PUMPKIN weighing 1,013 kg scoops first prize in Ludwigsburg contest

Belgian farmer Mario van Geel won a pumpkin weighing competition in the German city of Ludwigsburg, with a gourd that weighed some 1,013 kilogrammes (2,233 pounds). The farmer, who comes from Kasterlee near Antwerp, was followed by his compatriots Luc van Heuckelom, whose gourd weighed some 979 kilogrammes (2,158 pounds) and Jan Biermans with his 860-kilogramme (1,895-pound) pumpkin. Eighteen farmers from six countries reportedly participated in the competition, including Belgium, Germany, Austria, Italy, Poland and Romania.