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: 523

Reply to This

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

Federal leaders promising to protect supply management

Liberal, Conservative and Bloc leaders are committed to preserving supply management

Canada invests $567M in African swine fever prevention, preparedness

The Government of Canada is committed to protecting the resilience of Canada's rural communities and the Canadian pork sector by supporting prevention efforts and preparing to respond in the event of an African swine fever outbreak. Last week Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Lawrence MacAulay announced a commitment of up to $567.16 million to support hog producers should there be a closure of key export markets for Canadian pork products and live pigs due to an ASF outbreak in Canada or the United States. While Canada remains free of ASF, a single detection of ASF in Canada would close export markets due to international trade regulations and import restrictions imposed by trading partners. Canada is heavily dependent on pork and live pig exports, and the closure of key export markets would be devastating to the pork sector. It would cause hog producers to incur extraordinary costs and force them to make difficult decisions about depopulating their herds. "Thanks to the hard wor

Using Models to Enhance Sow Productivity

Modern swine production demands precision in feeding high-prolific sows to ensure both longevity and optimal performance. Over the past decade, advances in sow genetics and feeding systems have reinforced the need for accurate nutritional programs that prevent overfeeding or underfeeding individual sows. Advanced sow nutritional and management models offer swine nutritionists reliable, data-driven insights to support long-term productivity. When provided with accurate information on sow genotype, productivity, feed programs, and barn environmental data, these models have proven effective in helping producers refine feeding strategies, optimize production, and reduce feed costs. Even minor improvements in feeding precision can result in substantial economic benefits. The role of models in sow nutrition Advanced analysis and predictive modelling capabilities can assist swine nutritionists in designing sow feeding programs by integrating complex data on genetics, production history, and

NPPC asks Canada to exclude U.S. pork from retaliatory tariffs

The National Pork Producers Council has urged the Canadian government to exempt pork from any retaliatory tariffs levied on U.S. products in response to President Trump’s duties on imports from Canada. The United States exported more than $850 million of pork to Canada in 2024, while the country sent $1.7 billion of pork to the United States. Additionally, Canada exported more than $560 million worth of live swine to the United States last year, primarily to U.S. finishing and slaughter facilities where they were comingled with U.S. swine, and much of the pork was later exported back to Canada. Trump has pledged to impose the tariffs on Canada – and China and Mexico – as a way to reduce the flow of illegal immigration and fentanyl into the United States, as well as to address an $80 billion trade deficit with Canada. In written comments to Canada’s Department of Finance, NPPC noted that “[T]he tit-for-tat tariff exchanges will disrupt supply chains that have been built up over decad

NPPC requests pork be exempt from Canada’s retaliatory tariffs

Years of work poured into building an integrated US-Canada pork market may come falling down as the Canadian government seeks to enact retaliatory tariffs on US products after the Trump administration imposed 25% tariffs on imports from Canada. In hopes of retaining the countries’ strong trade relationship, the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) wrote to the Canadian government asking that pork products be exempt from any retaliatory tariffs levied on US products. “The tit-for-tat tariff exchanges will disrupt supply chains that have been built up over decades,” the group wrote to Canada’s International Trade Policy Division on March 21. “We request that Canada seeks to preserve the benefits of the integrated North American market to the maximum extent practicable, including by excluding US pork imports from retaliation.” In 2024, the United States exported more than $850 million worth of pork to Canada, while Canada shipped $1.7 billion lbs of pork to the United States. Canada a

© 2025   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service