'They're picking their own pumpkins': Ceresco pumpkin farm battles price hikes by cutting labor costs

CERESCO, Neb. (KLKN) – Sara Rippe and her family have owned SR Pumpkin and Flower Farm for the last decade.

They offer a variety of pumpkins and flowers to the families that visit each season, but due to rising costs, Rippe says she’s had to cut down on labor costs in order to maintain her normal options.

“Seed costs, since I started growing over 10 years ago, has almost tripled,” she said. “Fertilizer cost, I mean you get your fertilizer bill and it’s an extra $3,ooo dollars, so we take some of the hit but that’s OK because families are having fun. They got to enjoy it and that’s almost worth as much as payment to us.”

Rippe tells Channel 8 that they used to be able to sell mini pumpkins at three for a dollar, but that is no longer the case.

In response to unexpected costs, she says,