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Tipp City, Ohio

What makes a pumpkin/squash weight official?

Scales from home if they can waight small pumpkins?
Scales from a grain elevator with witnesses?
Scales from an official weigh-off or contest?

The reason for asking is...If (hopefully) I take a pumpkin/squash to a weighoff can others that I grow be taken to a grain elevator to be weighed and then be offical or would that make it an Un Official Weight?....Tom

3/10/2002 2:34:10 PM

Liverpool , England

Yo Tom,
To make the weight official the pumpkin/squash has to be weighed at a weigh-off somewhere...the scales have to be certified as true and it has to be weighed in front of a judge...to make sure it is in sound condition..... anything less and it is unofficial.


Alun

3/10/2002 7:34:38 PM

Rexburg, Idaho ([email protected] )

I would say as long as it weighed on certified scales with witnesses to coraborate the wieght and soundness of the pumpkin then it's official. Many people grow pumpkins too far from formal wieghoffs and to exclude them because they were not entered in an official wieghoff is unfair. There are many "neighborhood weighoffs" that are held every year several of the winners of these weighoffs hold positions as "state records".

3/10/2002 10:11:13 PM

Rush, NY

I agree with Brian........Hear is the experience I had several years ago when Burpee had a contest for Burpee Prizewinners. I called a Grain elevator an asked if they had a Certified scale to weigh pumpkins in the 350 pound area. They said yes. I asked how accurate the weight would be? They said within 20 pounds. I called another place and got the same answer. I was told that on the large truck scales when the people come to certify them that if they are within 20 pounds, no adjustment is made.

3/11/2002 6:09:15 AM

Ga.

I weighed mine this past year at the state farmers market...I would think this would be an official weight,,,as the farmers market booths have to have their scales tested by the state officials to make sure they are accurate,,and they are not ripping people off.....So would a state farmers market weight count as official???????

3/11/2002 7:14:53 AM

Liverpool , England

Yo Brian,
Yeah man it does not have to be a big weigh-off site..any show, fair, or other, even neighbourhood contests that are for pumpkins/squash would count as long as the scales are certified as true and there are witnesses to verify that the fruit is in a sound condition. Just the fact that if you weigh it on your own or friends scales with nobody else as a witness it would look a bit biased. I have been a judge for the Guiness book of records and have to sign that the record fruit are in a sound condition, weighed on certified scales and in front of witnesses before they will sanction it.


Alun


Alun

3/11/2002 7:43:56 PM

Rexburg, Idaho ([email protected] )

If I had a world record then I would definately get it to a weigh-off but most of the pumpkins grown are not in this class and it doesn't really matter. For our purposes (enjoyment of the sport, genetics, and record keeping) I believe that the less stringent definition of official is acceptable.

3/12/2002 12:18:29 AM

Liverpool , England

Yo Brian,
I agree with you... but then you get the nigglers ...who weighed it?...where they weigh it?.. are you sure it was bigger than mine? I know I've met them. Last year I weighed the biggest pumpkin in Britain at a weigh-off. So therefore I am the UK champion for 2001. I had an e-mail a month later from another grower who says he weighed his on some scales...4 weeks after the weigh-offs....not at a weigh-off and his was heavier. So am I still the UK champion for 2001? Surely you have to get in the ring to stand a chance of winning.


Alun

3/12/2002 7:41:30 PM

Rexburg, Idaho ([email protected] )

If you want to stake a claim at a title then you have to compete in the approriate arena. Certainly claiming to have a new national record that was wieghed on bathroom scales is inappropriate. I certainly see your point on this one. It seems to me as far as tracking pumpkin wieghts "Unoffical" UOW is for those pumpkins that were not sound in nature (split, rotten, cracked). It doesn't seem fair to lump a pumpkin that was weighed on certified scales in front of witnesses in with a split/rotten/cracked pumpkin.

3/12/2002 11:21:03 PM

UK

I do not neccessarily nelive you have to be at an official sanctioned weigh off to claim a record, providing certain criteria are filled.
Firstly, Have lots of independent witnesses and get them to check it over etc, they can see the fruit is in sound condition.
Use accurate calibrated scales, the tolerence on the ones that the local government offices let me use is +/-25grams, that's less than an oz, so as accurate as you will get.
It is also important to use an official set of scales, not just your friends in a builders yard or something and have plenty of independent witnesses to verify the fruit.

Chris..... in England

10/30/2002 7:14:08 PM