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Badger Common’Tater

December 2015

THE VOICE OF WISCONSIN'S POTATO & VEGETABLE INDUSTRY

Annual Review Issue INTERVIEW: Warren Beebout, Del Monte Foods, Inc. EMPLOYEE RETENTION in the Challenging Ag Industry BADGER BEAT Preaching to the Choir

Volume 68 Number 12 $18.00/year $1.50/copy

40 YEARS STRONG!

Auxiliary Celebrates Notable Anniversary

WPGA’s 40TH ANNIVERSARY! Volunteers like Heather Groshek & Jacquie Wille work yearly at WPGA’s State Fair Booth.

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Rick Kantner Chris Lockery Paul Katz

Inventory • Replenishment Services • Handle all freight concerns • Long-Range Planning •

Transportation: Ted Kowalski

Mitch Bushman Maria Yenter • Bob Dobbe John Hopfensperger • John Eckendorf Jerome Bushman (FL - WI) Mike Gatz, Jim Stefan and Rick Kantner (Milwaukee) Sam Saccullo (All fruits and vegetables) Mike Whyte (Michigan) Mike Carter CEO

800-826-0200 715-677-453 3 • Fax: 715-677-4076 R o s h o l t ,

W i s c o n s i n

Badger Common'Tater

On the Front Cover: As the Auxiliary celebrates its 40th Anniversary,

its members look back on their history and events, like this photo of their State Fair booth with volunteers, Heather Groshek & Jacquie Wille.

8 Badger cOMMON’TATER INTERVIEW:

WARREN BEEBOUT, DEL MONTE FOODS, INC. Warren Beebout stands in front of a montage of photos in Del Monte Foods-Plover office.

Photo by Ruth Faivre

Departments: ALI’S KITCHEN.................... 68 AUXILIARY NEWS............... 64 EYES ON ASSOCIATES........ 62 GROUNDED ......................... 6

36 UNCERTAINTY

& the Importance of tax planning

22 40 years strong Auxiliary Celebrates Notable Anniversary

32 EMPLOYEE

RETENTION

in a Challenging Industry

MARK YOUR CALENDAR...... 6 MARKETPLACE .................. 65 NEW PRODUCTS ............... 53 NOW NEWS ..................... 46

Feature Articles:

NPC NEWS......................... 57

20 BADGER BEAT Preaching to the Choir

PEOPLE ............................ 50

38 MCCAIN FOODS Grower Awards Banquet

40 STARCHY VEGGIES? Better to PICK Them Than to Pick ON Them 42 2016 WPVGA Grower Education Conference & Industry Show 4

BC�T December

POTATO BOARD NEWS...... 58 SEED PIECE......................... 60 WPIB FOCUS ..................... 59

We are grateful for the special people in our lives.

We thank you for your business and hope that you are surrounded by family and friends at this most joyous time of year. All of us wish each of you a very Merry Christmas.

Plover (715) 341-3445 • 1-800-236-2436 • Antigo (715) 627-4321

www.Jay-Mar.com WPVGA Board of Directors: President: Andy Wallendal Vice President: Mark Finnessy Secretary: Eric Schroeder Treasurer: Josh Mattek Directors: Larry Alsum, Steve Diercks, Ron Krueger, Jeremie Pavelski, Gary Wysocki Wisconsin Potato Industry Board: President: Heidi Alsum-Randall Vice President: Richard Okray Secretary: Bill Wysocki Treasurer: Keith Wolter Directors: John Bobek, Cliff Gagas, John T. Schroeder, Tom Wild and Dennis Zeloski WPVGA Associate Division Board of Directors: President: Chris Brooks Vice President: Wayne Solinsky

Secretary: Steve Bohm Treasurer: Zach Mykisen Directors: Butch Fencil, Cathy Schommer, Sally Suprise, Joel Zalewski Wisconsin Seed Potato Improvement Association Board of Directors: President: Ron Krueger Vice President: Eric Schroeder Secretary/Treasurer: Dan Kakes Directors: Bill Guenthner, Charlie Mattek

WPVGA Staff Executive Director: Tamas Houlihan Managing Editor: Ruth Faivre Director of Promotions & Consumer Education: Dana Rady Financial Officer: Karen Rasmussen Executive Assistant: Julie Braun Program Assistant: Danielle Sorano Coordinator of Community Relations: Jim Zdroik

Wisconsin Potato Growers Auxiliary Board of Directors: President: Paula Houlihan Vice President: Lynn Isherwood Secretary/Treasurer: Gabrielle Okray Eck Directors: Kathy Bartsch, Deniell Bula, Patty Hafner & Sheila Rine

WPVGA Office (715) 623-7683 • FAX: (715) 623-3176 E-mail Address: wpvga@wisconsinpotatoes.com Website: www.wisconsinpotatoes.com Like Us On Facebook: www.facebook.com/WPVGA

Mission Statement of the WPVGA: “To assist WPVGA members to be successful through education, information, environmentally sound research, promotion, governmental action, and involvement.”

Mission Statement of the WPVGA Associate Division: “Our mission is to work in partnership with the WPVGA as product and service providers to promote mutual industry viability by integrating technology and information resources.”

Badger Common’Tater is published monthly at 700 Fifth Avenue, Antigo, Wisconsin 54409 Subscription rates: $1.50/copy, $18.00/year; $30/2 years. Foreign; $30/year; $50/2 years.

Telephone: (715) 623-7683. Mailing address: P.O. Box 327, Antigo, Wisconsin 54409.

Or, subscribe free online: http://wisconsinpotatoes.com/blog-news/subscribe/ ADVERTISING: To advertise your service or product in this magazine, call (715) 347-3755, or email: Ruth Faivre: rfaivre@wisconsinpotatoes.com. The editor welcomes manuscripts and pictures but accepts no responsibility for such material while in our hands.

BC�T December

5

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BC�T December

Grounded Deep admiration along with lasting respect are hard won accolades not easily afforded to any person.

That was why I was so pumped when I got a call from Gerald Patoka, Patoka Farms, Amherst, WI, wanting to know if I might be interested in doing a story on Warren Beebout, a field supervisor who was retiring from Del Monte Foods, Plover after 42 years of service.

City folks might not know this but having worked with farmers for years, I knew that it took a lot for Gerald to go outside his comfort zone and call me. Farmers are rather tightlipped, to say the least.

So, I thought, “Heck yes, I want to do a story. This must be a quite a guy.” Sure enough, I was right. Warren turned out to be one of the most liked field supervisors ever.

You will have to read his story as the featured interview this month and judge for yourself but the comments at the end of the article from growers who worked with him, tell it all.

The bottom line is that Warren ‘went the extra mile’ to help those with whom he worked and toiled at their sides, almost as if it were his own farm’s profits at stake.

You just do not find those traits that often nowadays. Individuals who follow those kinds of principles always shine, just like Warren.

We all could learn a lot from the achievers like Warren. Do not just settle for doing the bare minimum. Be the person that is remembered long after you are gone. Leave a legacy.

Please email me with your thoughts and questions. If you wish to be notified when our free online magazine is available monthly, here is the subscriber link: http://wisconsinpotatoes.com/blog-news/ subscribe.

Ruth Faivre

Managing Editor rfaivre@wisconsinpotatoes.com

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Foundation & Certified Seed Potatoes

Interview Warren Beebout Del Monte Foods, Inc.

By Ruth Faivre, Managing Editor

Name: Warren Beebout Company: Del Monte Foods, Inc. Location: Plover, WI Hometown: Stevens Point, WI Years in Present Position: 42 years with Del Monte Previous Employment: Started with Del Monte right out of college Schooling: B.S. in Industrial Administration, Iowa State University Family: Wife, Janice; daughters, Jami & Nikki; son, Geoff; five grandchildren Hobbies: Snowmobiling

Top: Dave Beggs (left) of Patrykus Farms Inc. is shown here with Warren Beebout (right), Field Supervisor for Del Monte Plover, shortly after a November 2015 harvest of one of his carrot fields. Dave says, “I worked with Warren for over 32 years while Patrykus Farms Inc. worked with Warren for four generations, and Warren never missed a beat from one generation to the next.”

Photo by Ruth Faivre

8

BC�T December

Del Monte Foods is the largest producer of canned fruits and vegetables in the United States and the Del Monte® name is synonymous with premium foods and a singular passion for quality and innovations since its debut in 1886.

About 95% of the Del Monte’s produce is grown on a community of farms in the U.S., and it travels, on average, less than 100 miles from farm to manufacturing gate.

Wisconsin is home to several of their growers particularly around Plover, WI where vegetable crop fields stretch to the horizon. Del Monte maintains three manufacturing processing facilities in the state of Wisconsin located in Markesan, Cambria and Plover. Markesan processes green beans, Cambria processes peas, corn and some green beans and Plover processes green beans, potatoes, beets and carrots.

Del Monte partners with their growers on a variety of programs to yield healthy, productive crops while minimizing impact to the

earth’s resources.

For example, since 1923, their seed program continuously develops varieties that require less water and fewer pesticides to produce yet also deliver greater yields. Their new Blue Lake® green bean varieties, along with innovative growing practices, increased grower yields by nearly 200%. That is super planet-friendly because they are helping conserve land, water and energy.

With support programs like these, it is no wonder that many farms have grown vegetables for Del Monte for four or even five generations.

Steve Balling, Del Monte’s Director of Agriculture and Corporate Responsibility, explains the relationship between growers and Del Monte, “Growing crops for Del Monte is really a partnership. It’s a longtime effort,” Del Monte prides itself on the excellent support staff they employ to assist the growers in their efforts.

The Del Monte Plover plant is fortunate enough to have a perfect continued on pg. 10

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Interview. . . continued from pg. 8

example of the dedicated, loyal field supervisors they retain in Warren Beebout, who has been encouraging and developing growers since July 1973.

Our feature interview this issue centers on Warren Beebout because after 42 years, Warren will be retiring from his Field Supervisor position, much to the chagrin of local growers who have come to depend on his wisdom and guidance throughout the growing and harvesting seasons.

Before we begin your questions, Warren, would your local management share some of the specifications of the Del Monte Plover plant with us?

The official name for the Plover plant is Del Monte Plover Plant 107, which was acquired in 1966.

It now covers over 20,000 acres, has a production area of 187,000 square feet , onsite 283,150 square feet warehouse space, offsite 70,000 square feet warehouse space and 2,720 office space. As the industry changes we are constantly evaluating and changing our equipment and processes to ensure we maintain the quality of product that our Del Monte name is known for. continued on pg. 12

Above Left: Crew by the 2 row harvesters back in the late 1970's or early 1980's. Lee Holmes, wearing a Del Monte cap in the back row, still picks beans for Del Monte Plover and has done so for 44 years.

Above Right: Tom Dulas on a 2 row harvester in October 1984.

Middle: Harvesting beans in 1984 with Del Monte’s second-generation multi row Chisholm-Ryder harvesters. These had cabs while the first generation were open air. Chisholm-Ryder originally manufactured two row harvesters and then was the first to introduce multi row harvesters.

Bottom: Willard Rose, Field Supervisor prior to Warren, on the 1970's version of a push tractor, which was used when semi-trucks were stuck in the fields.

10 BC�T December

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Interview. . . continued from pg. 10

Left: Harvest bosses fueling the two row harvesters.

Right: This was the Markesan, WI farm shop back when Del Monte was transitioning between the two types of harvesters. The multi row harvesters are parked to the left of the shop and the 2 row harvesters are lined up to the right.

Del Monte Foods Plover Plant #107 is an Equal Opportunity Employer with 109 full-time hourly and salaried employees, and roughly 450 seasonal staff in the areas of green bean production, root crop production, field operations and research and development.

Yearly estimates for products packed in 2015 are: • 77,000 tons Green Beans • 16,000 tons Potatoes • 10,000 tons Carrots • 11,000 tons Beets I understand you were recruited to work for Del Monte Plover fresh out of college and have worked continuously for at this particular plant for 42 years straight. In today’s world, that is not a common experience so please share with us what kept you at your job and with Del Monte for so many years.

I worked in the factory my first summer at Del Monte, then switched to the field department in 1974, but it is an easy question to answer.

I enjoyed what I was doing and who I was working with. The people here at the Plover plant have been good to work with and I have always enjoyed working with the group of farmers who grow for Del Monte.

There were a few opportunities for 12 BC�T December

transfer that I turned down, because those positions didn’t seem right to me. When you enjoy what you do and who you work with, other positions don’t always look that attractive.

When you first started in your position at Del Monte Plover, what crops did Del Monte Plover process?

How is that different from today and what changes occurred along the way and in what time period?

When I first started with Del Monte, we only processed green beans, beginning in mid-July and finishing in late September or early October. The plant basically ran for three months out of the year.

Now, the root crop plant starts processing potatoes in mid-June, runs early potatoes until mid-August, red beets through September, carrots until November and then switches back to late potatoes until midDecember.

The green bean processing plant starts running beans in late June and runs until early October.

Initially, we processed one crop and ran for approximately three months per year. Now we process four crops and run six months per year.

Back then, our average green bean yield was 3.5 tons/acre and the

standard planter was 4 rows at 38 inches. Presently, our average yield is approaching seven tons/acre and the average planter is 12 rows at 30 inches.

The biggest change for me had to be the addition of root crops at our processing facility in the early 1980’s.

The first year that we ran potatoes, we ran about 20 loads to see if we could get a good product and to determine what the market potential looked like. Now, we run hundreds of loads of potatoes and have branched out to carrots and beets.

We must be doing it right, because that is an area of the canned food market that seems to be consistently growing.

What were your responsibilities in those early years and how do they differ from what you do today?

In the early years, each field supervisor for Del Monte managed nearly 3,000 acres and a crew of 12 two row harvesters. That grew to an area of about 6,000 acres and 24 two row harvesters in the early 1980’s and all harvesting was done in a oneshift operation.

Now each field supervisor handles approximately 12,000 acres, a crew of five multi-row harvesters, two continued on pg. 14

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Interview. . . continued from pg. 12

carts and we harvest around the clock with a much tighter time span between harvest and processing.

The biggest change in job responsibilities over the years has to be the addition of root crops to the mix. In the early years, we concentrated on only one crop. What used to be a one-crop operation is now multi-crop.

Presumably, some of the growers you originally worked with have either retired or passed on. Please name some of the early pioneers you worked with and explain what you learned from them. Also, relate some of your favorite stories involving these pioneers as well as with current growers with whom you work.

One thing that I have been particularly proud of is the longstanding relationships I have enjoyed with our growers.

Many of the growers I work with now are on the third generation and some are on the fourth generation.

In a time period of 42+ years, not everything has gone perfectly, but we have always been able to work things out and are still doing business together.

I remember going to see farms like Worzella, Hamerski, Okray, Fletcher, Guth, Kizewski, Oak Grove, Tess, Turzinski, Weekly and Patrykus when I first started. The person in Top: Green beans are unloaded at the Del Monte Plover plant and will transverse through the extensive conveyor system to the processing plant inside.

Middle: Drone's Eye view of the Del Monte Plover processing plant, taken within the past two years.

Bottom: Planting green beans on Sigourney Farms, Coloma, WI. 14 BC�T December

Left: Pulling out the stops for green bean harvest. Right: Oxbo harvester currently used harvesting beans in a Worzella & Sons, Inc. bean field.

charge at each of these farms has changed, but we are still doing business together.

Farms like Adams, B&D, Blue Top, Hutkowski, Helbach, Hetzel, Kuffel, Laskowski, Paramount, Patoka, Prairie Star, Reb’l, Soik, Wohlfeil and Wysocki definitely passed the 30-year mark of working with me. In my opinion, it is an outstanding accomplishment that both sides have been satisfied enough to still be doing business together.

technology involved in all of the operations.

In 1973, to change the seeding rate of a planter, you changed the gears and you had a limited number of gear selections. Now, most planters are hydraulically driven with an almost

infinite number of selections.

Also in 1973, it was always critical to get the first planter pass straight, because all of the rest of the passes depended upon that first one. Now, we can start planting any place in the field and always have straight rows. continued on pg. 16

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It is also worth noting that many of these growers are my friends as well as business associates.

During your 42 years, you have seen numerous changes in planting and harvesting equipment. What was the equipment like for each crop when you first began working with area growers and how it has changed through the years?

In one word, the equipment has gotten bigger. When I first began, the typical planter was 4 rows at 38 inches. Now, the typical planter is 12 rows at 30 inches, with some planters up to 24 rows wide.

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In addition, in the beginning, we harvested two rows per machine.

Now we harvest five or six rows per machine.

The other big change is the BC�T December 15

Interview. . . continued from pg. 15

Back then, the harvester operator always rested one foot on a length of chain on the harvester. If that chain was taut, the harvester was too high. If the chain was loose, the harvester was too low and you were harvesting sand.

If it had just a little tension, it was correct, but the correct setting kept changing as you went across the field. Today, with our electronic micro switches and automatic controls, all you do is lower the head at the start of the row and raise the head at the end of the row.

In the 1970s, we harvested potatoes, two rows at a time with a pull-type harvester, and removed the rocks by hand. Currently, we harvest potatoes 12 rows at a time with a self-propelled harvester, which has an air separation head built into the harvester.

I have to admit, that the change that I did not foresee, was how much of an effect GPS would have on the farming community. I did not anticipate being able to have the accuracy that today’s GPS can maintain, and being able to let the equipment steer itself, so that the operator could focus on what kind of job the equipment is doing.

Growing methods have also changed over time. How would you describe these changes particularly in the areas of crop production, environmental stewardship and sustainability?

The biggest change in the growing methods that affected Del Monte has to be that in the 1970s, every acre we planted was moldboard plowed.

We wanted the ground plowed to eliminate the possibility of field trash in our green bean loads.

A combination of community pressure and improvements in vision-sorting equipment forced us to experiment with other tillage options.

16 BC�T December

Dave Beggs (L), Patrykus Farms Inc., and Warren Beebout (R) in Patrykus Farms’ carrot field.

Photo by Ruth Faivre

With some trial and error, we progressed to where we are today.

We also benefited from great improvements in the herbicides permitted for snap beans, allowing us to have less reliance on mechanical weed control.

These two factors (along with other projects) resulted in much less sand blowing in the springtime in our area and that is a good change.

What advice do you wish to offer growers regarding their profession and working with processors?

My best advice would be to keep being as adaptable as they have been over the last 40+ years. The growers and processors have always been able to find a way to adapt to Del Monte’s changing requirements and make it work for both parties. I have confidence that will continue to be the case.

What will you miss most about your job when you retire?

I will miss the growers that I dealt

with for so many years. I am already certain there will be a tinge of homesickness when next planting season rolls around. It will be a real adjustment for me to not see and talk to so many people on a daily basis.

When will you actually be retiring and what are your plans after retirement?

My last day in the office will probably be two days after we get done processing potatoes, (which will most likely translate to mid-December), but by the time I use up my stored up vacation and holidays, it will probably be the end of February or early March before I officially retire.

We plan to take the grandchildren to Disneyland yet this winter and to do some traveling next summer, but I also plan on getting on a tractor and doing some fieldwork again.

It has been 40+ years since I have been able to do that and it is something that I look forward to in the future. continued on pg. 18

Interview. . . continued from pg. 16

Grower Comments John Ruzicka of Guth Farm Inc. and Mike Johnson of Del Monte on one of Guth's fields of beets grown for Del Monte.

Editor’s note: Gary Patoka is responsible for Warren Beebout being chosen for the December Feature Interview because he called me to let me know Warren was retiring and that it would be nice to have an article about his many years of service as a field supervisor. I jumped at the opportunity and am very glad that I did. Warren is definitely the epitome of everything you would want in a field supervisor.

GARY PATOKA

JIM MORTENSON

PATOKA FARMS, AMHERST, WI

MORTENSON BROS. FARMS INC., PLAINFIELD, WI

“Warren is up with the sun. If you are up early planting, he is right there helping you, dawn or dusk.

He will grab a bag of seed and help you fill the planter as well. He will be sadly missed as a first-class field man because his reputation and first-hand knowledge of all the plants that Del Monte Plover handles is irreplaceable.”

DAVE BEGGS PATRYKUS FARMS INC., BANCROFT, WI

“Warren is the only field man we have ever had that would deliver your bean seed and then help you fill the planter before he left. He is a man of true integrity.”

18 BC�T December

“Most importantly, Warren is a very fair person and does not play favorites. He is very meticulous, extremely honest and is really good for the growers. A lot of field supervisors will give you your seed and tell you what they want and then drive away and you never really hear from them until harvest. Not Warren.

He was always checking with you to see if you needed anything and to see how the crop was coming. You also never had to worry about him being on time because he was just like clockwork. His replacement will have big shoes to fill, indeed.”

CHARLIE SANKEY WORZELLA & SONS, INC., PLOVER, WI

“Warren made our life easier because he was always well prepared and a great planner. He knew our history and the way we thought and we knew how he thought. He worked with us during adverse weather conditions and helped us work around them to meet our deadlines.

Warren is also a very pleasant person, quite enjoyable to work with over the years and got along with everyone in our operation. I told him he could not retire until I did but he beat me to the punch. We are going to miss him.”

JEFF LASKOWSKI LASKOWSKI FARMS, PLOVER, WI

“Warren sets the standard for thoroughness and is the measuring stick against whom all other field supervisors should be measured.

While I admire his work ethic, he is even more awesome as a friend.”

TONY KIZEWSKI KIZEWSKI FARMS, STEVENS POINT, WI

“You couldn’t ask for a nicer guy, so easy to work with and so friendly. He would help you out any way he could and even give you a ride to another field if you needed it. He was always out getting samples from the field, finding out how many potatoes were in a hill and anything else he needed to do to determine when you should dig and pretty much always knew what your yield would be like. We hate to see him retire.”

KEVIN SIGOURNEY SIGOURNEY FARMS, COLOMA, WI

“Although Warren was not my direct contact with Del Monte, I have known him going back to my Green Giant days. He is truly one of the best in his profession. The Central Sands growers will miss his professionalism and knowledge of the green bean industry. Best of luck in your retirement, Warren.”

‘THE HAMERSKI BUNCH’ HAMERSKI FARMS, PLOVER, WI

“We have known Warren ever since he started as a bean field man for Del-Monte. He was always a pleasure to work with and got along with everyone. The only thing that scared Warren was the forecast of rain. He

knew every piece of land that he could plant when it rained. Good luck in your retirement Warren, you will be missed.”

JIM EBBEN PARAMOUNT FARMS, INC., BANCROFT, WI

“Warren is the ‘one of a kind’ that will be missed in our industry. Always professional, yet personable. He was a delight to work with beyond circumstance. I’ve always looked forward to seeing/working with him. Happy retirement, my friend, congratulations.”

LARRY ADAMS ADAMS FARM, INC., PLOVER, WI

“Warren has worked with four generations on our farm, always being genuinely interested in our crops and yields. To have one field man for over three decades says something about Warren’s knowledge and ability to work with everyone. He has been a field man who was there for the grower and his dedication is very much appreciated!”

CATHY GUTH GUTH FARM INC., BANCROFT, WI

“No matter the time or the weather, Warren was always there to get you

started and to help you through any problems that came up during planting. After that, you knew your crop was going to be the best it could because Warren was watching out for it. Even though we didn't say it then, we thank you, Warren, for your dedication to our livelihood for all these years.”

JOHN RUZICKA GUTH FARM INC., BANCROFT, WI

“What can you say about Warren… with all of the changes in farming over the last 40 years, there has been one constant: Warren Beebout.

He has always been there to set the planter, give us a chemical recommendation and tell us what he thought our beans would yield, and was usually pretty close. He is one of the last of his generation, a farmer/ field rep, who genuinely cared about his growers. Our bean fields will not be the same without him.”

PAUL MILLER PAUL MILLER FARMS INC, HANCOCK WI

Warren Beebout has been a valuable asset for Del Monte as a liaison with growers for a long time. He has been a pleasure to work with in the everchanging process food industry.

October 23-25 BOOTH

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BC�T December 19

Badger Beat Preaching to the Choir

By Jed Colquhoun, UW-Madison

I imagine that in 1910, it was pretty easy to get to know a farmer –

about one in three people in the U.S. were employed by agriculture on over six million farms.

Today is a very different story. Farmers make up less than 2% of the nation’s population. Yet, from “natural” to “eco-friendly,” the interest in food and from whence it comes appears to be skyrocketing.

Agriculture is at an interesting crossroads: while questions increase, how do we bring reality to the discussion when fewer voices are around to provide answers?

agriculture.

One of the starkest realities in agriculture is that there are fewer and fewer voices, but productivity is at an all-time high and still increasing.

Farmers are an aging demographic group and fewer people are joining the ranks. Thirty-three percent of farms are operated by those 55 or older, while nearly 20% are 65 or older. Only six percent of those operating farms are 34 or younger.

Recent demographic data about U.S. agriculture from a variety of USDA surveys (such as the Ag Census, ARMS and ERS) is rather shocking.

Family farms dominate the landscape and productivity with ninety-seven percent of farms still being family owned. In 2011, 8% of the farms produced 60% of the value in 20 BC�T December

The reality is that it is hard to make it just by farming. Fifty-two percent of farmers have a primary occupation other than farming.

uninformed. We have all heard the buzz about “natural,” “eco-friendly”, “small footprint” food, but do consumers understand these terms?

More importantly, do they care?

We recently conducted a survey on the UW-Madison campus of dining hall customers to learn more about what they valued in their food choices.

We asked about product traits (such as taste and cost) as well as more value-laden characteristics about where the food came from, such as carbon footprint, local, organic, sustainably certified, etc.

Additionally, the number of beginning farmers was down 20% between 2007 and 2012.

Interestingly, even in what is often referred to as a liberal campus in a liberal town, there was a clear-cut preference among customers. Their dining hall purchases were driven by taste, appearance, nutrition and cost much more so than the production characteristics.

Meanwhile, questions about food and where it comes from are prolific but the answers can be confusing or

Taste was most influential with 96% of respondents reporting that it “definitely” or “probably” influences

purchasing decisions of produce served in campus dining facilities.

Nutrition, appearance and cost were the next most influential and above 75% in the “definitely” and “probably” categories, followed by grown using fair labor standards (57%) and grown with verifiable sustainability practices (49%).

Fair labor was more influential than the four remaining value attributes included in the survey: certified organic, locally grown, grown under a third-party audited food safety program and certified carbon footprint.

This suggests an opportunity to tell the agricultural story very differently and possibly very bluntly. Instead of hiding behind the veil of misunderstood terminology, we need to find a way to address plainly some of the realities in agriculture and food production.

7% of consumer expenditures in the U.S.

Here are a few that come to mind as a starting point:

Of the more than 80 countries in the survey, eight spent more on alcohol and tobacco than U.S. citizens do to put food on their kitchen table.

“Big ag” and “commercial agriculture” can still be local and family. In fact, as the statistics above point out, almost all farms are family owned and 8% produce the majority of agricultural value in this country.

We also asked the dining hall customers if they would pay more for food that fulfilled their product and sourcing values, using local greens at the salad bar as the test product.

Profitable agriculture is beneficial to the consumer. Somewhere along the way, the notion became popularized that farmers are just in it for the money.

A basic economic analysis indicated that if offering salad that met students’ values required just a $0.50 price increase, 22% fewer purchases would be made and the dining hall would lose over $600 in weekly gross revenue.

Profitable farmers can invest in efficiency that keeps food affordable, upgrades that protect the environment and technologies that ensure a safe food supply. And yes, they want to make a living just like the rest of us!

A good portion of the hesitation around increased cost may be that the customers were confused about what they were asked to consider buying. A greater proportion of respondents chose “not sure what this means” for value attributes than they did for product attributes.

Thirteen percent of respondents did not know what “grown under a thirdparty audited food safety program” meant and 8% did not know what “certified carbon footprint,” meant.

Our food is safe and affordable.

According to USDA-ERS data in 2014, food consumed at home represented

To put that in perspective, food consumed at home represented 23% of expenditures in Mexico, 26% in China and 29% in Russia, all the way up to 57% in Nigeria.

Agriculture, like anything else, involves tradeoffs. Keep in mind that in the most basic sense, agriculture converts the sun’s energy into consumable calories and this requires other building blocks such as nutrients and water.

This does not mean that agriculture and food production cannot make continuous advancements, but like the production of our clothes, cars, smartphones and everything else, inputs are required and there are consequences to our collective decisions.

It is time for a reality check. In a choir with fewer and fewer singers, farmers are going to need to raise their voices even louder!

So, how do we tell the real story from behind the farm gate? About half of the customers who took the dining hall survey said they would “definitely” or “probably” purchase food more often from campus facilities if they knew more about the production and source of food.

Yet, they were relatively uninterested in characteristics that are often communicated, such as carbon footprint.

BC�T December 21

40 YEARS STRONG Auxiliary Celebrates Notable Anniversary Part 1 of 4: The First Decade 1975-1985

Four decades, of service, support and camaraderie have empowered

countless members of the Wisconsin Potato Growers Auxiliary (WPGA) to play a critical role in shaping the futures of their farming families, agriculture in general, the communities in which they live, the marketing of the produce grown on their farms and the promotion of healthy lifestyles.

The ripple effect of these 40 years’ worth of efforts to promote and advance the potato industry have been felt throughout Wisconsin as WPGA members brought their unique perspectives and backgrounds to the business of farming.

BACK TO THE 70’S Most organizations arise from single incidents that require a clear-cut response. WPGA is no exception and the incident that launched WPGA originated with former Wisconsin Governor Patrick Joseph Lucey, who served from 1971-1977.

In 1975, Governor Lucey announced he lost 20 pounds by omitting potatoes and bread from his diet.

This raised the ire of Wisconsin potato growers’ wives who decided to make him eat his words.

Fortunately, the National Potato Promotion Board released a major advertising campaign focused on 22 BC�T December

the “Low-Calorie Potato,” accompanied by a low-calorie potato cookbook, Potato Lover's Diet Cookbook.

The Wisconsin potato growers’ wives organized a ‘potato feast’ event to which they invited Governor Lucey and presented him a huge table of 25-30 low-calorie potato dishes prepared from the new cookbook’s recipes, which included appetizers, salads, main dishes and desserts.

Local and state newspapers covered the event and their articles caught the attention of the Associated Press, who distributed them across their network. The articles then re-ran in

several newspapers nationwide.

The enormous attention garnered by the Governor’s potato feast encouraged Avis Wysocki to approach the group of wives regarding an idea that had been formulating in her mind; to form an official group dedicated to promoting the benefits of potatoes.

At the time, Avis was a member of the National Potato Council (NPC) Women's Auxiliary and suggested that the Wisconsin wives springboard off the NPC Women’s Auxiliary to fashion their own professional group.

On March 17, 1975, Dianne Somers presented a proposal to the Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association (WPVGA) Board of Directors on behalf of a group of potato growers’ wives, describing Top: Arlene Malek (far left) and Gerri Okray (center) and Dianne Somers (right) watch as Pat Diercks helps Wisconsin Governor Lee Sherman Dreyfus replace his traditional red vest with a potato sack vest at a 1982 press conference for the WPGA’s new All-American Potato Cookbook.

the importance of establishing an Auxiliary.

During the presentation, Dianne stated, "We must reverse the trend of young people's palates being geared towards processed foods and an Auxiliary is a means which can do this. We have found a need and we care. In this way we can be a positive and powerful resource to promote and advance the potato and vegetable industry.”

The group was to be comprised of potato growers’ wives who were very knowledgeable about their favorite food, the potato. Their focus would center on educating the public about the potato’s nutritional value through demonstrations, lectures and cooperating with national and state promotion boards.

Somers stressed that the women believed they could also enhance

crop value by helping increase demand for potatoes. Operating as a group, the organization would develop more strength and public acceptance than individuals could on their own.

WPVGA warmly accepted the proposal and thus the birth of the Auxiliary occurred, resulting in a forty-year long journey of public education and potato promotion.

As Avis had suggested, the group adopted bylaws patterned after NPC and Red River Valley Auxiliary’s bylaws and elected a Board of Directors and Officers.

A Formulating Committee was created and at the first Annual Meeting on December 10, 1975, the Wisconsin Potato Growers Auxiliary (WPGA) became official. Original officers were President, Dianne Somers; 1st Vice President, Avis

Left: The very first Auxiliary Potato Booth was held at the 1976 Rosholt Fair, which was the test run for State Fair. Mavis Bushman worked the booth.

Right: The Auxiliary set up their first State Fair Baked Potato booth in 1977.

Wysocki; 2nd Vice President, Sue Zalewski and Secretary/Treasurer, Arlene Malek. Board of Directors members were Mavis Bushman, Gerri Okray, Frances Gallenberg and Judy Bacon and Member at Large, Mary Lou Sargent.

It was not until many years later on March 18, 1982, that the WPGA branched out on their own as a new entity, which was entitled the Wisconsin Potato Growers Auxiliary, Inc. PROJECT RECOMMENDATIONS In 1977, while Alice in Dairyland was visiting Portage County, she gave the WPGA some advice about future continued on pg. 24

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40 Years Strong. . . continued from pg. 23

projects and encouraged them to have a booth at the State Fair, in Milwaukee.

them just enough to want one more bite when they have eaten the potato.”

She told them, “If you want to promote potatoes; One, do something other than the ever so popular French Fries, perhaps something healthy since the potato is considered a fattening food and few know about its nutritious value.”

She explained that California was selling jumbo baked potatoes at their fairs and people were getting full after the first half was eaten, often dropping the second half on the ground, then walking on, leaving an unsightly vision of a half-eaten potato.

“Two, sell it as a bargain,” she continued.” People respect a bargain, more than free food. Lastly, give

It was great advice and the WPGA followed it religiously!

With visions of the State Fair lodged in their heads, they thought a practice session might be wise before tackling the big time and decided what better place to start than the 1976 Rosholt Fair?

Therefore, that September, their first serious project evolved, a "trial run" at the 1976 Rosholt Fair where the Auxiliary baked potatoes and offered them as “Meal in a Peel” at a fair booth.

They sold enough potatoes to feel very successful. This helped them prepare for what it entails to sell food at a fair booth.

STATE FAIR AHEAD! However, the WPGA knew that to tackle the State Fair, they would need a leader and found the best Barb Bushman.

She, along with Dianne Somers and many others, planned for months because this was a huge project! They needed to create a booth, find ovens and refrigerators to lease, storage to keep potatoes cool, someone to Left: 1977 saw the advent of the WPGA’s first State Fair Baked Potato booth.

Right: This was taken back when the State Fair baked potatoes were only 50 cents. Harriet Wysocki is on the far left side and Deb Wolter is the first person facing the camera from the left.

Bottom: Another view of the 1977 State Fair Baked Potato booth.

24 BC�T December

deliver them daily to the fair, nearly 100 women to staff the booth for 12 days and lodging for them while they were there, wash water, tubs, supplies, etc.

Whenever anyone had a problem, Barb always had a solution. She was the perfect leader, had many

connections and knew how to make things happen with the help of the other Auxiliary workers as well.

Left: A volunteer crew from a State Fair Baked Potatoes booth. Front far right is Anita Polzin, center front is Ruth Danczyck and fifth from left in the back row, is Ellen Wysocki.

That first year, August of 1977, the WPGA travelled to West Allis to operate a booth at the Wisconsin State Fair armed with an oven that baked two hundred potatoes at

Right: 1981 Oconomowoc, WI High School Health Fair display was just one of the many places where Auxiliary members promoted the nutritional value of potatoes. continued on pg. 26

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40 Years Strong. . . continued from pg. 25

a time, potato bags, posters and information pamphlets.

Twelve groups of women worked rotating shifts, fulfilling the demand for delicious baked potatoes, which out-paced supply and all expectations.

By the sixth day of the eleven-day event, new supplies were rushed to the fairgrounds to replenish the supply. That first year, the women sold more than 20,000 potatoes for 25 cents each and brought in $5,000,

almost enough to cover expenses.

Elated by the warm welcome from those eagerly buying their potatoes, they were further surprised by the State Fair committee who wrote a letter to Harold Sargent, the WPVGA executive director, stating, "Your booth was such a success that you need to consider expanding with a larger booth and we will help.”

The next few years, their State Fair project grew and soon, they were competing with the very famous

State Fair cream puffs. By 1981, they made a profit of $9,000, afterwards raising their potato price to 35 cents each.

Wisconsin State Fair goers are still drawn by the salivating scent of baked potatoes permeating from the Ag Products Building where they hungrily return year after year for the treat of a fresh baked potato with choice of toppings to refresh and reenergize themselves.

FULL SPEED AHEAD Besides the State Fair, the Auxiliary members promoted potatoes at local events, fairs, school programs and classrooms on a weekly basis.

Word spread and it did not take long for people to know about the WPGA and ask for presentations.

Arlene Malek and Dianne Somers presented demonstrations on many local radio and TV programs throughout the state. They also handed out literature regarding National Potato Promotion Board’s marketing campaign on the 99% Top Left: The Auxiliary’s State Fair Baked Potatoes once sold for 75 cents each!

Top Right: Harriet Wysocki (L) and Barb Pavelski (R) wash and inspect potatoes at one of the State Fair Baked Potato booths.

Bottom: A November 1982 article from the Stevens Point Journal regarding the Auxiliary’s All-American Potato Cookbook.

26 BC�T December

1983 WPVGA Industry Show held at the Portage County Garage. (L-R) Pat Okray, Gerri Okray, Barbra Ward and Marge Finnessy had a lot of fun serving food from the Auxiliary booth, answering questions about their group and potatoes overall.

fat-free nutritious potato, plus, new ways of serving potatoes along with their ‘Meal in a Peel’ flyers.

Then in 1978, they published their first cookbook, the WPVGA Auxiliary Potato Cook Book. It was shaped like a potato, filled with 88 pages of favorite recipes contributed by the Auxiliary members and clipped

The State Fair Baked Potato booth sells thousands of potatoes every summer. Pat Diercks (middle) transports a tray of potatoes.

together by two round clips.

This cookbook was a good tool to get people out of the ho-hum-potato rut and begin using potatoes as main dishes, desserts and appetizers.

In order to save money, about ten

volunteers laid the 88 pages around ping pong and pool tables, and other surfaces in Harriet Wysocki’s basement and walked around the tables, collating pages and compiling cookbooks, one at a time. continued on pg. 28

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40 Years Strong. . . continued from pg. 27

The cookbooks sold fast and are a collector’s item today because so few still exist.

FINE-TUNING By 1981, the WPGA knew they wanted to publish another cookbook since the first one was such a success, but they knew it had to be sturdier and more professional.

A committee chaired by Gerri Okray and Pat Diercks was formed, who procured a loan backed by several growers and the project was underway with the Benjamin Company, a cookbook publisher, guiding them through the process.

Together, everyone gathered new, innovative kitchen-tested potato recipes under Gerri and Pat’s tireless direction. Searching for a unique idea for supplementary photos, they hit on the idea of incorporating antique kitchen utensils, confiscating some temporarily from Auxiliary members.

To make certain the cookbook photographs were of high quality, Gerri and Pat flew to California to supervise the photo session, taking props, potato bags and fresh Wisconsin potatoes with them.

In the Benjamin Company’s kitchens, Gerri and Pat decided what recipes to include and cooked the recipes that would be pictured in the cookbook. Each photo took several hours to create since every prop and the food pictured had to be perfectly placed to present each potato dish beautifully and make it appear mouthwatering.

The All-American Potato Cookbook made its debut in 1982 and was beautiful! It had a professional, colored, glossy cover, 160-page interior featuring 20 pages accentuated with gorgeous pictures of prepared food dishes. This cookbook included 235 potato continued on pg. 30 28 BC�T December

Top : Prior to the Auxiliary being officially formed, this "Auxiliary in Action" column appeared on the back cover of the June 1975 Badger Common'Tater and ran for several issues afterwards. Dianne Somers and Avis Wysocki first approached the WPVGA board regarding the idea of an Auxiliary on St. Patrick's Day, 1975. WPVGA supported the idea and gave the ladies $100 for organizational expenses!

Bottom: A photo of the Auxiliary’s first, highly collectible cookbook, published in 1978.

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40 Years Strong. . . continued from pg. 28

2015 WPGA Auxiliary Board, left to right: Sheila Rine, Kathy Bartsch, Paula Houlihan (President), Gabrielle Okray Eck (Secretary/Treasurer), Deniell Bula, Lynn Isherwood (Vice President) and Patty Hafner.

recipes for everything from snacks and appetizers to main dishes and desserts, even many unique potato dishes from different parts of the world and cultures.

The WPGA published 75,000 spiral-

bound cookbooks and sold 11,000 by the end of that year for $3.50 each.

Wisconsin Governor Lee Sherman Dreyfus joined the Auxiliary at the State Fair during the summer of 1982 for the All-American Potato

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Several tables displayed 10 of the mouthwatering dishes in the new cookbook for all reporters and guests to sample.

Auxiliary members presented the Governor with a red lined potato bag vest, in honor of the red vests, which he always wore. They also gave him a potato bag filled with the new cookbook, which truly represented Something Special from Wisconsin, the theme for Wisconsin products.

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Cookbook’s first press conference, which was complete with a private tent, press kits and more!

To discover new ways to use potatoes, the WPGA sponsored recipe contests during the 1980s.

Cooks statewide were invited to enter their own recipes in four categories.

Ten finalists in each category then prepared their recipes, which featured mouthwatering names like "Smoky-Hot Jackets with Special Cheese Sauce" and "Cheese and Broccoli Shrimp Boats."

The contests, co-sponsored by the Wisconsin Potato Industry Board, Wisconsin Potato and Vegetable Growers Association, Wisconsin Potato Growers Auxiliary and

Wisconsin Department of Ag, Trade and Consumer Protection, provided very creative publicity.

In 1976, WPVGA’s Badger Common’Tater started Auxiliary News column, which reported the Auxiliary’s accomplishments and a What's Cookin’ column to offer new recipes to readers, which appeared continuously for twelve years.

GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

By Dianne Somers

PROGRESS By the early 80s, Auxiliary members were appearing at conventions, trade shows, wellness events, and making many guest appearances around the state.

The State Fair, still their largest event, broke records every year. By 1983, they were selling 57,775 potatoes for 50 cents/each, generating $28,887 in revenue and their ‘Baked Potato with Toppings’ grew to be ‘the No.1 food' to absolutely find and eat at the Fair.

Many other projects presented themselves during that first decade, such as working with legislators to change the state estate tax laws to benefit farm continuity, educating members so they could be spokespersons for the industry and answer questions about potato production and nutrition, monitoring how potato displays are managed in stores and encouraging use of potatoes in school lunch programs.

During this first decade, the Auxiliary also started distributing placemats they designed that offered potato information, trivia, history and nutritional facts to restaurants across the state. In 1994, the distribution number jumped to one million, making a grand total of 2.2 million placemats perused while hungry patrons waited for their food.

Altogether, it was a truly amazing and productive first decade for the Wisconsin Potato Growers Auxiliary!

Dianne Somers and Avis Wysocki at a National Potato Council (NPC) Annual Awards Banquet.

On October 27, 2015, Wisconsin’s potato and vegetable industry lost a very caring and influential friend, Avis Marie Wysocki, who passed away, a victim of lung cancer.

Wife of Louis and mother of Jacquie, Gary, Jim, Therese and Russell, Avis was the one they turned to for advice in personal and business affairs.

In her quiet way, she was a listener and drew people to her. Every one of her 17 grandchildren felt they were each the special grandchild.

She had a unique and loving relationship with everyone.

Avis had a very strong bond with her sisters and spent valuable time with them, other family members and friends at her favorite place, the family cottage, engaging in golfing, playing cards or deep conversations, often with that twinkle in her eyes and smile on her face, teasing her accomplice or relating a favorite story.

She also had lifelong, wonderful friends in the industry and played an influential part in WPGA history. Few people may know, but she is the one of the founders of the Auxiliary.

It was actually her idea to establish a Ladies’ Auxiliary to WPVGA as well as her idea to initiate a scholarship program within the Auxiliary.

She brought forth these concepts, rallied people around her and with them, built a strong organization in the Auxiliary, which is about to celebrate 40 successful years.

All of us in the industry are forever grateful to her for her vision, contributions and support throughout 40 years of accomplishments. I think we should honor her by calling her what she was, the “Founder of the Auxiliary.”

BC�T December 31

EMPLOYEE RETENTION in a Challenging Industry

By Mark Waschek, Vice President/Agronomy, Ag 1 Source One of the biggest challenges in successfully managing a business is keeping your top employees. Every day, we visit with organizations throughout the Ag industry that are lamenting over the loss of a key employee and need us to find a suitable replacement.

Unfortunately, when we ask these organizations why an employee left, they almost always answer with the wrong reason - MONEY! Higher compensation may seem like a perfectly common and logical reason for employees to leave. In fact, a recent survey has shown that 89% of employers feel that money is the primary reason that employees leave. However, when the departed employees were interviewed, 88% of them left for reasons other than money. That is correct, only 12% of employees leave for better compensation!

NOT LISTENING There is a great quote that best explains this scenario: “Managers 32 BC�T December

will not hear what employees are not saying.”

Think about this for a moment. This is a powerful quote that really speaks to that heart of this problem.

support from their supervisor.

• 12% left for higher compensation.

• 10% left because they felt their job duties were unchallenging.

If a manager is not 100% engaged with their direct subordinates, it is very unlikely that they will understand the true reason why any given employee is leaving and they will certainly be too late to prevent that employee from departing.

• 9% left because of their supervisor's lack of leadership skills.

Let us face it, a disengaged manager will be the last person to find out an employee is leaving.

• 4% left due to a lack of recognition.

The best way to understand why employees leave is to look at data compiled in recent industry surveys by the Gallup organization (if you are one of the 89% of employers that believe your employees are leaving for money, you may be surprised at the results):

• 3% sought a new position as a result of a supervisor's poor employee relations.

• 16% left due to limited career growth or opportunity.

• 13% left due to lack of respect or

• 6% left for better work hours.

• 5% left for unavoidable reasons (birth of child, family relocation, illness of family member, etc.).

• 4% left because of favoritism (to other employees) by supervisor.

• 3% took a new opportunity due poor working conditions.

• 3% left due to lack of training, often to find an opportunity that provided more training.

• 2% of job changers say they left due to supervisor's incompetence.

• 2% left an organization because they did not trust or support the senior leadership.

• 1% left because they believed their supervisor's lack of technical skills impacted their success.

• 1% of departures were a result of discrimination.

• 1% took a new position due to harassment.

• 1% sought better benefits.

• 1% became disgruntled and left due to co-workers’ attitudes.

This list is a very good representation of our industry. As recruiters, we talk to hundreds of disgruntled employees each week, and the reasons and percentages listed here are quite accurate.

As you review this list, there is one glaring thing that should stand out to you. Over 75% of employees leave because of a supervisor’s actions,

or lack of engagement with that employee!

Think about this. How many employee departures would have been prevented if the manager engaged with the employee and worked through concerns BEFORE that employee looked for a new opportunity?

It is understandable that often it is difficult to stay engaged with every employee when you have a large number reporting to you.

However, there are some definite warning signs employees may exhibit that should alert you to an employee feeling they have unmet expectations: • Ask fewer questions than normal.

• Exhibit a sudden change in demeanor.

• Avoid greeting you or making eye contact.

• Stop participating in meetings or discussions.

• Ask more questions than usual about a particular issue or assignment, leaving you with doubts about their willingness to meet required expectations.

• Increased absences.

• Decreased performance.

continued on pg. 34

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Employee Retention. . . continued from pg. 33

THE AG INDUSTRY CHALLENGE The physical demands and drastic swings in workload and time commitment of crop production and the overall Ag industry can make employee retention a nearly insurmountable challenge.

However, the key to preventing that turnover is to understand what truly motivates your employees and what you can do to keep them motivated.

When you consider the gradual unfolding process of employee

disengagement and their desire to seek a new opportunity, there can be only one conclusion: The need for managers to initiate action to engage and re-engage with employees is urgent and a daily opportunity.

As you think across your current group of employees, they probably fall into three groups based on their stage of development within the business: newbies, established and top people.

Here are some situations and

appropriate engagement in which you can interact with your team in each of these stages: FIRST, the newbies that started with you in the last 24 months require more coaching and teaching from supervisors because they have to learn technical requirements of the job as well as how to work with other team members, particularly when many aspects of planting and harvesting require synchronized teamwork.

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When supervisors engage on a regular basis with these employees, particularly by coaching them past the hard work of spring, once they have figured out how to excel in their role, they will be left apt to wonder where they go from here once they completed their training because they will know where they stand.

SECOND, employees that have been with you two to five years have most things figured out and have mastered job responsibilities, which help minimize risks. This group needs less coaching on how to do their current role and more on how they can increase their production in the organization and assume additional responsibilities in their team.

While you will probably have less contact with this group than the newbies, a manager can assist with their development and build their loyalty to the organization with oneon-one conversations about “what can we add to your role and how can I help.”

This helps reinforce your engagement in their job growth and your desire to keep them around. Frequent, worthwhile interaction with this type of employees will help build management credibility and go a long way towards instilling pride in them towards the company.

performance.

THIRD, your top people have normally been around for a while, but they still need that pat on the back.

However, everyone across your employee base needs to hear you from you as an owner or manager and believe that you are engaged with him or her throughout the year, not just looking for someone to march when commanded to do so.

This group does not need much coaching or teaching and often focus further on wanting to know where the organization is going and what their role will be.

They also quite often want management to remove problems for them so they can charge ahead and continue to excel. The best thing supervisors of employees at this level can do is simply to ask the employees what the company can remove obstacles to insure that they can perform at their best level and what they perceive can be done for the company so it can operate at peak

It is easy for managers to fall back into ‘command and control’ types of communication within the Ag industry. Spring and harvest seasons are tough on all involved and barking orders can be all too easy.

Interact with all your employees and get out in the trenches, but especially encourage your upper echelon of achievers. Make sure you know their career goals and ambitions and you will build their loyalty and keep them around for the long haul.

Mark Waschek is Vice President, Agronomy with Ag 1 Source, a leading recruitment and human resource consulting firm focused on assisting organizations throughout the agricultural industry find, engage and retain talented employees.

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UNCERTAINTY & the Importance of Tax Planning

By Cathy Schommer, Production Ag Lender, Badgerland Financial

2015 year-end is fast approaching and it will soon be time to wrap

up harvest, assess the crop year and begin making plans for 2016.

Now is the time to consider your 2016 tax situation and begin planning to avoid any surprises instead of putting off thinking about taxes until the end of the year. The following are a few key items to keep in mind: BONUS DEPRECIATION & SECTION 179 As of January 2015, Section 179 expensing was again reduced to a maximum of $25,000 and federal bonus depreciation was eliminated.

In July 2015, the Senate Finance Committee voted to extend bonus depreciation and the enhanced Section 179 deduction through 2016. The full Senate has not indicated if or when it will act on this legislation and the House has not yet begun to consider.

These reduced limits will affect many farmers who have been using immediate expensing to control their income in the past. Expensing of capital assets in previous years has left little depreciation on 36 BC�T December

previously acquired assets.

If the 2015 limit is not increased, there will be limited options on current year purchases.

When done correctly, the equipment can be purchased at any time during the lease and with very short notice.

This would enable you to acquire needed equipment and maintain flexibility at year-end. If Section 179 were not increased, you would at least get a deduction for the entire lease payment made.

DEFERRED PAYMENT CONTRACTS

LEASE WITH OPTION TO PURCHASE

Under a deferred payment contract, farmers sell their crops this year but delay receipt of cash until next year.

For tax purposes, these contracts fall under the rules of installment sales.

When structured properly, they allow the option to either delay income recognition until actual receipt of cash, or to elect out of this treatment and accelerate income into the year in which the contract was originated.

Equipment (or buildings) can be set up under lease financing at time of purchase. The lease payments can be structured in a variety of ways to fit your cash flow and tax planning needs.

For added flexibility, this election can be made on each contract independently. At Badgerland Financial, we recommend using many deferred contracts of varying sizes to give you maximum flexibility at

Obviously, any legislation in December or January leaves little or no time to make last minute, year-end purchasing decisions.

It will be important once again to have a plan of action laid out.

Some popular tools our tax consultants use are as follows:

year-end. Specifics of these contracts should be discussed with a tax consultant to ensure your individual needs are met.

PREPAID SUPPLIES With the unknowns of depreciation, many farmers will turn to prepaid farm supplies (seed, chemicals, fertilizer, etc.) even more than in the past. Keep in mind the rules and guidelines regarding these prepaid supplies.

Under the cash method of accounting, the deduction for prepaid farm supplies in the year they are paid for is limited to 50% of the deductible farm expenses for the year, unless: The excess over 50% of other expenses is because of a change in business operations caused by unusual circumstances; or Total prepaid farm supplies expense for the preceding three tax years

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is less than 50% of total other deductible farm expenses for those three years.

your tax consultant early to discuss available options and to avoid a tax time surprise.

The prepayment option should also have a business purpose and is not merely for tax avoidance (i.e. fixing maximum prices and securing an assured supply).

We also suggest a post-harvest meeting with your loan officer to discuss your current financial situation and balancing cash available with borrowed funds to accomplish your tax planning needs, along with operating expenses, debt repayment, planned capital purchases and sales for the following year.

RECAP There is a lot of uncertainty regarding taxes heading into the final quarter of the year. We suggest meeting with

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MCCAIN FOODS Grower Awards Banquet McCain Foods honored its Central Wisconsin potato producers at a social hour and dinner, November 12, 2015 at Sentry World, Stevens Point, WI. According to Daniel Snyder, McCain Foods Senior Field Representative, “McCain foods suppliers produced outstanding results in crop year 2014!”

During the Awards presentations, Master of Ceremonies Kerry Larson introduced special guests and speakers as follows: • Christine Wentworth – VP Agriculture NA • Bob Hrya – Director Agriculture-NA Midwest Region • Jim Waugh- Director Manufacturing NA-Midwest • Rod Norquay – Plover Plant Manager • Joe Henrickson – Plover Production Manager.

• Tamas Houlihan – Executive Director WPVGA Then, it was on to the awards and the 2015 winners were as follows: 38 BC�T December

DIRECT AWARDS DIRECT DELIVERY-BRUISE FREE Jon Jacobs 91.5% (Dave Stephens) DIRECT DELIVERY LESS THAN 70K CWT (Daniel Snyder) 1st Hetzel and Wohlfeil - Roger Hetzel & Randy Wohlfeil 2nd Oak Grove Farms - Jerry Hetzel 3rd Patoka Farms - Bill & Dale Patoka DIRECT DELIVERY GREATER THAN 70K CWT (Daniel Snyder) 1st Paul Miller Farms 2nd Steve Bartsch Farms 3rd Kevin Sigourney Farms

GROWER STORAGE AWARDS GROWER STORAGE-BRUISE FREE

WEEKLY FARMS – 85.8% -Dave Stephens GROWER STORAGE LESS THAN 70K CWT (Mary LeMere) 1st Helbach Farms - Mike Helbach

2nd Taterland Farms - Gary Woyak 3rd Steve Bartsch Farms GROWER STORAGE GREATER THAN 70K CWT (Mary LeMere) 1st Firkus Farms - Lonnie and Mike Firkus 2nd Weekly Farms - Eric Weekly 3rd B and D Farms - Sam Ourada Top: Front row: Sam Ourada, B&D Farms. Second row (L-R): Joe Payant, Gerald Patoka, Mike Helbach, Lonnie Firkus, Mike Firkus, Roger Hetzel, Ian Miller, Steve Bartsch, Jordan Miller, Paul Miller, Gary Woyak. Back row (L-R): Patoka, Bill Patoka, Kerry Larson, Dave Stephens-Rep, Mary LeMere-Agronomy Mgr, Rodney Norquay-Plant Mgr, Christine Wentworth- VP Ag-NA, Jim WaughDirector of Mfg NA Midwest, Joseph HenriksenProduction Mgr, Bob Hyra-Director Ag NA Midwest, Daniel Snyder-Sr. Field Representative, Doug Nelson-Sr. Agronomist.

Right: Christine Wentworth, Vice President Ag North America McCain Foods was one of the featured speakers.

Top Left: Mary LeMere, Agronomy Manager NA Midwest, Christine Wentworth.

Top Right: (L-R) Kerry Larson, Paul Miller, Christine Wentworth, Daniel Snyder (Behind Christine) and Jim Waugh, Director Mfg NA Midwest.

MIddle: Kerry Larson, Field Mgr Bottom: Daniel Snyder, McCain Foods Senior Field Representative, said, “The 2014 crop allowed McCain Foods to utilize network optimization by producing the required finished products with Wisconsin grown potatoes.”

BC�T December 39

STARCHY VEGGIES?

It Might Be Better to PICK Them Than to Pick ON Them

By Keith Ayoob, EdD, RD, FAND (Reprinted with permission from Alliance for Potato Research and Education (APRE))

Two studies on fruits and vegetables were recently published, and they are both worth mentioning in one article.

Overall, the benefits of eating a diet high in fruits and vegetables are undisputed. These foods check off all the right boxes—they are plants, they have fiber, and they are loaded with vitamins and minerals.

Fruits and vegetables also contain a wide variety of antioxidants and phytochemicals, the plant compounds that help reduce disease risk. There is a mountain of scientific research that extols the benefits of eating lots of these good guys.

Now, a new study from Harvard that analyzed data from three cohorts— Nurses’ Health Study, Nurses’ Health Study II, and Health Professionals Follow-Up Study—found that eating more fruits and vegetables was “associated” with weight loss, but eating starchy vegetables was “associated” with weight gain.(1) An increase in total vegetable intake was associated with a loss of about a quarter of a pound after four years—hardly stellar—and an increase in total fruit intake was associated with a loss of about 40 BC�T December

a half of a pound over the same time period.

Within the vegetable group, the authors looked at both individual vegetables and at vegetable subgroups, such as cruciferous, green leafy, legumes and starchy vegetables.

The starchy vegetable subgroup focused specifically on corn, peas, and potatoes (included sweet potatoes, yams, and baked/boiled/ mashed white potatoes, but excluded French fries and potato chips).

Weight loss was associated with eating more non-starchy vegetables and weight gain with eating starchy vegetables—particularly corn, peas and white potatoes.

The amount of weight gain associated with eating starchy vegetables was extremely small—only about three quarters of a pound after four years in the case of potatoes.

Ironically, cabbage and onions were also associated with a weight gain of about a quarter of a pound after four years, although neither of these vegetables are starchy and both are loaded with fiber.

Moreover, the total average weight gain in these cohorts ranged from 2.1 pounds for the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study to 5.0 pounds for the Nurses’ Health Study II, while the overall change in vegetable consumption was negligible. People gained weight regardless of their vegetable and fruit intake, and that is not very surprising.

Looking at these results another way, people who ate starchy vegetables gained LESS weight than the total cohort did.

What was also interesting is that legumes—another vegetable subgroup consisting of starchy vegetables like peas, lima beans, beans, lentils, and tofu/soy—were generally associated with mild weight loss.

The authors postulated that the lower-glycemic load (GL) of these higher-fiber starchy vegetables was likely a reason for their better association with body weight. Then again, one of the three starchy vegetables associated with weight gain were peas—also a higher-fiber, lower-GI vegetable.

Confusing? Of course it is.

To make things even more confusing, clinical research—such as the OmniCarb Randomized Clinical Trial(2) —does not show much of a connection between the glycemic index of an individual food and its impact on insulin resistance

or cardiovascular outcomes, especially when these foods are part of a mixed meal, which they nearly always are.

When is the last time you ate only a bowl of peas or potatoes?

A study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that was released in July 2015 indicated that only one out of eight Americans consumes enough fruit, and only one out of 11 is meeting recommended intakes of vegetables. (3) Given the acknowledgement by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans that fruit and vegetable consumption positively impacts various health outcomes and that so few Americans are actually meeting recommended intakes, it is difficult to condone a recommendation to limit the intake of any whole fruit or vegetable, including starchy vegetables.

As a clinician and practitioner, I have to look at the larger and more realworld picture, not just the statistical one. Starchy vegetables—such as potatoes, peas, beans and corn—are not new foods.

They were around long before the obesity crisis, when we actually ate more of them. Moreover, they are

absolutely loaded with nutrition.

Potatoes happen to be one of the best sources of potassium— a nutrient of concern because most people have potassium-deficient diets—as well as several other essential nutrients. Plus, potatoes are affordable and people actually like them.

No, I do not want people to overconsume potatoes or any other food, but given the documented vegetabledeficient diets of most Americans, I would be loath to discourage cutting back on such a nutrient-packed food.

Making broad nutrition recommendations based on population studies is tricky and usually a bad idea. Once people hear

the term “associated with,” they can easily and inappropriately make the leap to “cause-effect,” and that is a mistake.

(1) Bertoia ML, Mukamal KJ, Cahill LE, Hou T, Ludwig DS, Mozaffarian D, et al. Changes in Intake of Fruits and Vegetables and Weight Change in United States Men and Women Followed for Up to 24 Years: Analysis from Three Prospective Cohort Studies. PLOS Med. 2015 September 22; 12(9):e1001878. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/ journal.pmed.1001878.

(2) Sacks FM, Carey VJ, Anderson CA, Miller ER 3rd, Copeland T, Charleston J, et al. Effects of High vs Low Glycemic Index of Dietary Carbohydrate on Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors and Insulin Sensitivity: The OmniCarb Randomized Clinical Trial.

JAMA. 2014 December 17; 312(23):2531-2541. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jama.2014.16658.

(3) Moore LV, Thompson FE. Adults Meeting Fruit and Vegetable Intake Recommendations: United States, 2013. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2015 July 10; 64(26):709-713.

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BC�T December 41

2016 UW Extension & WPVGA Grower Education Conference & 67th Industry Show February 02-04 Holiday Inn Convention Center

Register today to attend the 2016 UW Extension & Wisconsin Potato

Registration-Form-Individual-2016fillable.pdf) and return it with payment to WPVGA, PO Box 327, Antigo, WI 54409.

Growers attending the conference will have the opportunity to get a head start on the season with expert market outlooks, research reports, information on new technologies and agribusiness advice.

If more than one person from the same company is attending, please use the Group Registration Form (http://wisconsinpotatoes.com/ admin/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/ Registration-Form-Group-2016fillable.pdf). If you have questions, please contact the WPVGA Office at (715) 623-7683.

& Vegetable Growers Association (WPVGA) and Grower Education Conference and 67th Industry Show on February 2-4, 2016 at the Holiday Inn in Stevens Point, Wisconsin.

The conference will feature an excellent slate of speakers and presentations and it is a great place for growers to get the advice, tips and insights that will give them the edge they need in today’s tough business climate.

The conference’s annual Industry Banquet is the premier social event in the Wisconsin potato industry with great food and beverages, camaraderie and good times!

In addition to the annual industry awards, there will be drawings for

cash prizes as well as a Grand Prize drawing for a 40-inch LCD television (must be present to win).

This year, Piano Fondue, a dynamic and interactive dueling piano group, will be performing at the banquet following the awards ceremony.

CONFERENCE REGISTRATIONS To register, for the conference, please complete Individual Registration Form (www.wisconsinpotatoes.com/ admin/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/

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RESERVE ROOM NOW A block of rooms is reserved for conference and show attendees at the Holiday Inn Hotel & Convention Center. The room rate is $97 single or double. Please use this link to reserve your room and take advantage of this rate.

For those of you who prefer to make reservations over the phone, please call 715-344-0200, press (3) and refer to block code PVG. The room block availability and special pricing will expire January 31, 2016.

Make plans now to attend this valuable event. Please note that Conference registration rates will increase after January 15, 2016 so register today!

CONFERENCE PROGRAM DETAILS:

CONFERENCE PROGRAM DETAILS

2016 UW Extension & WPVGA Grower Conference Tuesday, February 2, 2016 Holiday Inn Hotel & Convention Center, Stevens Point WI

General Session Expo 1 and 2 (Moderator Tamas Houlihan)

Time 7:30-8:20 am

Registration

8:20-8:30 am

Welcome and opening remarks - Tamas Houlihan, Executive Director, Wisconsin Potato and Vegetable Growers Association, Antigo, WI

8:30-9:00 am

Outcomes of the Little Plover River Modeling Project: Potential for Expansion into the Central Sands - Ken Bradbury, Director and State Geologist, Wisconsin Geological & Natural History Survey, Madison, WI.

9:00-9:30 am

Using the Little Plover River Model to Test Water Management Scenarios and Impacts - James Drought, GZA GeoEnvironmental, Inc., Waukesha, WI.

9:30-10:30 am

Morning Break - Visit Exhibit Hall/Poster Session

10:30-11:00 am

Evolution of Wisconsin's High Capacity Well Review Process and Challenges Moving Forward - Larry Lynch, Hydrogeologist, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Madison, WI

11:00-11:30 am

To be determined (TBD)

11:30 am-12:00 pm

Update on the National Acrylamide Project - Paul Bethke- University of Wisconsin - Horticulture.

12:00-1:15 pm

Lunch: Legislative Update - (1) Ron Kuehn, DeWitt Ross & Stevens, (2) Feeding America Update

Breakout Sessions

Expo 1 Water Quality (Moderator Troy Fishler)

Expo 2 Water Resource Conservation (Moderator Jeff Wyman)

Sands/Spruce Nutrient Management (Moderator Matt Ruark)

1:30-1:50 pm

TBD - Phosphorus management and TMDLs - interactions of municipalities and agriculture

Robert Smail - Establishment of irrigation standards

Brendon Rockey - Healthy soils through cover cropping

1:50-2:10 pm

Joe Baeten - Nutrient management and agricultural runoff

Mallika Nocco - ET and consumptive water use in different crops

Matt Ruark - Approaches to mitigate nitrogen leaching in sandy soils

2:10-2:30 pm

AJ Bussan - Managing nutrients in mixed dairy and vegetable production systems

Bill Bland - Soil water tension and content for initiating irrigation

TBD - Influence of nitrogen rate and application timing on potato productivity

2:30-3:30 pm

Afternoon Break - Visit Exhibit Hall/Poster Session

Breakout Sessions

Expo 1 Genetic Pest Management (Moderator Russ Groves)

3:30-3:50 pm

Michael Crossley Genetics of Colorado potato beetle resistance among locations.

AJ Bussan - Deficit irrigation of potatoes and processing vegetables

Lance Snodgrass / Felix Navarro Wisconsin Fresh Market Varieties, locations and performance

3:50-4:10 pm

Justin Clements Knocking out resistance mechanisms in Colorado potato beetle

John Panuska - Precision irrigation technologies and irrigation scheduling

TBD

4:10-4:30 pm

Russ Groves - Foliar applications of genetic pest control options

Mack Naber - Measuring depth to groundwater - sources of variation in the Central Sands

Jeff Endelman / Mike Copas Proposed changes to the SPUDPRO program and variety licensing and distribution

4:30-6:00 pm

Wisconsin Seed Potato Improvement Association and WPVGA Associate Division Reception

Expo 2 Water Resource Management (Moderator Ken Schroeder)

Sands/Spruce Variety Improvement (Moderator Jeff Endelman)

BC�T December 43

2016 UW Extension & WPVGA Grower Conference Wednesday, February 3, 2016 Holiday Inn Hotel & Convention Center, Stevens Point WI General Session Expo 1 and 2 (Moderator Jeff Wyman)

Time 8:00-8:30 am

US Potato Board Industry Update - Blair Richardson, Chief Executive Officer USPB and Sarah Reece, Global Retail Marketing Manager

8:30-9:00 am

The Late Blight Pathogen, a National AFRI funded Perspective - William Fry, University Professor, Cornell University

9:00-9:30 am

Dickeya dianthicola, an Emerging Pathogen in Seed Potato Production - Amy Charkowski, Professor, University of Wisconsin.

9:30-10:30 am

Morning Break - Visit Exhibit Hall/Poster Session

10:30-11:00 am

Wisconsin Law on Late Blight Management, Implementation of State Mandates - Brian Kuhn, Director, Plant Industry Bureau, Wisconsin DATCP.

11:00-11:30 am

Effective Use of Fungicide Tools for Late Blight Control In Potatoes - Jeff Miller, President, Miller Research, Rupert, ID.

11:30 am-12:00 pm

Update on NRCS 590 Nutrient Management Standard: Implementation, Management and Training Judy Derricks, State Resource Conservationist, NRCS, Madison, WI.

12:00-1:15 pm

Lunch - (1) John Keeling, NPC, and (2) Industry Appreciation Awards

Breakout Sessions

EXPO 1 Late Blight Management (Moderator Amanda Gevens)

EXPO 2 Market Development (Moderator Dana Rady)

SANDS/SPRUCE Wisconsin Muck Meeting (Moderator Ken Williams)

1:30-1:50 pm

Amanda Gevens - Late Blight management Sources of Inoculum

Deana Knuteson -Selling Healthy Grown Potatoes Locally / Results of the Buy Local / Buy Wisconsin

Jeff Endelman, Potato varietal selections and performance on muck soils

1:50-2:10 pm

Jeff Miller - Phosphorus acid treatment for potato late blight control in the field and in storage

Paul Mitchell - Implications of GMO Potato - Oversupply, Buyer Restrictions and Concessions in Acreage

Russ Groves - Potential biological insecticides for control of onion insect pests

2:10-2:30 pm

William Fry - Refining late blight management with the Decision Support Systems

Dana Rady - TBD

Jed Colquhoun, Weed management in muck grown potato

2:30-3:30 pm

Afternoon Break - Visit Exhibit Hall/Poster Session

Breakout Sessions

EXPO 1 Disease Resistance (Moderator Ken Schroeder)

EXPO 2 RMA's New Whole Farm Revenue Protection Program

3:30-3:50 pm

Shelley Jansky - Improved disease resistance using Marker Assisted Selection

3:50-4:10 pm

Felix Navarro / John Couture - Disease surveillance using remote sensing platforms

4:10-4:30 pm

Alex Crockford - Economic Impacts and Impediments to the Development of a National Seed Law

5:15-6:00 pm

Social Hour

6:00-10:00 pm

WPVGA Associate Division Banquet

44 BC�T December

(1) Margaret Krome - Policy Program Director, Michael Fields Inst., (2) Harriet Behar, Senior Organic Specialist, MOSES and (3) Roxann Brixen, Operations Unit Manager, Great American Insurance. Whole Farm Revenue Protection (WFRP) insurance basics, eligibility and paper-work requirements, premiums, subsidies and incentives for diversified operations

SANDS/SPRUCE Wisconsin Muck Meeting (Moderator Ken Williams) Julia Crane - Factors influencing surface disorders in muck grown potato including black dot and silver scurf

Ann MacGuidwin - Nematode management

Amanda Gevens - Stemphylium pathogen in dry bulb onions

2016 UW Extension & WPVGA Grower Conference Thursday, February 4, 2016 Holiday Inn Hotel & Convention Center, Stevens Point WI General Session

Time

Expo 1 and 2 (Moderator Walt Stevenson)

8:00-8:30 am

Jeff Endelman, UW Horticulture - Potato breeding and varietal improvement

8:30-9:00 am

Matt Ruark, UW Soil Science - In-season assessment of nitrogen status and need in selected varieties

9:00-9:30 am

Ann MacGuidwin, UW Plant Pathology - Nematology and plant protection

9:30-10:00 am

Amy Charkowski, UW Plant Pathology - Soft rot and common scab resistance in potato

10:00-10:15 am

Morning Break

10:15-10:45 am

Russ Groves, UW Entomology - Optimizing pest thresholds for insect control.

10:45-11:15 am

Jed Colquhoun, UW Horticulture - Weed management and resistance

11:15-11:45 am

Amanda Gevens, UW Plant Pathology - Integrated disease management systems for potato

11:45 am-12:15 pm

Felix Navarro, UW ARS - Potato variety and advanced germplasm selection

12:15 pm

Adjourn - and Thanks for your Attendance and Participation

1:00 pm

WPVGA Annual Meeting

BC�T December 45

Now News New Fast & Fresh! 12 oz. Microwave-Ready Potatoes with Olive Oil and Seasoning These convenience packed potatoes with eye-catching packaging are now available at select retail grocers alongside Alsum Farms & Produce full-line of conventional, organic and specialty potato offerings.

Alsum Farms & Produce Inc. rolled out their Fast & Fresh! 12 oz.

Microwave-Ready Potatoes with Olive oil and Seasoning.

Available year-round, Alsum Farms & Produce Fast & Fresh! MicrowaveReady Creamer and Fingerling Potatoes come in a pre-packaged steam tray with flavored seasoning and olive oil packets and provide the perfect nutritious potato side dish to complement any meal perfectly with no preparation.

The fresh baby red creamers and fingerlings are triple-washed and ready to cook. Today’s busy consumers can take these fresh potatoes from the microwave to the dinner table in six minutes or less!

Fast & Fresh!

The three new potato offerings are: Parmesan & Garlic – Fresh red creamer potatoes with parmesan and garlic seasoning for a gourmet taste.

Gourmet Garlic & Paprika – Fresh yellow fingerling potatoes with garlic and paprika spices for an authentic savory blend.

Fiesta – Fresh yellow and red fingerlings mixed with bold spices for a sizzling flavor.

“According to the U.S. Potato Board’s market trends data, today’s consumers spend less time planning and preparing meals. The allinclusive Microwave-Ready Potatoes with olive oil and seasoning brings fresh, convenient potato solutions to the time-starved consumer and millennial shoppers,” says Heidi Alsum-Randall, National Sales and Marketing Manager of Alsum Farms & Produce. “Our vision is to provide the consumer with a ready-to-serve healthy potato offering to meet the growing trends for fresh foods fast.”

The high graphic sleeve is made from 100% recycled paperboard and uses 35% post-consumer content to protect the potatoes from light to prevent greening when on the store shelf or in the home pantry.

In addition, the ready-to-serve container can be recycled.

The Fast & Fresh! 12 oz. MicrowaveReady Potatoes with Olive oil and Seasoning product line was selected as one of twenty finalists for the PMA Impact Award Excellence in Packaging, which recognizes trendsetters in packaging.

To learn more about Alsum Farms & Produce, its full-line of products or to request a sample, visit www.alsum. com.

Alsum Farms & Produce, Inc., is a grower, packer and shipper of potatoes, re-packer of onions and a wholesale distributor of a full line of fresh fruits and vegetables for more than four decades.

Langlade Ag Research Station Needs Your Help The Langlade County Agricultural Research Station on the airport grounds in Antigo is in need of a hard hose or traveling gun for its field trials conducted each year. The current travelling gun has reached the end of its useful life.

46 BC�T December

Research conducted at the station supports the Wisconsin seed potato industry, commercial growers, and the investigation of problems specific to the Antigo seed production area.

Your contribution will be recognized and greatly appreciated!

To make a donation, please contact: Stephen Zimmerman, Langlade County UW-Extension Agriculture Agent, Langlade Cooperative Extension, (715) 627-6236 (Main Office) or (715) 627-6313 (Agriculture Office), or stephen.zimmerman@ces. uwex.edu.

Insight FS awarding $ 15,000 in college scholarships Applications due February 15, 2016 Next spring, 10 promising students with an interest in a career in agriculture will receive the good news that they have been selected to receive a $1,500 Insight FS scholarship. Applications are now available for the 2015-2016 scholarship program, which provides college financial assistance to dependents of Insight FS patrons and employees.

customer or employee.

ELIGIBILITY

AWARD

Applicants must:

Insight FS will award a $1,500 scholarship each to 10 full-time students with an interest in pursuing a career in agriculture or agribusiness. Payments will be made at the beginning of the fall 2016 semester.

• Be active or seeking membership in local agriculture groups, including membership in his/her local FFA chapter or 4-H. • Be a dependent of an Insight FS

• Be at least a high school senior or already enrolled in a community college.

• Must have maintained a satisfactory GPA of at least 2.5 on a 4-point scale.

• Agree to attend an Insight FS board meeting or company-sponsored event if a scholarship is awarded.

Rhinelander Agricultural Research Station

APPLICATION Qualified applicants should send application and official transcript to Human Resources, Insight FS, P.O. Box 359, Jefferson, WI 53549.

No additional pages of information are to be attached. Applications are available for download at www. insightfs.com, and are due by February 15, 2016. continued on pg. 48

University of Wisconsin– Madison, College of Agriculture & Life Sciences

The Rhinelander Agricultural Research Station would like to thank the following companies for their support and collaboration during the 2015 field year: AMVAC

Benzel Soil Services

Bula Potato Farms, Inc.

Case IH/Service Motor Company

Crop Production Services—Plainfield

Eagle River Seed Farm

Insight FS

Merry Crop Care

Nelson’s Vegetable Storage Systems

Nortrax—Monico

Reisterer & Schnell

RPE, Inc.

Sowinski Farms

Syngenta

T & H Agri-Chemicals

UW-Lelah Starks Elite Foundation Seed Potato Farm

Dick Weber

Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association

WPVGA Associate Division

Wisconsin Seed Potato Improvement Association

BC�T December 47

Now News. . . continued from pg. 47

Allied Cooperative & Land O’Lakes Ward off Hunger in Local Communities Allied Cooperative and Land O’Lakes joined together to donate a total of $20,000 to area food pantries.

Allied Cooperative made their

donation in conjunction with a corporate match program through the Land O’Lakes Foundation called “Feeding Our Communities.”

Left : Matt Selenske of Allied Cooperative presents $2,000 to Pastor Howard Kruize of New Life Assembly of God in Plainfield and Mark Kotolski for their Joseph’s Hope Food Pantry Right: Nate Peterson of Allied Cooperative presents $2,000 to Melvin Dow for the Interfaith Food Pantry of Portage County.

This program is focused on helping alleviate hunger locally, nationally 1/6th (in Page rural America) and globally. Pantries some time during the year, had in Adams-Friendship, Arcadia, Blair, Badger Common’Tater difficulty providing enough food for Galesville, Mauston, Necedah, all their members, (Sources: USDA Plainfield, Plover, Tomah and West Economic Research Service; Hunger Salem were recipients of the funds in America Study). with $2,000 going to each pantry.

L-9004: 189.2 ACRES ON COUNTY ROAD M SOUTH OF WHITE LAKE, being almost all under cultivation.

Previously used for potato cash cropping. There are three (3) separate tower irrigation pivots with gps and wells so that all of the land can be irrigated. Land was used for the season and has been plowed. $650,000.00 For more information, contact

NOLAN SALES, LLC PO Box 486, Marion, WI 54950 715-754-5221 or 1-800-472-0290 Visit our website at www.nolansales.com

48 BC�T December

December 2015 Area food pantries typically see an “Unemployment and financial January 2016 uncertainty have impacted many added surge in the number of people families in our area,” said Timothy who need help during the holiday Diemert, Allied Cooperative CEO. $200.00 season. per Donations issue such as this will be “Services like the food pantry haveper Ruth a big help in their efforts to ward off become a necessary means for hunger. many families, especially during the Allied Cooperative is a $210 million winter months when household cooperative with services ranging expenses are at their peak. We have from agronomy, feed and grain great appreciation and respect for to LP and refined fuels to auto parts, the service our local pantries are hardware, tires and convenience providing our communities, and we wanted to show our support of their stores. Allied Cooperative has efforts.” locations in Adams, Arcadia, Blair, Galesville, Mauston, Melrose, 11.7% of an estimated 2.2 million Mindoro, Plainfield, Plover, Tomah, households in rural America are West Salem, Wisconsin Dells considered food insecure. Nationally and Wisconsin Rapids. For more 11.1%, or 13 million households information on Allied Cooperative (urban and rural), are food insecure.

This means these households, at go to www.allied.coop.

Nominations Open for 2015 Associate Division Business Person of the Year Award The WPVGA Associate Division is accepting nominations for the 2015 Associate Division Business Person of the Year Award. Nominees must be members of the Associate Division who have made significant contributions to the potato and vegetable industry either this year

or over a period of years.

Please consider an Associate Member who you think may be deserving of this award. Your nomination is appreciated. Visit wisconsinpotatoes. com/2015-wpvga-associate-divisionbusiness-person-of-the-year-

nomination, complete the form online, print and email the completed form to jbraun@wisconsinpotatoes. com or fax (715-623-3176). You can also mail the completed form to the WPVGA office no later than December 30, 2015.

2016 WPVGA Grower Membership If you were a WPVGA Grower Member in 2015, you should have received your renewal information for 2016 in the mail this week. If you did not receive your form, here is the link to the online form: http:// wisconsinpotatoes.com/admin/ wp-content/uploads/2015/10/2016-

Grower-Membership-App-Fillable. pdf.

If you are not currently a WPVGA Grower Member, we strongly urge you to join. Following is a link to a letter that summarizes the many benefits of memberships as well as explains why your support is so

important to our industry. http:// wisconsinpotatoes.com/admin/ wp-content/uploads/2015/11/2016Grower-Membership-Letter.pdf If you have any further questions, please feel free to call the WPVGA office (715) 623-7683.

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phone: 719 588 2388 email: higginsfarms@comcast.net web: www.flavorfulpotatoes.com BC�T December 49

People Amy Charkowski selected for Vilas Faculty Mid-Career Investigator Award Plant pathology professor Amy Charkowski, an expert on soft rot bacteria, seed potato production and potato pathogen detection, has been selected to receive a Vilas Faculty Mid-Career Investigator Award.

Charkowski is the administrative director of the Wisconsin Seed Potato Certification Program, which has been housed in the Department of Plant Pathology since 1913. Charkowski is also a regular Badger Beat contributor for Badger Common’Tater.

The award provides $100,000 in flexible research funds over two academic years.

Her research focuses on the control of important diseases of potato, including various soft rot diseases,

Amy Charkowski

potato virus Y and common scab.

She is also involved in an innovative organic potato production project, trialing organically approved control methods for pests and pathogens important in seed potato production on organic farms.

Amanda Gevens receives ANRE Outstanding Specialist Award Amanda Gevens, a CALS and UWExtension plant pathologist with expertise in potato and vegetable disease identification, characterization and management, was recently awarded the Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension (ANRE) Outstanding Specialist Award.

This award recognizes the excellence of an Extension specialist in the ANRE program area to develop researchbased educational programs and provide leadership within their field of expertise.

Qualities considered include quality teaching and educational products; strong and consistent follow-up and support of key program delivery partners; ability to build working relationships and teams; and the ability to develop and deliver programs that are stakeholder-driven, problem focused and outcomeoriented.

Gevens is one of Badger Common’Tater’s regular Badger Beat contributors.

Amanda Gevens

SUPPORT YOUR FELLOW WPVGA MEMBERS When you need goods or services, please consider asking our Associate Division Members for quotes or explore what they have to offer. Together, we make a strong organization and appreciate how wonderful we are as a group.

50 BC�T December

OARDC Director Steve Slack to Retire After 16 Years of Leadership, Growth Steve Slack, director of the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC), announced he will retire at the end of 2015 after 16 years at the helm of the nation’s largest university Ag Biosciences research institution.

“After more than 40 years of faculty and administrative service, the time is right to transition to the next phase of my life,” said Slack, who is also associate vice president for agricultural administration at The Ohio State University. OARDC is the research arm of the university’s College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CFAES).

Slack joined OARDC after serving as chair of the Department of Plant Pathology at Cornell University (19951999), where he was also the Henry and Mildred Uihlein Professor of Plant Pathology beginning in 1988.

Before that, he was a faculty member in the Department of Plant Pathology at the University of WisconsinMadison.

talented faculty, infrastructure and funding, but also in targeted research programs that address crucial needs in Ohio and around the world.”

Slack’s key accomplishments include tripling extramural funding for the organization; leading an extensive review of OARDC programs and its economic impact in Ohio that identified three core investment areas (food, environment and bio economy), which later became the college’s strategic areas; and supporting publicprivate partnerships, including the BioHio Research Park.

He also oversaw important facility improvements, including the Ralph Regula Plant and Animal Agrosecurity Research facility, the state’s only public BSL-3 Ag biosafety lab; a stateof-art Feedstock Processing Research Facility; and new headquarters at three outlying research stations.

Additionally, he led campus recovery following a 2010 tornado that caused $30 million in damage. This included

Slack will retire at the end of 2015.

Photo by Ken Chamberlain.

construction of a new Agricultural Engineering Building, the first “green” building on the Wooster campus, attaining LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification, and a new complex of horticultural greenhouses.

“I have had the privilege to work with many committed and talented administrative, faculty and staff colleagues. Nothing is ever continued on pg. 52

Steve also managed the Wisconsin seed potato program from the mid1970s through 1988.

During his tenure at Ohio State, Slack has been in charge of research administration for one of the university’s largest and most comprehensive colleges as well as management of OARDC’s Wooster campus and 10 outlying research stations across the state.

“Steve has accomplished an incredible amount during his time as director of OARDC and has had a significant impact on the college,” said Bruce McPheron, Ohio State’s vice president for agricultural administration and dean of CFAES. “His steady leadership has helped OARDC grow not only in

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People. . . continued from pg. 51

accomplished alone,” Slack said “We have also developed a close working relationship with the city of Wooster and Wayne County, which have turned many of the challenges over the past decade and a half into opportunities to move forward, especially on economic development issues.”

Slack is a fellow and past president of the American Phytopathological Society, an honorary life member and past president of the Potato Association of America, and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He has also provided leadership to several boards and sections of the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities

(APLU), including two terms on the Policy Board of Directors.

doctorate from the University of California-Davis.

“There are few experiment station directors of the tenure of Steve Slack who have consistently provided strong visionary leadership not only for their individual institutions but for the collective whole of the country’s public and land-grant universities,” said Ian Maw, vice president for Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources at APLU. “He is a man of few words, but when he speaks folks do listen. He will be missed by many of us.”

He and his wife Susie have two children and two grandchildren and live in Wooster, where they have chosen to stay during retirement.

Slack received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville and his

Slack said retirement plans include traveling, spending more time with his grandchildren and golfing.

“When we first came to Wooster, we knew very little about Ohio,” Slack said. “We chose to live here, and it has been a great decision for both of us.

This community has welcomed and accepted us with open arms. We now consider Wooster to be home.”

National Trucking Group Recognizes Broker of the Year The National Association of Small Trucking Companies (NASTC) represents over 6,000 trucking companies in the U.S. and Canada that employ over 75,000 drivers collectively. For the benefit of their trucking company members, NASTC publishes a “Best Brokers” directory annually to assist their members in locating quality freight brokers to help them keep their trucks loaded.

Each year the association selects one of these brokers as their “Broker of the Year” and recognizes them at their annual meeting. This year’s recipient of the NASTC Best of the Best Brokers Award was Kretz Truck Brokerage of Antigo, WI. “As a recipient of this prestigious award, Kretz Truck Brokerage has distinguished themselves as the best of our broker group that includes over 250 of the best brokers in the country,” according to Buster Anderson, Executive Vice President 52 BC�T December

The enclosed photo shows (l-r) David Owen, NASTC President, Terry Kretz, Kretz Truck Brokerage CEO, Greg Kretz, Kretz Truck Brokerage President and Buster Anderson, NASTC Executive Vice President.

of NASTC. Kretz Truck Brokerage has been in business since 1989 and moves in excess of 200 loads per week all over the country. They have been a NASTC member for over fourteen years and have always been a big supporter of

NASTC’s efforts to improve brokercarrier relations.

Kretz Truck Brokerage was presented their award in Nashville, TN on October 29th at NASTC’s 25th annual conference.

New Products New Reinke Pivoting Lateral Move System Reinke announces its new Pivoting Lateral Move System designed to combine the benefits of a center pivot with those of a lateral move irrigation system, making better use of irrigation systems and land coverage.

“We’re excited to offer our new Pivoting Lateral Move System to growers,” said Reinke Product Manager Cody Bailey. “This new system is the longest system configuration available in the industry, offers improved machine versatility and precision controls and really allows growers to get full control of their fields.”

The Reinke Pivoting Lateral Move System with integrated GPS guidance technology is ideal for irregularshaped fields, allowing growers to increase irrigated acreage and put under-utilized land to work.

complete control of how their system moves throughout the field.

The Reinke Pivoting Lateral Move System is now available through local Reinke dealers like Roberts Irrigation, Plover, WI (715)344-4747. For more information on the Reinke Pivoting Lateral Move System, visit www.reinke.com.

ABOUT REINKE Headquartered in Deshler, Neb., Reinke Manufacturing Company, Inc. is one of the world’s most recognized manufacturers of center pivot and lateral move irrigation systems. Since 1954, Reinke has developed products designed to increase agriculture production while providing labor savings and environmental efficiencies. Reinke is a continued leader in industry advancements as the first to incorporate GPS, satellite-based communications and touchscreen panel capabilities into mechanized irrigation system management. continued on pg. 54

The system can be readily programmed to perform a multitude of designs including common path configurations such as outward and inward swings (180 degrees and 90 degrees), and can be setup Benefits of spray foam insulation and polyurea coatings in Agriculture: to autonomously move between * Long lasting a pivot mode and a lateral mode. * Quicker to install * Reduces energy costs

foaminsulation insulation polyurea coatings in Agriculture: Programming of the system is * ExtendsBenefits the lifeofof the structure Benefits ofspray spray foam andand polyurea coatings in Agriculture: Long * Longlasting lasting exterior & interior roofs, metal shop buildings, pole * Great for *equine barns, designed for a grower-friendly * Quickerto to install install * Quicker harvesting rollers, loader buckets approach using the industry’s only barns, trailers, * Reduces energy costs * Reduces energy costs * Extends the life of the structure Pivoting Lateral Field Designer * Extends the life of the structure * Great for equine barns, exterior & interior roofs, metal shop buildings, pole * Great for equine barns, exterior & interior roofs, metal shop buildings, pole program and ready setup through barns, trailers, harvesting rollers, loader buckets barns, trailers, harvesting rollers, loader buckets Reinke’s Touch Screen Control Panel.

The panel has been customized specifically for the Pivoting Lateral Move System allowing growers to import an image of their field and program the stages to cover every available acre.

With no limit on the number of possible stages to configure and with visual confirmation of what has been programmed, growers have

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New Products. . . continued from pg. 53

New Retriever® Pup Self-Loading Trailer Bestway Inc., manufacturer of the Retriever® brand of equipment dealer logistic products, announces the introduction of the Retriever® PUP Self-Loading Trailer, which features a self-contained hydraulic 3-point lift system (CAT I and CAT II).

This system allows one operator and a pick-up truck to hitch up, lift, load and transport 3-point implements, without the need for a tractor, forklift or skid steer to assist in the loading or unloading.

For even more versatility, the hydraulic top link and Universal Skid Steer attachment option allow the Retriever® PUP to pick up and transport skid steer attachments simply and easily.

trailer for transport. To unload the implement or attachment the loading procedure, you simply reverse the process.

The operator simply backs up to the implement or skid steer interface, lifts the load using the hydraulic system, then hydraulically moves the hitch carriage forward on the

The Retriever® PUP was designed for equipment dealers and equipment rental companies, to transport equipment more efficiently with less time, labor and cost inputs.

Implements that can be easily damaged in loading or transport, like seeders, are handled as intended, by their 3-point hitch, greatly reducing the risk of damage and unnecessary repairs and downtime.

Contact Bestway Inc. at sales@ retrieverslt.com or call toll free (877) 390-4480 for more information.

Eliane™ Bind 12 for Clean Label Food Coatings Eliane™ Bind 12 is a potato starch with unique properties that allows food manufacturers to create high quality and crispy coatings for fish and meat. With Eliane™ Bind 12, a significant reduction of starch can be achieved in the recipes, while retaining a crispy coating.

The unique benefits on taste, dosage and crispiness of Eliane™ Bind 12 give the manufacturer a golden chance to introduce new coating concepts in line with market requirements.

Avebe’s Market Manager Christer Andersson states, “We developed a unique new starch that gives our customers the opportunity to develop new clean label crispy 54 BC�T December

products. Both consumers and manufacturers will appreciate the combination of excellent taste and less dosage. The clean label trend has been going on for quite a while now but with this latest development we proof that cost savings can be combined with excellent performance.”

Eliane™ is a ‘waxy potato’ starch containing more than 95% amylopectin, which allows preparation of foods with unique functionality, textures, expansion characteristics and cost saving opportunities. It is the world’s first amylopectin potato starch obtained through traditional breeding techniques.

If you want to learn more about Eliane™ Bind 12 or other Avebe products, visit www.avebe.com or email info@avebe.com for more information, recipes or product samples.

RPE Is Now Exclusive Marketer for Discovery Garden’s Award Winning Potato Varieties Through a recent partnership with Discovery Garden’s, LLC, RPE will now act as the exclusive marketing partner for Discovery Garden’s brand of gourmet potatoes.

RPE and Discovery Garden’s share the same goal: to provide consumers with a better looking and better tasting potato.

Grown and packaged in Colorado, Oregon and Washington, Discovery Garden’s Sierra Gold® and Sierra Rose® are sure to be a consumer favorite. The Sierra Gold potato combines the creamy texture of a golden potato with the hearty skin of a russet.

Unlike other yellow potatoes, Sierra Gold was named the 2012 Gold Medal Winner for yellow potato varieties by the Oregon Potato Commission.

The Sierra Rose potato was named the 2014 Gold Medal Winner for red potato varieties. First offered in 2008, Sierra Rose has an intense deep red skin, golden center and an irresistible creamy texture; perfect for any recipe.

“We are more than thrilled about the opportunity to work with Discovery Garden’s and promote their exceptional brand,” said Russell Wysocki, president and CEO of RPE. “We look forward to working with their talented and dedicated team and we’ll do our best to represent the high quality potatoes they grow.”

Discovery Garden’s is a subsidiary company of Cal-Ore Seed, Inc. and was established to provide a marketing division for its innovative potato varieties. The two companies work in conjunction and continue to sustain the solid business integrity that Cal-Ore Seed was founded upon in 1965.

The full flavored Sierra Gold and Sierra Rose potatoes are offered in 5 pound and 10 pound poly bags along with 50-pound cartons, to meet the needs of our customers.

exclusive marketing of proprietary branded potatoes.

RPE, a second-generation family farm, is a category leader and key grower/shipper of year-round potatoes and onions. RPE prides itself on maintaining a high level of business integrity that includes commitments to environmental sustainability, as well as category innovation and retail solutions.

Discovery Garden’s, LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Cal-Ore Seed, Inc. It was established for worldwide

N V S

continued on pg. 56

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BC�T December 55

New Products. . . continued from pg. 55

Keep Your Competition in Your Rear View Mirror It is always the problem of any production line, “Time and speed both equate to money.”

How do you solve this? ThorPack is proud to say we have part of the answer. Matthews Marking Systems and their partner Miksanek Enterprises have designed the fastest hi-resolution inkjet printing system currently on the market.

Printing images and barcodes on potato boxes and onion labelsquickly are no problem; in fact, any porous and nonporous surface can be printed on with speed and ease.

The Matthews VIAjet* L series and T series inkjet printers are fast, expandable, and networkable.

Need a large image on a box, label or other packaging? The VIAjet* inkjet printers can print up to virtually any

size image or barcode you require because these printers can be seamlessly stitched together to meet your needs.

The VIAjet* printers can print vertically, horizontally and/or down print. If you want to print in color, there are various ink colors to meet your requirements. With printing speeds of over 1200 feet per minute, you will have your competition wondering what happened.

The VIAjet* L series and T series printers are clean, and ink cartridges are just a simple push and click and you are done – no muss or fuss.

Don’t want to have to change a cartridge? A bulk ink option is available.

Head cleaning is a breeze; all it takes is a quick wipe with a clean cloth.

That is all. You will not be left with your hands covered in ink residue as with other printers.

All of the printers are controlled by a Matthews MPERIA* touch screen controller, which can handle multiple printers over several production lines. You can remotely connect to the MPERIA* controller and/or you can integrate it with your existing ERP/MRP/WMS system with ease.

Best of all, the MPERIA* controller is expandable, allowing you to add other print heads or print technologies as needed making the investment in your system secure for the future. In short, this is one way to “Keep Your Competition in Your Rear View Mirror.”

For more information, call Marty Kolpack, ThorPack, LLC, 866.934.7333. *VIAjet and MPERIA are trademarks of Matthews Marking Systems.

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56 BC�T December

NPC News Potato Growers Support TPP Agreement Based on a review of the recently released Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement text, the National Potato Council (NPC) strongly supports the trade deal reached with Australia, Brunei, Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam.

NPC urges Congress to quickly complete their review of TPP and approve the agreement.

Currently 20 percent of the potatoes produced in the U.S. are exported as fresh, dehydrated or frozen processed potatoes. Over the last 10 years, potato exports have grown by 56 percent in volume and were valued at $1.7 billion in 2014. The completion of bilateral and multilateral trade agreements has been a key driver in that export growth.

“The U.S. potato industry can compete with worldwide growers, processors and distributors if the playing field is level,” said NPC Vice President for Trade Cully Easterday.

“The TPP tariff reductions in our key markets including Japan and Vietnam allow us to go head-to-head with our foreign competitors and successfully win the business.”

products are denied access to foreign markets based on phytosanitary issues that are not justified by science. “The TPP agreement takes an important step in addressing the very difficult issue of resolving plant health disputes by focusing on scientific analysis and creating a more certain dispute resolution process,” said Easterday.

The TPP also includes critically important provisions to improve the process for resolving phytosanitary issues based on science in a timely manner.

NPC applauds the hard work done

by U.S. trade officials to complete this landmark trade deal. The potato industry will benefit greatly from the opportunities the agreement provides.

Too often potatoes and potato

Congressional approval of this agreement with the TPP trading block will provide significant opportunities to expand the export growth trend.

Additionally approval of the TPP will allow discussions to commence to include Indonesia, the Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand in the agreement.

These markets would significantly increase the benefits to U.S. potato producers.

TPP includes tariff reductions that are critical to growth in exports of fresh, dehydrated and frozen potato products. Without those tariff reductions competitors that have or are currently negotiating deals with the TPP trading block have a strong competitive advantage.

BC�T December 57

Potato Board News Fresh Potato Associate Training Modules The United States Potato Board (USPB) has developed five “Fresh Potato Associate Training Modules” in an effort to ensure produce associates are armed with valuable information on potatoes.

This training is an on-line tool that can be used by all retailers October 2015

Badger er Common’Tat THE VOICE

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INDUSTRY & VEGETABLE

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Badger Common’Tater

THE VOICE OF THE WISCONSIN POTATO & VEGETABLE INDUSTRY

Each module is a short, entertaining and informative video followed by a quiz. At the end of each module, associates can print a certificate showing they have passed the potato-training course. Encourage your retailer to use this new and informative tool by visiting www.usfreshpotatotraining.com.

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Photo by Ruth Faivre

58 BC�T December

wisconsinpotatoes.com/blog-news/subscribe

WPIB FOCUS WPIB Board

Front row (L-R): Heidi Alsum-Randall (President), Dick Okray (Vice President), Bill Wysocki (Secretary) and Keith Wolter (Treasurer); Back row: John T. Schroeder, Cliff Gagas, John Bobek, Tom Wild and Dennis Zeloski.

Wisconsin Potato Assessment Collections: Two-Year Comparison Month

Jul-14

Aug-14

Sep-14

Oct-14

Nov-14

Dec-14

Jan-15

Feb-15

Mar-15

Apr-15

May-15

Jun-15

Year-to-Date

CWT

1,618,594.66

584,167.62

1,071,362.65

3,145,808.22

6,419,933.15

Assessment

$97,295.75

$35,049.99

$64,101.70

$188,748.83

$385,196.27

Jul-15

Aug-15

Sep-15

Oct-15

Month

Nov-15

Dec-15

Jan-16

Feb-16

Mar-16

Apr-16

May-16

Jun-16

Year-to-Date

CWT

1,679,466.61

553,089.04

813,734.14

2,731,844.59

5,778,134.38

Assessment

$100,717.55

$33,240.32

$48,851.85

$163,910.77

$346,720.49

BC�T December 59

SEED PIECE Fall Variety Expo Photos by Tamas Houlihan The Fall Variety Expo and SPUDPRO Meeting was held at the UW Hancock Storage Research Facility on November 4, 2015 and included an Expo Kickoff, SPUDPRO meeting plus examining and tasting taste new varieties from the UW breeding program and elsewhere.

Top: Some of the red potato varieties on display.

Left: UW Plant Pathologist Dr. Amanda Gevens is shown near some of the potatoes on display.

Right: UW Potato Breeder Dr. Jeff Endelman (left) chats with Charlie Higgins at the Potato Variety Harvest Expo held November 4-5, 2015 at the Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Storage Research Facility at Hancock.

Bottom: A sampling of potatoes on display.

OPPOSITE PAGE Top Right: Among those taking part in a taste test are (L-R) Ellie Womeldorf, Fernando De La Calle, and Janina Petrick.

60 BC�T December

Felix Navarro, Superintendent of the UW Hancock Agricultural Research Station, gives an overview of the Potato Variety Harvest Expo.

Left Middle: Storage Research Manager Troy Fishler addresses attendees.

Right Middle: Among those taking part in the Variety Expo are (L-R) Amber Gotch, Grace Christensen, Lance Snodgrass and Mike Copas.

Left Bottom: April Medaugh and Rick Hafner of Wysocki Produce Farms, examine a tuber.

Right Bottom: A new outstanding chipping potato from Wisconsin is currently known as W5955-1.

The WPVGA SpudPro Committee plans to name this variety next year.

BC�T December 61

EYES ON ASSOCIATES

By Associate Division President, Chris Brooks, Central Door Solutions, LLC

Season's greetings to all. By now, you have hopefully recovered

from a fulfilling Thanksgiving. Let me be one of the first to wish you a Merry Christmas this holiday season.

I am honored this month to bring you the first monthly column by the Associate Division, dubbed Eyes on Associates, which our group will use to keep the potato and vegetable industry informed on the relevant projects and contributions by the Associate Division of the Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association (WPVGA).

Many of the Associate Division members are dependent upon and heavily involved in the health of the agricultural industry. It is very important that as an integral part of the Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association (WPVGA), we do our part to support its growers and other Associate members. Eyes on Associates will continuously let you know how we go about that doing that.

First, I would like to share some information about our group.

The Associate Division consists of 165 business members and from those members; an eight-person Associate Division board is elected. The board meets monthly on a variety of industry topics.

62 BC�T December

Each board member is also assigned liaison positions to attend various board and committee meetings, including WPVGA Board of Directors, Promotions and Consumer Education Committee, Chip Committee, Government Affairs Committee, Grower Education Planning Committee, Research Committee, Vegetable Committee and the Water Task Force.

These liaisons are necessary to keep the sitting Associate Board informed of current events and issues facing the industry. It is important that the board keeps up to speed with these committees, as many of the Associate Division’s many grants and contributions directly relate to what is happening within

those committees.

The Associate Division raises funds for its contributions through memberships, the WPVGA annual Industry Trade Show (part of the annual WPVGA Grower Ed conference) and the annual Putt-Tato Open golf tournament.

The Associate Division receives no additional funding from WPVGA. It is through the hard work of Associate members by raising money through these events that we are able to provide funding for scholarships within the industry, grants to research stations, contributions to marketing, participate in goodwill gestures like the "Feed My Starving Children" project and many more excellent causes.

Working together with other divisions like Auxiliary and Promotions, the Associate Division has become an essential component of WPVGA. Our next big event will be the 2016 UW Extension and WPVGA Grower Education Conference and 67th Industry Show on February 2-4, 2016.

I urge you to take advantage

of the great seminars and breakout sessions offered. Nearly 100 vendors will showcase their products at the Industry Show, most of who are Associate Division members.

This is a fantastic opportunity to see what is new or compare products.

Be sure to get your WPVGA Annual Banquet tickets for Wednesday night, February 3, as we arranged some exciting entertainment - Piano Fondue, two skilled singer/piano players who duel to your requests amid a dazzling light show.

From country and classic rock to current pop, oldies and goodies to Broadway classics, this show offers the versatility of a DJ, quick wit of a stand-up comedy act and great value of a show band in one highenergy performance. Sure to be a blast for everyone!

Stay warm and we will see you in January!

Current Associate Division Board: President Chris Brooks, Central Door Solutions, LLC; Vice President Wayne Solinsky, Jay-Mar, Inc.; Secretary: Steven Bohm, WPS Agriculture Dept.; Treasurer: Zach Mykisen, Big Iron Equipment; Cathy Schommer, Badgerland Financial; Butch Fencil, Fencil Urethane Systems, Inc.; Joel Zalewski, Insight FS and Sally Suprise, Ansay & Associates.

WPVGA Hall of Famer Steve Diercks of Coloma Farms, Coloma, Wisconsin, is a wellknown and highly respected potato grower. He has served as President of the Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association as well as the Wisconsin Potato Industry Board. Here’s what Steve has to say about Wisconsin Certified Seed Potatoes:

Todd Michael is co-owner of Michael Farms, Inc., Urbana, Ohio. He is a Past President of the United States Potato Board and a former President of the National Potato Council.

Here is what Todd has to say about his experience using Wisconsin Certified Seed Potatoes:

“Our Wisconsin seed has performed very well over the years. The stands have been very consistent and the yields have been very good. The Wisconsin seed potato growers have adopted the latest technologies in producing their seed. They utilize the strong backing of the University of Wisconsin, and the nation’s strictest production standards to assure clean, disease-free seed stocks. Due to the vigorous winter testing and strong certification program, we feel Wisconsin produces the highest quality seed potatoes in the country.”

“Picking your seed is one of the most important decisions to make each season, and Wisconsin seed potatoes have performed very well on my farm. I have always had great service from the Wisconsin seed growers. They work together well, making sure that the customer’s needs come first. Wisconsin has a well-run system that produces good results. I buy with confidence knowing the people and the seed will both deliver.”

“

We feel Wisconsin produces the highest quality seed potatoes in the country.

”

“

Wisconsin has a well-run system that produces good results.

”

--Todd Michael

Nick Somers of Plover River Farms, Stevens Point, Wisconsin, is widely recognized as a leader in the potato industry. He has served as President of the Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association and the Wisconsin Potato Industry Board. He has also served as President of the National Potato Council.

Here’s what Nick has to say about Wisconsin Certified Seed Potatoes: “I’ve been pleased with the vigor and performance of Wisconsin seed potatoes. The yields have been excellent and the price is very competitive. I see a real value in the Wisconsin seed certification program. There is a very sound approach with the winter testing and the backing of the program by the University of Wisconsin. That’s what makes Wisconsin seed superior to that from other states. A quality program and quality growers make Wisconsin seed potatoes a good investment.”

“

A quality program & quality growers make Wisconsin seed potatoes a good investment.

--Steve Diercks

WISCONSIN CERTIFIED SEED POTATOES

--Nick Somers

Wisconsin Seed Potato Improvement Association, Inc. P.O. Box 173 • Antigo, WI 54409 • 715-623-4039 • www.potatoseed.org

”

For a directory of Wisconsin Certified Seed Potato Growers, scan this code with your smartphone.

BC�T December 63

Auxiliary News It's ‘Just for Two’

By Lynn Isherwood, Vice-President, Wisconsin Potato Growers Auxiliary A fabulous new Auxiliary cookbook entitled Just for Two was released during the 2015 Wisconsin State Fair to rave reviews!

This exquisite culinary collection focuses on recipes suited for fewer people or smaller appetites, normally serving no more than three people The 36-page, leaflet style, ‘lay-flat’ cookbook includes fantastic potatobased recipes for soups, salads, appetizers, sides and main dishes.

Kim Beckham developed the original recipes and Megan Ball, CPS Café, UWSP, prepared the scrumptious dishes so they could be beautifully photographed by Bubbler Creative at UWSP. This new Auxiliary Just for Two 64 BC�T December

to include the address to which you would like the cookbook sent. You can also stop by the Antigo office in person and pick one up for $2.00/ each.

cookbook with 36 pages of fantastic potato recipes, storage tips and more is now available for only $3.00/copy.

These cookbooks would make unique and cherished gifts for Christmas, birthdays or other gift-giving occasions and, do not forget to gift yourself!

Simply send a check made out to WPGA for $3.00/each to WPGA, PO Box 327, Antigo, WI 54409. Make sure

Meanwhile, have a joyous holiday season, stay safe and enjoy your family and friends!

Marketplace WPVGA Spices Up Booth at Recent Tradeshows

By Dana Rady, WPVGA Director of Promotions and Consumer Education There is nothing like a new look to provide a new vibe and excitement.

That is exactly what has happened to WPVGA’s tradeshow booth at two recent shows thanks to new POP materials.

The Wisconsin Grocer’s Association Innovations Expo was the first show this fall to experience the debut.

Held at the Potawatomi Bingo and Casino in downtown Milwaukee, the show welcomed retailers from the state and Midwest. The Produce Marketing Association Fresh Summit at the World Congress Convention Center in Atlanta, Georgia, was the second, which welcomed retailers, wholesalers and promotional organizations, to name a few attendee groups.

At WPVGA’s booth at both locations, visitors were welcomed with a bag of chips and samples of quarter-sized bins to serve as potato displays in retail stores. One bin offers a buy local message, complete with images of prepared potato dishes and nutritional information that potatoes naturally provide.

The second bin promotes Wisconsin’s Healthy Grown program. It features highlights of the program on the farm including that farmers meet sustainability standards, conserve water and soil and maintain natural ecosystems, among other things.

The other aspect of the bin features the nutritional aspect of the potato while also showing a prepared and healthy potato dish. continued on pg. 66

Top Left: Dale Grudnowski (second from right) joins WPVGA and Bushmans’ Inc. representatives at the WPVGA booth during the PMA Fresh Summit in Atlanta on October 25, 2015. Pictured from left to right: Jerry and Barb Bushman of Bushmans’ Inc. in Rosholt; Dana Rady of WPVGA in Antigo; Dale Grudnowski of Fresh Approach Sales and Marketing in Vacaville, CA and Michael Gatz of Bushmans’ Inc. in Mukwonago.

Middle Left: Mike Levis (left) and Andy Duff (right) represent Volm Companies in Antigo at the WGA Innovations Expo October 14, 2015 at the Potawatomi Bingo and Casino in Milwaukee.

Bottom Left: Mad Dog and Merrill join the fun at WPVGA’s booth at the 2015 WGA Innovations Expo October 14 in Milwaukee. Pictured from left to

right: Dana Rady of WPVGA, WPVGA Promotions Committee Chairman Chris Brooks of Central Door Solutions, Mad Dog, Michael Gatz of Bushmans’ Inc. and Merrill.

Top RIght The WPVGA booth features new POP materials like the Healthy Grown quarter-sized bins at the WGA Innovations Expo in Milwaukee on October 14. Pictured from Left to Right: WPVGA Promotions Committee Chairman Chris Brooks, WPVGA Director of Promotions Dana Rady and WPVGA Executive Director Tamas Houlihan.

Bottom Right: Scott Schaeppi, Vice President of H. Brooks & Company of New Brighton, MN (left), enjoys a visit from Michael Gatz of Bushmans’ Inc. in Rosholt at the WGA Innovations Expo in Milwaukee on October 14.

BC�T December 65

Marketplace. . . continued from pg. 65

The bins are supported by their complimentary Kwik Lok tag designs.

Simply stated, the buy local tag sports a badger red background with white letters that says, “Wisconsin Potatoes,” while the Healthy Grown tag displays the Healthy Grown logo that says, “Good for you, Good for the Environment.” They are simple messages that go a long way to helping consumers recognize Wisconsin potatoes when they go shopping.

At WGA Innovations Expo and the PMA Fresh Summit, these POP items went a long way to show how the Wisconsin potato industry is and will continue to partner with retailers, and help consumers make the connection between field and fork.

Powered by Wisconsin Potatoes Events Encourage Healthy Lifestyles WPVGA continues to encourage representatives in the potato industry to set good examples by getting involved in one of the annual Powered by Wisconsin Potatoes events, which many have enjoyed.

Held throughout the summer months, WPVGA pays for the registration of those who want to participate from across the potato and vegetable industry. Between triathlons, walks and runs, there is sure to be an event in your area that is calling for your participation!

This year’s event line-up included the following: Walk WI – June 6 Castle Rock Triathlon – June 27

Pardeeville Triathlon – July 11 Antigo Tater Trot – August 8 Waupaca Area Triathlon – August 15 Silver Lake Triathlon – Aug. 15 Compete for the Cause 2015 Point Duathlon – August 21 (kids), August 22 (full) – Newly named event If you are interested in participating in any of the Powered by Wisconsin Potatoes events for 2016, be sure to contact the WPVGA office at 715-623-7683, wpvga@ wisconsinpotatoes.com. If you are a previous participant, watch for reminder emails about registrations and deadlines. It is a great way to stay healthy and promote a fantastic vegetable!

WPVGA Awarded Buy Local, Buy Wisconsin Grant;

Healthy Grown Growers and Acres Grow The quarter-sized bins and Kwik Lok tags that promote the Healthy Grown program are a direct result of the Buy Local Buy Wisconsin grant WPVGA received from the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (WI DATCP).

With the grant, there was a significant push to increase Healthy Grown acres, growers and market share. Increasing acres and the number of growers occurred immediately. Increasing the market share is occurring in conjunction with Spudmobile visits to retail stores this fall. Currently, Piggly Wiggly, Roundy’s and Kwik Trip stores are all new to the program and committed to displaying the bins and Kwik Lok tags in their stores. Other retail chains are still considering doing 66 BC�T December

so and learning more about the program from their local potato supplier.

With other Wisconsin growers also considering joining the mix, the grant is a great way to reinvigorate the program and continue to promote a concept that has been ahead of its time since its inception, while also setting Wisconsin apart as a significant potato-growing state.

The quarter-sized Healthy Grown bin is a convenient size for ideal placement in retail stores while also offering a great opportunity for cross promotion.

The Healthy Grown Kwik Lok tag is a great solution for retail stores that prefer not to incorporate another SKU into their systems.

Spudmobile Welcomes Students and Consumers across the State As the Wisconsin Spudmobile enters its second full year in operation, the miles and requests continue to rack up.

promoting locally produced Wisconsin potatoes. Some stores expanded on that by providing samples of potato dishes, while others have provided gift cards as prize incentives to go through the Spudmobile and learn more Atlantic • Yukon Gold • Snowden about the industry.

Retail stores like Piggly Wiggly in the southcentral and southeastern part of the state welcomed Wisconsin’s • traveling billboard in October and November, while Dark Red Norland • Red Endeavor • Superior Mariano’s stores were also part of the visits in•Illinois.

Besides retail stores, the Spudmobile has visited many While each event was specific to that store and location, many concepts remained constant, one of them being

schools so far in this fall semester, three of them being in the southern part of Wisconsin.

Wisconsin Potato Growers Donate Potato-Friendly Salad Bar to Local School More than 400 students are getting a great taste of healthy vegetables, including potatoes, at South Park Middle School in Oshkosh, after the Wisconsin Potato and Vegetable Growers Association (WPVGA) provided them with a potato-friendly salad bar!

On November 12, WPVGA took their donation to the next level by providing a true Field to Fork and Farm to School story. Growers and industry members from across the state presented to students throughout the day about potato nutrition, the Wisconsin potato industry and the importance of buying local.

Putting a face to a name and directly connecting the industry to students is a huge step in helping people understand where their food comes from, how it is grown, and fun ways to prepare potatoes and vegetables that are quick, healthy and delicious.

The fun and educational presentations occurred on a day when the students enjoyed locally produced loaded taco potatoes for lunch, while using the bar for their fruit and vegetable selections.

Not only do the garden bars support

on November 12 were: Alsum Farms the Oshkosh Area School District’s Farm to School program, but research and Produce, Friesland, WI; Coloma also shows that garden bars in school Farms, Coloma, WI; Gumz Muck Farms, Endeavor, WI; Ansay and lunches allow schools to offer a Associates, Appleton, WI. wider variety of fresh and healthy food options, thereby encouraging It is a small effort that went a long Atlantics • eat Superiors • Snowdens students to try new items and way in narrowing the gap between Red La Sodas more of their favorites. Consequently, Field and Fork, Farm and School, and they develop habits that support making an impact the South Park healthy eating over their lifetime.

Tom & Dan Wild Middle School students will be tasting meal.

The potato organizations represented at every wildseed@antigopro.net • 715-623-3366

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21 BC�T December 67

Ali's Kitchen Column & Photos by Ali Carter, WPVGA Auxiliary Member

Ali's Recipe

Potato Spice Cake INGREDIENTS:

POTATO SPICE CAKE WITH CARAMEL FROSTING The other day I found myself searching through our home while on the hunt for a recipe my grandmother had given me years ago.

I never did find the recipe and am still quite heartbroken over that. What I did stumble upon, however, tucked away at the back of a cupboard above the refrigerator, was a pile of cookbooks that I had long forgotten about.

In this technical age, it is easy to log onto a blog, website or Pinterest and find a recipe for practically anything.

Unfortunately, that ease has caused me to no longer turn to my favorite cookbooks for ideas as often as I used to do.

Seeing this stack of forgotten books inspired me to sit down in my favorite chair and wile away the rest of that 68 BC�T December

afternoon perusing the recipes.

I am sure it will not surprise you to learn that many of the cookbooks in this stack were about potatoes.

One book in particular caught my attention. The All-American Potato Cookbook published in 1982, which was the second cookbook published by the Wisconsin Potato Growers Auxiliary (WPGA). I was particularly interested in the cake and bread recipes.

My first pick from this cookbook was a spice cake with caramel frosting.

It turned out fabulously! The cake itself was dense and extremely moist; I cannot wait to share this with you!

I made some changes to accommodate my family’s preferences and to make use of what I had on hand. Isn’t that the beauty of a recipe? You have the freedom to be as creative as you want to be and simply enjoy the process.

1½ cups sugar ¾ cup vegetable shortening or butter 1-cup basic mashed potatoes 3 eggs, beaten 2 cups flour ½-teaspoon cinnamon ½-teaspoon salt ½-teaspoon nutmeg 1-teaspoon baking powder 1-cup milk ¾-cup raisins or pecans ADJUSTMENTS: I made the following adjustments: - used butter in place of shortening - increased nutmeg to ¾ teaspoon (don’t you just LOVE nutmeg?)

- eliminated raisins (my children are not crazy about them in a cake) - added ½ cup chopped pecans and a ¼ teaspoon of vanilla extract Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan (I chose to use a Bundt pan).

Caramel Frosting INGREDIENTS: ¼ cup butter 3 ½ Tablespoons milk 1-cup light brown sugar 2 cups confectioners’ sugar

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Cream sugar and butter in a large bowl until fluffy. Add potatoes and eggs; blend well. Combine flour, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg and baking powder in a small bowl; mix lightly.

Alternately beat dry ingredients and milk into the creamed mixture until well blended. Stir in raisins (or pecans).

Pour into prepared pan. Bake 45 to 55 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

mixer until consistency is easily spreadable.

This frosting recipe makes more than I personally think you need for the cake and is quite sweet so make adjustments to your taste.

Oh, and a little tip….the frosting sets up quite quickly as it cools so do not wait too long to frost your cake.

This is a perfect treat to be savored with a cup of coffee on a chilly evening with a loved one. Enjoy!

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Cool completely before frosting.

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Melt butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan on low heat.

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Join Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association (WPVGA) and keep abreast of what is happening in your industry.

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Find out how to become a member today. Go to: wisconsinpotatoes.com/about/members

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