He specializes in carving giant pumpkins from 100 pounds to more than a half ton each at events such as the Half Moon Bay Art and Pumpkin Festival, the State Fair of Texas, Orange County MarketPlace, and the San Diego Zoo, as well as various hotels, casinos, and malls.
[1] Farmer Mike is known for wearing orange overalls and a straw hat while carving in public.
[2] He has been featured in The Old Farmer's Almanac and Boys' Life magazine, and has appeared on The Tonight Show.
[3] Carvings have included whimsical faces, various animals, movie characters, dragons, landmarks, and caricatures of presidential candidates.
Word of his talent spread, and in 1986 he returned to Half Moon Bay as the festival's "official" pumpkin carver.