While a dry summer has wreaked havoc on Minnesota's farmers, pumpkin farmers are still seeing a bumper crop this fall. Several farms in the state are reporting a high yield just in time for Halloween.

New London’s Chad Revier has once again set Minnesota’s record in pumpkin growing. At a weigh-in at Stillwater’s Harvest Fest Saturday -- his gourd came in at 1,630 pounds. That’s 51 pounds heavier than the state record-holder he grew in 2009.

It's that time of year when the pumpkin flavored foods go all nutty. Pumpkin latte obsessions notwithstanding, it's easy to see madness in pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin ravioli, even pumpkin gum. But pumpkin beer? Have we gone too far?

In some parts of the country pumpkins really are in short supply ... but not here in Minnesota. The warm, dry fall made for a bountiful crop. So good, in fact, some local growers are exporting to their pumpkin-poor peers elsewhere.

MSP Mag takes a look at local brews, pumpkin infused.

Six companies based in the Twin Cities and one in Duluth made Inc. magazine's 2012 list of America's 500 Fastest-Growing Private Companies, the Business Journal writes. A company in Plymouth was the highest ranking Minnesota company -- cracking the top 75. Last year, eight Minnesota firms were featured on the list.

The Fridley-based medical device maker plans to eliminate positions in facilities around the globe, including 220 positions at its Mounds View-based division. Medtronic topped expectations in the fourth quarter, but continues to struggle with the sale of heart rhythm devices as well as devices used in spine surgery.

Police in Merrill, Wis., are chasing the thieves who somehow – and for some unknown reason – stole a 360-pound pumpkin from Gail's Place restaurant this week, CityPages reports. The owners are even more eager to recover a family quilt that had been placed over the giant gourd to protect it from frost.