Missouri man breaks his own state record twice with enormous pumpkins
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A Missouri man broke his own state record twice in one day with pumpkins each weighing more than 1,600 pounds.
Richard Bottorf, of Republic, Mo., which is about 25 minutes from Springfield, broke his record on October 5 at the Republic Pumpkin Daze festival.
Non-profit organization Republic Pumpkin Daze, wrote on their Facebook page earlier this month, ”Why break one state record when you can break two?”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“1,677 pounds on the first pumpkin was just an opener for Republic’s own Richard Bottorf. His second pumpkin was 1,798!”
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A forklift was needed to place Bottorf’s first pumpkin on an industrial-grade scale. Weighing 1,677 pounds, that pumpkin beat his own state record by more than 100 pounds, according to KSDK-TV, which added that the pumpkin's reign as the record-holder only lasted a few minutes because the second one was 121 pounds larger. It also reportedly measured 16 feet around.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Bottorf has broken the Missouri state pumpkin record six times, starting with his first competitive pumpkin back in 2005, according to the station.
Richard Bottorf, of Republic, Mo., which is about 25 minutes from Springfield, broke his record on October 5th at the Republic Pumpkin Daze festival. (Republic Pumpkin Daze)
"By using great seed genetics and the help of mother nature I was able to pull the feat off in 2019," the station reported he said.
Bottorf carved the smaller of the pumpkins into a jack-o'-lantern, but the record pumpkin is now on a victory tour visiting schools and other locations, according to KY3-TV.
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"This pumpkin ranks No. 56 in the world," the station reported Richard said.
In Missouri hot weather, high humidity and disease can stunt the growth of pumpkins, the television station reported, adding that the best place in the United States to grow large pumpkins is in the Pacific Northwest. The largest pumpkin in the world was grown in Belgium in 2016, weighing 2,624 pounds, according to Guinness World Records.
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