Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

Congratulations Joel Jarvis! Ontario farmer breaks World Record for largest squash.


At 674.3 kg or 1,486.6 pounds, Joel Jarvis' squash beats the old record of 560 kg or 1,234 pounds as confirmed by Guinness World Records.


Article in The Star:

SIMCOE, ONT. — Joel Jarvis watched with the anticipation of an expectant father as his baby put on as much as 40 pounds a day.

The St. Thomas resident knew it was going to be a big one but never imagined in his wildest dreams that it would easily “squash” the world records.

His prizewinning squash tipped the scales at 674.3 kg or 1,486.6 pounds, easily eclipsing the old record of 560 kg or 1,234 pounds as confirmed by Guinness World Records.

Jarvis broke the record on Oct. 1 at the Port Elgin Pumpkinfest, which Jarvis describes as the “Kentucky Derby” for giant vegetables.

“This has been a long time coming,” he told the Toronto Star. “I’m 38 and I have been doing this since I was 11,” said the horticulturist, who got his training at the Nova Scotia Agricultural College in Truro, N.S.

“Sometimes the wind blows the right way and the sun shines right.”

No matter how you slice it, this is a big deal in the world of oversized vegetables. Word is seeds from the world’s largest pumpkin last year sold for more than $1,600 apiece.

“To be honest I might get $40 a seed,” said Jarvis, who figures his various prize monies — including from the Giant Vegetable Growers of Ontario — will add up to as much as $8,000, and that will likely go toward a new van now that his family has just expanded by one.

That’s right, he’s also the proud papa of a seven-pound baby girl, Rayna, who decided to arrive just as he was showing off his prize squash.

The added twist to the gargantuan squash is that it out-plumped the largest pumpkin at the Norfolk County Fair, which Jarvis also grew. The pumpkin weighed 1,426 pounds or 646.822 kg and fetched $2,000 in prize money at the fair in Simcoe, Ont. The squash, meanwhile, won $300.

As far as anyone knows in the 171 years of the Norfolk County Fair, this is the first time a squash beat out a pumpkin on the scales, according to Karen Matthews, the fair’s general manager.

The heaviest pumpkin on record weighed 821.23 kg (1,810 lb. 8 oz.) and was presented by Chris Stevens at the Stillwater Harvest Fest in Stillwater, Minn., on Oct. 9, 2010, according to the Guinness Book of Records.

Jarvis says his squash is not genetically modified but is the result of cross breeding and a whole bunch of fertilizers and non-stop tender-loving care. It was planted on May 6.

“You start off with a little seedling and it grows the same length of time as a regular squash or pumpkin, but as soon as you get it in the ground you are pushing it to the extreme with your fertilizers,” he said.

Jarvis said the vegetables actually grew for about 90 days and “there were days that it was putting on average 35 to 40 pounds a day. That’s bad for people, but when you are talking pumpkins and squash. . . ”

He said most people think that given its size, the squash wouldn’t be edible, “but my wife (Kristine) made squash soup last year with ours (another whopper of a squash) and it was fantastic.”

 

 

Views: 529

Reply to This

Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story

Secretary Rollins Takes Decisive Action and Shuts Down U.S. Southern Border Ports to Livestock Trade due to further Northward Spread of New World Screwworm in Mexico

Yesterday, Mexico’s National Service of Agro-Alimentary Health, Safety, and Quality (SENASICA) reported a new case of New World Screwworm (NWS) in Ixhuatlan de Madero, Veracruz in Mexico, which is approximately 160 miles northward of the current sterile fly dispersal grid, on the eastern side of the country and 370 miles south of the U.S./Mexico border. This new northward detection comes approximately two months after northern detections were reported in Oaxaca and Veracruz, less than 700 miles away from the U.S. border, which triggered the closure of our ports to Mexican cattle, bison, and horses on May 11, 2025. While USDA announced a risk-based phased port re-opening strategy for cattle, bison, and equine from Mexico beginning as early as July 7, 2025, this newly reported NWS case raises significant concern about the previously reported information shared by Mexican officials and severely compromises the outlined port reopening schedule of five ports from July 7-September 15. There

University of Manitoba appoints Dr. Filiz Koksel as Manitoba Strategic Research Chair in Sustainable Protein

The University of Manitoba is pleased to welcome Dr. Filiz Koksel as the new Manitoba Strategic Research Chair in Sustainable Protein, a role that continues to advance sustainable agri-food innovation and leadership in plant and animal protein research and innovation. Dr. Koksel, an associate professor in the Department of Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, leads an interdisciplinary research program that aligns closely with Manitoba’s Protein Advantage Strategy. She holds BSc and MSc degrees in Food Engineering and earned her PhD in Food Science from the University of Manitoba.  “My vision for this Chair is to position Manitoba as a global leader in sustainable protein innovation by uniting scientific discovery with industry partnerships,” said Dr. Koksel. “Together, we will create solutions that advance food security and climate resilience for generations to come.” Dr Koksel’s current work focuses on developing novel, environmentally friendly protein ingredients from crops such

Support staff recognized for contributions to Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences

Each year the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences calls for nominations of a support staff member or team who have made outstanding contributions in support of the teaching, research, service and outreach goals of the Faculty. At a celebratory barbecue to celebrate all nominees held on July 9, six individuals and four teams were recognized for their service to the Faculty. Sheldon Beichter, Technician, Carman Research Station Becky Dueck, Technician, Department of Plant Science Atanas Karamanov, Technician, Richardson Centre for Food Technology and Research Minami Maeda, Technician, Department of Biosystems Engineering Finley Makila, Technician, Richardson Centre for Food Technology and Research Donna Ryland, Technician, Department of Food and Human Nutritional Sciences Charlene Hawryluk, Wajiha Shahzad, Uldis Bourne, Jennifer St. Laurent, Dianne Dugald and Vanessa Ryplanski, Departments of Animal Science & Entomology and Glenlea Research Station Minami Maeda, Daniel Benedet an

Some crops look good and other not so good in Saskatchewan

A drive around Saskatchewan provides a wide range of crop conditions, based on rainfall received. Timely thunderstorms, combined with spring rain, are producing decent-looking crops in some locations, particularly the southeast. The poorest crops are in the southwest, but there are areas across the northern grainbelt that are much drier than normal as well. Saskatchewan Agriculture’s weekly crop report puts provincial cropland topsoil moisture conditions at 55 percent adequate, 33 percent short and 12 percent very short. Many fields are at relatively uniform stages, but there is some inconsistent staging which is making spray timing challenging. Areas that have received moderate to high rainfall over the last few weeks are applying fungicides to some of their pulse, cereal and oilseed crops.

AGRI-FOOD 2050 Industry Event

The Agricultural Adaptation Council (AAC) is bringing industry leaders together to envision the future of agri-food in Ontario. The inaugural Agri-food 2050 Event will draw attendees from across the broader agri-food sector including representatives from primary agriculture, agri-business, food processing, agri-food research, and government.

© 2025   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service