off,
Hope J and K don't oppose this message..he he!
This is a great website.
Have to go now...

10/22/2004 9:25:58 PM

Belgium

At Duisburg i met the guys from Kasterlee (Eurpean winners 2003; 447 kg)and asked them why they are not organising the European weigh-off in Kasterlee. They told me that this was asked several times but the guys from Duisburg will not let it go, so the weigh-off stays in Duisburg! Oktober 31 there was an not official weigh-off in Kasterlee with big (money) prizes. Along with this the hole village is turned down to one big pumkin-market, it is a must for any Belgian andoyher growers to be there next year!! The winner takes home € 250 with several other prizes. All pumpkins above 300 kg get some money!

11/2/2004 2:17:11 PM

Cologne / Germany

Jantje, maybe they should know that the organizer of the german weigh-off (www.juckerfarmart.ch) also claims to held the european weigh-off in Switzerland every year. I recognized "their" weigh-off didn´t display the biggest ones in Europe at all - you did it in Belgium, at Duisburg or Kasterlee whatever.
We are far away from being united in Europe concerning pumpkins. We are not even organized in our home countries. Pretty much to do in the next years...who is going to start? :)

11/2/2004 4:10:58 PM

Ljubljana, Slovenia

floh, I totally agree with you. We should at least acknowledge and agree on the past and present EU records. The rule is as far as I know simple: certified scale and witnesses.

In my opinion there might be several EU weigh-offs in different locations. Every weigh-off could be classified as an EU weigh-off if the organiser accepts competitors from all EU states and if they come from at least - let’s say 6 EU states. Having several weigh-offs at different dates would also allow the growers to choose the harvest time optimal for their climate.

Jernej

11/8/2004 9:22:40 AM