A giant pumpkin is attracting a lot of human attention and wonderment this month, and once it exits the limelight, it will make a whole lot of hogs happy.

The Dill's Atlantic Giant pumpkin is on display in front of White Front Feed and Seed, 4290 Dodge St. Folks are invited to stop in and guess its weight. The winner will get a $50 store gift certificate.

"Lots of people stop by to get their picture taken with it. Kids love to sit on it," said Jake Lammers, co-owner of White Front.

Employees hoist the giant orange gourd up with a forklift every night to bring it inside for safe keeping.

For the past eight or nine years, regular store customer Ralph Trumm has grown the giant pumpkin used for the contest.

Trumm, of Cascade, Iowa, also enters his mammoth pumpkins in growing contests. In 2005, he won first place in the Anamosa Pumpkinfest with a 1,200-pound beauty. He won't say whether this year's is heavier or lighter.

Trumm only tends to five pumpkin plants each year, but he nurtures them with love.

"The secret is in

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the soil preparation -- tilling in lots of manure and compost and nutrients in the fall, then adding nitrogen in the spring," he said. Trumm saves seeds from his biggest, best pumpkins and trades seeds with other growers of giants.

In the end, after the star gourd's reign is over, Trumm will hoist it high above the concrete floor of his hog lot and let it drop.

"It smashes apart, and the hogs just love it," he said.