Justin Jackson, a lab assistant and sophomore agricultural economics major (and the son of Jim Jackson, field manager for the Department of Vegetable Crops), is about to pick up Tom and Laurynne Chetelat (children of Assistant Agronomist Roger Chetelat) for a hayride after they picked their favorite pumpkins at the department's annual Pumpkin Patch Social. The department uses the opportunity to get faculty, staff and students, and their families, together for a pre-Halloween harvest. Following the field fun, the department held a celebration potluck at the Vegetable Crops and Weed Science Fieldhouse to honor former Management Services Officer Earlene Ford's 27 years in the department. Ford recently left to become the director of budget and support services in the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research.