About Us

In 2009 we celebrated our 20th year of selling pumpkins from our farm.

Hi there! We are Dave and Helen Huitink and we own and operate PUMPKINLAND. We are a family farm, now in the third generation. Dave's grandfather, Gerrit Huitink, bought our 160 acre farm in 1911. It's been in the family ever since. Dave's father, Clarence Huitink, was born in the house where we still live. We raise corn and soybeans and have been selling pumpkins and fall produce from our farm since 1989.

PUMPKINLAND How it All Began

It seems like we have been growing pumpkins forever. When our children were growing up, Dave always enjoyed growing a few pumpkin plants in our garden, especially the very large variety. In 1988, when our children, Sherry, Kelly, and Darren were still in high school and middle school, we had harvested a few pumpkins out of our garden and set up a corn shock with the pumpkins by the edge of the garden. We had people stopping to ask if those pumpkins were for sale. Our children came up with the idea that the next year they would grow and sell pumpkins, and they sold about 70 pumpkins off of our front step.
	1988
	1989

Over the next several years, Dave and I made the decision to try to intentionally grow this business, and went from selling produce off of a hayrack parked in front of our house, to selling out of our garage. In those early days, we often used the honor system, leaving a little sign and a lot of trust. What started out as our kid's project turned into a family project. In 1996 we put up a new Morton Warehouse, which we are currently using for our PUMPKINLAND business.

Here is an aerial view of our farm and and one of our early corn mazes.
Dave and Helen with grandchildren Kelsey, Karli, and Colin. Our grandchildren have always referred to us as their "Grandpa & Grandma Pumpkin". In addition, many of their little friends also claim us as their "Grandpa & Grandma Pumpkin".
When they are not at PUMPKINLAND, you might find "Grandpa & Grandma Pumpkin" cruising in their orange PT Cruiser.