Illinois orchards, pumpkin patches see growth during pandemic Christopher Heimerman For The Telegraph Jan. 8, 2021 FacebookTwitterEmail Chris Eckert, president of Eckert’s Country Store and Farms in Grafton, Belleville and Millstadt speaks during a virtual session of the Illinois Specialty Crop Conference on Thursday. Eckert said that, despite concerns, a shift to people having to make appointments to pick from the fields during the COVID-19 pandemic has worked well for the agribusiness. “While there was a lot of fear of it, acceptance was very high,” Eckert said. BLOOMINGTON — Apple orchard and pumpkin patch operators can pick out a number of surprise benefits from doing business during the COVID-19 pandemic.