Wheatland family works together during pumpkin harvest

   You won’t find the Coyle kids, Dylan and Andrea, sitting in front of the television or pushing buttons on a video game controller. There’s no time, just ask Dylan, who since he was three years old, used the tiny red barn on his parents’ Oatka Trail property to sell farm products.

   Dylan, a fifth grader and his younger sister Andrea, in second grade, both students at Cal-Mum Elementary School, have spent the last several months alongside their parents, Dan and Karen Coyle, working their 12 acres of land in preparation for the fall harvest of corn, squash, gourds and pumpkins!

   The Coyle’s planted in early June. They say the much needed August rain showers coupled with hot, sunny days produced a very good crop this year Dylan and Andrea love the farm though they may occasionally grumble at the chores. Dan and Karen both work full time day jobs so planting and manually harvesting the colorful fall crops takes the help of everyone’s hands. They aren’t complaining; Dan has farmed this land for 40 years alongside his parents, Betty and the late Earl Coyle. Karen grew up in suburban Greece with no exposure to the farm life whatsoever.

    "I always loved animals. It’s a busy time but there are many rewards to farming, like spending time together as a family and watching your kids have room to run around, laugh and play," remarked Karen.

   Dylan and Andrea seem to find plenty of time for squeezing in the fun, especially when it includes bottle feeding a newborn calf, one of a set of twin calves born on the farm that the mother rejected. Dylan bottle fed the calf, affectionately named Buddy, and trained him to eat on his own. Andrea likes to chase after the baby goats … and her brother, who has bridled Buddy for a run around the farm.

   It’s not certain if pumpkins, squash and gourds are technically a fruit or a vegetable but the Coyle’s can attest that it doesn’t really matter to most people from this part of the country … it’s the color, beauty and scent of fall that attracts families to the Coyle Pumpkin Ranch. They enjoy the visitors that stop by the pumpkin ranch.

   "Many families tell us they’ve been coming here with their kids for 10 or more years and a lot of grandparents bring their grandchildren here," Karen and Dan said.

   One evening last week, two women got out of their car and entered the pumpkin ranch. Dan said he knew exactly who the one woman was as soon as she got out of the car.

   "I knew it was my first grade teacher, Mrs. (Marge) Sharp," smiled Dan. Mrs. Sharp, who retired to Florida and Arizona, told the Coyle’s she misses the colors and fragrance of fall in the Northeast. After the two enjoyed reminiscing and catching up on where the years had gone, it’s certain the former first grade teacher took with her some warm memories of fall at the Coyle Farm on Oatka Trail in Wheatland, N.Y.

   Catch the Coyle pumpkin tractor at the four corners in Mumford.