The Pursuit of Excellence: Lords of the Gourd

For competitors who take part in the annual Cooperstown Weigh Off, the greatest honor imaginable is to raise the biggest pumpkin on the planet. Few farmers take more care to nurture their crops quite like these folks, and though harsh weather, natural disasters, hungry critters, and even the rare case of human sabotage, they always remain hopeful that their pumpkin will reign supreme when the final vote has been cast. Joe Pukos is one of those farmers, and now as camera follow both Joe and numerous other contestants from first harvest to the moment of truth viewers can finally see just how heated the competition gets for the title of biggest gourd grower in New York State.