In brief
Travis Gienger, a horticulture teacher from Minnesota, hauled a 2,389‑pound pumpkin to Half Moon Bay, California, for the annual giant‑pumpkin contest. Winning for the fifth time, he is already eyeing the 2,857‑pound world record set in England. Gienger’s ambition echoes a long‑standing tradition of seed stewardship that Indigenous communities have championed for generations, reminding us that the pursuit of record size must also honor the land that sustains it.
Travis Gienger, a horticulture teacher from Minnesota, hauled a 2,389‑pound pumpkin across the country to compete in Half Moon Bay, California’s annual kilogram showdown.
His trophy‑size gourd reclaimed the US title, cementing him as a five‑time champion, yet Gienger is already staring at the heavier horizons.
“I would love to break the world‑record again,” he said, echoing the same ambition that once saw him lift a 2,857‑pound squash in England, the current global benchmark.
Beyond the numbers, this contest sits on fertile earth, a tradition that owes as much to Indigenous seed‑keeping as to modern horticulture. For countless tribes, squash and pumpkin have fed communities for centuries, embodying cycles of planting, harvest, and giving thanks.
By asking whose soil she uses and how she cared for it, Gienger’s journey highlights the growing need to honour land rights and sustainable practices – principles that Indigenous farmers have championed for generations.
As the pumpkin contests gain media attention, the world watches not only for the next record‑breaking seed but for the stewardship that keeps our shared soil healthy and resilient.
