Jan. 2020 Badger Common'Tater

$22/year | $2/copy | Volume 72 No. 01 | JANUARY 2020

THE VOICE OF WISCONSIN'S POTATO & VEGETABLE INDUSTRY

WPVGA INDUSTRY SHOW PREVIEW ISSUE BROADBAND FOR ALL of Badger State by 2025?

GROWER EDUCATION Conference Schedule EFFECTS OF HIGHER WOUND Healing Temps on Storability FULL WISCONSIN Potato Crop Report

INTERVIEW:

LUCAS WYSOCKI Paragon Potato Farms

Lucas Wysocki of Paragon Potato Farms stands tall in a field of potatoes and in his responsibility to uphold the legacy that generations before him forged.

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On the Cover: Taken during a photo shoot of the Wysocki Family

of Companies Board of Directors and key members in 2017, Lucas Wysocki is pictured in a field of flowering potatoes. Representing the third generation of the Wysocki family, Lucas currently serves as the assistant maintenance manager for Paragon Potato Farms.

8 BADGER COMMON’TATER INTERVIEW:

Working his way through the Wysocki Family of Companies rotational program, Lucas Wysocki has been soaking up experience and knowledge in each facet of the farming operation. For the past month, he’s taken on the responsibilities of assistant maintenance manager for Paragon Potato Farms, the flagship of the packaging operations, which produces 2 million hundredweight of reds, yellows and russets a year. Shown is harvest on Wysocki Produce Farm.

DEPARTMENTS: AUXILIARY NEWS............... 67 EYES ON ASSOCIATES......... 64 MARK YOUR CALENDAR...... 6

16 BROADBAND FOR THE ENTIRE STATE BY 2025?

High-speed internet access crucial for rural businesses

32 BAGER BEAT

Researchers provide 2019 insect, disease and weed control updates for potato

69 ALI’S KITCHEN

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FEATURE ARTICLES: 20 2019 WISCONSIN POTATO CROP REPORT: Growers harvested circa 63,000 acres

MARKETPLACE................... 68 NEW PRODUCTS................ 46 NOW NEWS....................... 26 NPC NEWS......................... 57 PEOPLE.............................. 52 PLANTING IDEAS.................. 6

40 2020 GROWER EDUCATION CONFERENCE schedule of researcher presentations

POTATOES USA NEWS........ 59

60 HIGHER WOUND HEALING TEMPERATURES: How they affect storability of spuds

WPIB FOCUS...................... 56

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20-01 Badger Common'Tater .5page AD (7x5).v1.pdf

WPVGA Board of Directors: President: Wes Meddaugh Vice President: Rod Gumz Secretary: Mike Carter Treasurer: Gary Wysocki Directors: Bill Guenthner, Charlie Mattek, Alex Okray, Eric Schroeder & Eric Wallendal Wisconsin Potato Industry Board: President: Heidi Alsum-Randall Vice President: Richard Okray Secretary: Bill Wysocki Treasurer: Keith Wolter Directors: John Bobek, Andy Diercks, Cliff Gagas, John T. Schroeder & Tom Wild WPVGA Associate Division Board of Directors: President: Kenton Mehlberg Vice President: Paul Cieslewicz Secretary: Sally Suprise

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2019-12-12

8:27 AM

Treasurer: Rich Wilcox Directors: Chris Brooks, Julie Cartwright, Kristi Kulas & Nick Laudenbach Wisconsin Seed Potato Improvement Association Board of Directors: President: Dan Kakes Vice President: Jeff Fassbender Secretary/Treasurer: Matt Mattek Directors: Roy Gallenberg & J.D. Schroeder Wisconsin Potato Growers Auxiliary Board of Directors: President: Kathy Bartsch Vice President: Devin Zarda Secretary/Treasurer: Datonn Hanke Directors: Jody Baginski, Brittany Bula, Deniell Bula & Marie Reid

Mission Statement of the WPVGA: To advance the interests of WPVGA members through education, information, environmentally sound research, promotion, governmental action and involvement.

Mission Statement of the WPVGA Associate Division: 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

WPVGA Staff Executive Director: Tamas Houlihan Managing Editor: Joe Kertzman Director of Promotions & Consumer Education: Dana Rady Financial Officer: Karen Rasmussen Executive Assistant: Julie Braun Program Assistant: Jane Guillen Spudmobile Assistant: Doug Foemmel

WPVGA Office (715) 623-7683 • FAX: (715) 623-3176 E-mail: wpvga@wisconsinpotatoes.com Website: www.wisconsinpotatoes.com LIKE US ON FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/WPVGA

Subscription rates: $2/copy, $22/year; $40/2 years.

Foreign subscription rates: $35/year; $55/2 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) 630-6213, or email: Joe Kertzman: jkertzman@wisconsinpotatoes.com.

The editor welcomes manuscripts and pictures but accepts no responsibility for such material while in our hands.

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MARK YOUR

Calendar

JANUARY 2020

14-15

16

16-17

POTATO EXPO 2020 The Mirage Las Vegas, NV NATIONAL POTATO COUNCIL ANNUAL MEETING The Mirage Las Vegas, NV POTATOES USA WINTER MEETING 2020 The Mirage Las Vegas, NV

4-6

19-20

24-27

WPVGA GROWER EDUCATION CONFERENCE & INDUSTRY SHOW Holiday Inn Convention Center Stevens Point, WI INTERNATIONAL CROP EXPO Alerus Center Grand Forks, ND POTATO D.C. FLY-IN Capital Hilton Washington, D.C.

9-12

3/31-4/2

POTATOES USA ANNUAL MEETING The Brown Palace Hotel Denver, CO 60th ANNUAL WPS FARM SHOW Experimental Aircraft Association Grounds Oshkosh, WI

16-19

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UNITED FRESH San Diego Convention Center San Diego, CA WSPIA SPUD SEED CLASSIC GOLF OUTING Bass Lake Golf Course Deerbrook, WI

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21-23

RHINELANDER AG RESEARCH STATION FIELD DAY Rhinelander, WI ASSOCIATE DIV. PUTT-TATO OPEN GOLF OUTING Bull’s Eye Country Club Wisconsin Rapids, WI HANCOCK AG RESEARCH STATION FIELD DAY Hancock, WI FARM TECHNOLOGY DAYS Silver Spring Foods, Huntsinger Horseradish Farm Eau Claire, WI

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WISCONSIN STATE FAIR West Allis, WI

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ALSUM TATER TROT 5K Alsum Farms & Produce Friesland, WI

FEBRUARY

MARCH

JUNE

JULY

AUGUST

SEPTEMBER

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Planting Ideas The incredible relationship between researchers

and potato and vegetable growers in Wisconsin has long been held up as a model for the rest of the industry. The Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association (WPVGA), with support from growers and associate members, has invested heavily in the areas of University of Wisconsin (UW) research, education and Extension outreach.

That mutually beneficial relationship will be on full display during the 2020 UW Extension & WPVGA Grower Education Conference & Industry Show, February 4-6, at the Holiday Inn Convention Center in Stevens Point.

With the aid of the WPVGA Grower Education Planning Committee, Dr. Russell L. Groves, UW-Madison Department of Entomology, has put together a stellar lineup of researcher presentations on timely topics for what has become the premier event of the Wisconsin potato industry.

That’s Dr. Groves in the image above, giving an update on potato crop insect activity and management at the 2019 Rhinelander Field Day. For more information and a complete program schedule, including a full slate of featured speakers and the titles of their presentations, see the Grower Education Conference preview story within this issue.

Four respected researchers, including Dr. Groves, also provide updates on 2019 insect pest, weed and disease management of potatoes, as well as a production summary for the past year’s growing season, in the “Badger Beat” column. Please also read the full Crop Report inside this issue.

It’s never been more apparent that the “Wisconsin Idea” is alive and well in the Badger State, fostering the universities’ contributions to the state and “to the citizens in the forms of doing research directed at solving problems that are important to the state and conducting outreach activities.”

Early proponents of the Wisconsin Idea saw the state as “the laboratory for democracy,” resulting in legislation that served as a model for other sates and the federal government. For this, we should be thankful and proud.

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.

Joe Kertzman

Managing Editor jkertzman@wisconsinpotatoes.com

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Interview LUCAS WYSOCKI,

assistant maintenance manager, Paragon Potato Farms

By Joe Kertzman, managing editor, Badger Common’Tater

NAME: Lucas Wysocki TITLE: Assistant maintenance manager COMPANY: Paragon Potato Farms LOCATION: Bancroft, Wisconsin HOMETOWN: Bancroft, Wisconsin TIME IN PRESENT POSITION: Three weeks PREVIOUS EMPLOYMENT: Wysocki Family of Companies rotation program, and before that, Polaris Industries—Indian and Slingshot brands SCHOOLING: Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering and working toward a Master of Business Administration (MBA) at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh ACTIVITIES/ORGANIZATIONS: Board member of United Potato Growers Co-op and on Advisory Committee for Mid-State Technical College Agriculture School FAMILY: Wife, Becky, and two sons, Jace (4) and Carter (2), with another child due in February.

HOBBIES: Powersports (snowmobiles, motorcycles and boats), snowboarding, and restoring automobiles and motorcycles 8

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One of the nation’s premier potato and vegetable operations, Wysocki Produce Farm of Bancroft, Wisconsin, is an integral

part of Wysocki Family of Companies, which also consists of RPE, Inc., Paragon Potato Farms, and as co-owners and partners, Tasteful Selections, LLC and Central Sands Dairy.

A family operation now in its second and third generations, Wysocki Produce Farm had its start when brothers Louis, Francis and Greg Wysocki partnered with their father on his small dairy farm and converted the operation into a potato growing business in the 1950s.

Over the years, crucial partnerships were formed with Nick and Dianne Somers of Plover River Farms and Jeff Sommers, who worked alongside the owners to propel the farm into a nationally renowned operation.

The Wysocki Family of Companies (WFC) ownership group consists of Russell, Jim, Gary and Bill Wysocki, Kirk Wille and Sommers.

“Louis and Avis Wysocki are my

grandparents, Gary and Liz are my parents, and I have two younger siblings, Anna Hausler and Rosie Wysocki,” says Lucas Wysocki, assistant maintenance manager of Paragon Potato Farms.

With a degree in mechanical engineering and working towards a Master of Business Administration, the future looks bright for Lucas, but he doesn’t take anything for granted.

Lucas has been doing his due diligence in making the rounds Above: As the assistant maintenance manager for Paragon Potato Farms (aerial view), Lucas Wysocki (inset) is responsible for ensuring the operations team can efficiently run the plant to maximum capacity.

through the WFC rotational program, working in and soaking up experience and knowledge in each facet of the operation.

Paragon Potato Farms encompasses, we produce approximately 2 million hundredweight per year of reds, yellows and russet potatoes.

He’s only been in his current role with Paragon Potato Farms for a few weeks, but he helps ensure the operations team is running the plant at maximum capacity and always has his eye on the end game.

Are most of the potatoes grown by Wysocki Produce Farm, and how many other farms do you package for? Yes, Wysocki Produce Farm is the largest of the 10-plus potato growers that participate in our pool program today, and we are actively looking to bring any interested growers into the mix.

Luke, you currently work within the Paragon Potato Farms segment of WFC, which is the flagship of the packaging operations. How many hundredweight of potatoes is Paragon Potato Farms grading and/or packing, and what types of potatoes? In the two sheds that

How many acres of potatoes and what varieties does Wysocki Produce Farm grow? Other vegetables, and how many acres of each? We grow 24,000 total acres of crops each year.

Above: Taken in July 2017, the image features the Wysocki Family of Companies owners along with this issue’s interviewee, Lucas Wysocki (far right), and Nicola Carey (top, seated), business and agronomy analyst for Wysocki Produce Farms. The owners, from left to right, are Jeff Sommers, Kirk Wille, Gary Wysocki, Jim Wysocki, Russell Wysocki (top, white shirt) and Bill Wysocki.

Potatoes make up most of that mix, with 8,000-9,000 acres per year.

That acreage is roughly equally divided between our main three customers, Frito-Lay, McCain Foods and the fresh market through our RPE, Inc. business. continued on pg. 10

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Interview. . .

continued from pg. 9

We also grow about 2,000 acres of corn for silage and 1,000 acres of alfalfa for our Central Sands Dairy partnership.

We will typically grow 6,300 acres of green beans, peas and sweet corn, and we raise 5,000 acres of corn and soybeans for the grain markets.

We have also recently added kidney beans to our rotation, which has been a fun new challenge.

Is Paragon Potato Farms still coowned by Nick and Dianne Somers of Plover River Farms and WFC, and if so, why does the partnership not only exist, but also work so that it’s mutually beneficial? Yes, the Somers have been a fantastic partner of ours going back to 1978. The key to making the partnership work is for both sides to focus on ways that each one’s efforts benefit the other.

By working together in the early years, we were able to gain enough volume as a partnership to become a year-round supplier, thus providing a value to the end customer and increasing the value back to the farm for both parties.

That same mindset continues today— continually exploring ways to increase the total value in the supply chain to help all sides.

I believe you’ve rotated departments, learning your way at RPE, Inc., and have been a technical agronomist for Wysocki

The Tasteful Selections and Old Oak Farms brands give RPE, Inc.’s marketing and sales teams several potato and onion packaging, variety and heating and serving options to offer customers.

Produce Farms and now an assistant maintenance manager for Paragon Potato Farms. At what age did you start working for WFC, and how have your roles evolved and changed until present day? I grew up working on the farm. If I remember correctly, my first actual paycheck was for mowing grass when I was 14 years old.

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After school and my time spent at Polaris, I joined the company five years ago when I was 26 years old.

Since then, I have spent time in each facet of the organization, IT (information technology), human resources, finance, farm operations, packaging and just recently in our sales organization.

In each spot along the way, I’ve tried to learn from those working in each division what exactly it takes for them to do their jobs and the reasons behind it all.

Our other two next-generation owners will also complete this same rotation program to develop well-rounded leadership within our company.

How did your education help you?

You know, I get this question quite continued on pg. 12

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Interview. . .

continued from pg. 10

often, and I think I use my education from the University of Minnesota every day.

I learned a lot about the world outside of potatoes and outside of our community and gained lots of friends and relationships that I continue to lean on all the time.

Although I don’t do a lot of hard-core engineering analysis in my day-today job, I do use the problem-solving strategies and logic process every day.

Engineering is more about the process of problem solving than anything else and the process of identifying a problem, gathering information, making a hypothesis and then, as a colleague once told me, “doing math or data stuff” to prove or disprove that hypothesis, which is hugely valuable no matter the challenge.

The 2015 photo shows potato harvest on Wysocki Produce Farm. Of the approximately 24,000 total acres of crops grown, 8,000-9,000 are devoted to potatoes each year.

What do you believe are your strongest skills? I bring an ability to separate out the emotion and focus on business-critical information to make quick decisions that help our team members focus on tasks that help the company.

What are your day-to-day duties? I’m currently responsible for maintaining our Paragon location and ensuring our operations team can efficiently run the plant to maximum capacity.

I do a lot of scheduling with my team so we can catch all the balls and work

The flagship of the Wysocki Family of Companies packaging operations, Paragon Potato Farms handles approximately 2 million hundredweight per year of red, yellow and russet potatoes.

12 BC�T January

with the rest of the WFC divisions to ensure we are moving in the same direction as a company.

RPE, Inc.’s tagline is “Responsible Farming. Innovative Solutions.”

What does responsible farming mean to you and how do you believe WFC embodies that? Responsible farming encompasses a lot and has been a focus of the company’s owners for many years.

We know we have a responsibility to the land and environment that we farm, to ensure the soil is healthy and productive, and that no harm comes to those people and animals in our areas.

We have a responsibility to all our team members to provide an inspiring workplace and security for their families. We have a responsibility to our past generations of owners to continue upholding the legacy they started.

We are also responsible to our future ownership to pass on to them an even better business than we received.

What innovative solutions does the company bring to the table? Through our work with Tasteful Selections, we have been able to be on the forefront of the changing consumer demands by offering easy-to-prepare meal solutions.

We have also recently brought in Eagle River Seed Farm to provide excellent quality potato seed for ours and other farms early in the supply chain.

Dr. Mike Copas and our agronomy team are always hard at work to bring new varieties to our partner growers that benefit them and our final customers.

We are also bringing machine learning into our potato packaging facility as well as other automation in order to ensure we get the most value we can from the potato crop.

Potatoes are bagged, boxed, shrink-wrapped and ready to ship from Paragon Potato Farms.

Our farming focuses on the best soil health practices as well as using the latest precision ag tools to quickly disseminate and gather information across the operation.

How about new technologies in machinery, grading, sorting, packaging, etc.? We are always looking to improve our plant

efficiency and accuracy through new technologies.

Currently, we are looking to add a new grading system utilizing AI (artificial intelligence) and machine learning, as well as working on projects in house to automate some tedious manual processes. continued on pg. 14

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Interview. . .

continued from pg. 13

Above: Seed potatoes are cut for planting at the Wysocki Family of Companies seed house.

Right: Parting shot: the bulk trucks are in line and ready during potato harvest on Wysocki Produce Farm.

Does WFC co-own Tasteful Selections, and what does the brand embody and add to the overall business plan? Yes, along with our CSS Farms partners, we co-own Tasteful Selections. The company

embodies fresh and flavorful potato solutions for our customers and completes our product offering to be a full-service supplier.

Are there other aspects of the company I’ve missed? One of the

biggest differences I’ve seen in our company compared to my time outside the industry is the amount of effort that is put into being a true partner in business, trying to help our grower and packer partners

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to end and the contributions of the entire team.

What do you see as current trends in potato packaging, and what’s being done to meet demand? And how about through Tasteful Selections?

We are seeing a definite shift away from large bag sizes to single-familysized packs and a focus on easy to prepare/value added.

What are you most proud of in your family’s operations and heritage?

I’m most proud that the values that Louis instilled in the company back in the beginning have helped to create a business that has kept our family together.

We are also seeing is a greater focus on environmentally friendly packaging solutions, which can be anything from recyclable/ compostable options to elimination of packaging altogether.

Have things changed tremendously in the short time you’ve been with the family of companies, and if so, how? Very much so—in the five years I’ve been with WFC, we have merged farms with Paramount Farms, almost doubling our farming operation and adding another shed to Paragon Potato Farms.

We have also restructured our Board of Directors and changed our company management structure to align and integrate our business units to maximize synergistic value.

Tasteful Selections has continued to grow, and we have added Eagle River Seed Farm to our family of companies.

The adoption of precision ag has started to bring on a great level of change to our everyday farming activity where a tractor now has more computing power than horsepower!

You get to see all aspects of the operation—from field work to sorting, grading, packaging and shipping—so, what’s your favorite part? Through the rotation program that we’ve developed, I feel like I have been able to see all aspects of our company. I enjoy the operational side of the business the most, but I honestly think my favorite is to see the entire process from beginning

We have 25 family members with ownership in our holding companies and six owners of our operating company, but we also have another 11 family members that work in the business in different roles.

What do you hope for in the future?

That I can give my children a similar opportunity to what I’ve been afforded.

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Wisconsin Has Goal of Broadband for all by 2025

State, federal and local governments work toward broad high-speed internet access

By John Davis, Reprinted with permission from Wisconsin Public Radio and WPR.org Wisconsin’s broadband infrastructure consistently ranks near the bottom of states in the nation. In 2018, Wisconsin was ranked 32nd for internet access out of all 50 states.

That ranking makes Wisconsin Broadband Office’s plan to have internet access for all Wisconsin residents by 2025 a lofty goal, says Sen. Patrick Testin (R-Stevens Point).

“It’s a lofty goal, and one if we can hit it, that would be fantastic,” Sen. Testin states on Wisconsin Public Radio’s “The West Side.”

“I think it sends a strong message that this is an issue having bipartisan support we can all get on board with and ensure that we can connect every corner of the state,” Testin adds.

Sen. Testin has authored bills to improve broadband infrastructure and said both the state and federal governments are working to improve internet access in Wisconsin.

Sen. Patrick Testin (left) rides along with Mike Diercks (right) during potato harvest at Coloma Farms in Coloma, Wisconsin. Sen. Testin has authored bills to improve broadband infrastructure in Wisconsin and said both the state and federal governments are working to improve internet access.

A STATEWIDE APPROACH At the state level, Sen. Testin says the Public Service Commission (PSC) has created broadband expansion grants for small providers that typically serve rural and underserved areas.

He stresses that, between 2014-’18, the state has helped connect more than 4,000 businesses and 75,000 households with high-speed internet.

“We live in a day and age when highspeed internet is no longer a luxury, it’s a necessity, and we want to make sure that wherever you live in the state of Wisconsin, you can have high-speed internet,” Sen. Testin says.

But it won’t be easy connecting the entire state, especially in rural areas where there is little competition from telecommunications companies that can install the hardware needed to connect people to broadband.

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“It would take an overlay of multiple technologies,” says Steve Bauder, director of engineering for the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board.

“There are areas that are much easier to get to with fiber, but there are areas where there is such a sparse population, it’s just hard to make fiber pay and that’s where wireless

comes in,” Bauder explains.

CHANGES AT FEDERAL LEVEL The U.S. Congress is also taking more interest in bringing high-speed internet to rural areas.

Earlier this year, U.S. Rep. Ron Kind (D-La Crosse) joined the House of Representatives Rural Broadband Task Force, a bipartisan group studying the issue.

“We can do a deep dive into the mapping of the areas to make sure we’re getting an accurate assessment as far as where the connection is occurring and where it’s pulling up short and then assess the multitude of programs that are meant to address it,” Rep. Kind says. continued on pg. 18

Right: The map indicates fixed internet access, including all wireline and fixed wireless services, throughout Wisconsin, with internet download and upload speeds indicated in megabits per second. The information is current as of June 30, 2018, but there are no guarantees that coverage exists in specific locations. Internet providers should be contacted to verify availability. Image courtesy of the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin

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Wisconsin Has Goal of Broadband for all by 2025 . . . continued from pg. 17

“That, I think, is part of the problem.

It’s just so multifaceted with so many different federal and state agencies and programs,” Kind adds. “To try to coordinate all that and maximize the resources that we have is a real challenge moving forward.”

Kind represents the largely rural 3rd Congressional District, which includes parts of western and central Wisconsin. He says a few of the rural counties in his district don’t have access to high-speed internet.

“It’s not good for economic development. It’s not good for making sure that the rural areas have a chance to succeed in a 21st-century global economy. It’s crucial for families, businesses and farmers, but it’s also essential for young people,” Kind says.

“If we don’t want to see a flight of young people from rural to urban, you’ve got to get them broadband connection or they’re going to move where they can get it,” he states.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT Local governments in Wisconsin are also getting more involved in the issue.

In recent years, Buffalo County lost 100 jobs when a cheese factory and a power plant shut down.

While that may not seem like a lot of jobs, for a rural county on the banks of the Mississippi River, it was significant. Buffalo County has

The Siren Telephone Company visits Owens Farms in the Town of Lorain, Polk County, Wisconsin, to upgrade fiber internet as a result of the Public Service Commission’s Broadband Expansion Grant Program. Image courtesy of the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin

just over 13,000 residents, the sixth smallest county by population in Wisconsin.

volunteer organization that is looking for ways to bring high-speed internet to as many residents as possible.

In the wake of the lost jobs, the Buffalo County Board of Supervisors formed an economic development committee to study what could be done to bring more jobs to the area.

“We have people that have excellent broadband and people that have very poor broadband,” Danzinger says. “To really have good broadband, the gold standard is having buried fiber lines.”

“One of the things the study said is, if we’re going to go into the 21st century, we need broadband all over the county,” says David Danzinger, a Buffalo County supervisor.

Buffalo County was one of the first local governments in Wisconsin to sign up for the Broadband Forward program through the PSC. There are now 35 Wisconsin communities in the program.

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“You need to try to get everyone to sit down at the table; that’s the big thing,” Danzinger explains. “There are different players here.”

“There are these large companies, AT&T, Frontier and then we have the co-ops in the county,” he concludes.

“They both have a little different business plan. You have to sit them all down and try to work out something.”

Editor’s note: Wisconsin Public Radio is a service of the University of WisconsinMadison and the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board.

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2019 Wisconsin Potato Crop Report It was another challenging year, but overall, potatoes were harvested without heavy losses In 2019, Wisconsin potato growers harvested approximately 63,000 acres.

The average yield on acres harvested in Wisconsin is estimated to be 410 cwt. (hundredweight)/acre, an increase of 10 cwt./acre compared to 2018.

Wisconsin potato growers got a late start on planting, with the crop going into the ground 10 days to two weeks later than normal.

That puts Wisconsin’s potato production at 25,830,000, an increase of 2,830,000 cwt., or 12.3 percent compared to 2018 (which was an extremely low production year with over 5,000 acres of unharvested potatoes due to heavy frost losses).

WET CONDITIONS Many growers reported that they were unable to harvest all their acreage due to very wet conditions in low spots in fields, but overall, the unharvested acreage is just 1-2 percent.

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A deep freeze did not occur in October this year, which prevented a major disaster, as thousands of acres were still in the ground throughout much of the month.

Some storage potatoes are at risk due to less than ideal harvest conditions, particularly during warm, wet weather in September. On the positive side, several growers reported that the potatoes they were able to harvest showed better quality than what was expected.

Growers in the Antigo seed potato production area were forced to wait several weeks for fields to dry out before harvesting, but still reported average yields and good quality on that portion of Wisconsin’s crop.

Above: Many Wisconsin potato growers reported that they were unable to harvest all their acreage, in 2019, due to very wet conditions in low spots in fields, but overall, the unharvested acreage is just 1-2 percent.

GENERAL REPORT The 2019 Wisconsin potato growing season was challenging once again.

The planting season was cold and wet, which put the crop about two weeks behind schedule from the get-go.

In May and June, Wisconsin had several weeks of cloudy, overcast skies, which resulted in a low photosynthesis rate and low evapotranspiration that slowed down tuber initiation and early stage tuber bulking.

Challenging weather conditions continued throughout the growing season with below average temperatures in June and July. Very warm overnight temperatures in August made it difficult for the crop to bulk up.

This was followed by excessive heat and frequent rainfall in September, delaying harvest.

Overall for 2019, Wisconsin potato growers report average to below average yields with a smaller than normal size profile, very good quality with good specific gravity readings and very little hollow heart.

Some growing areas got record rainfall in September, making harvest difficult at best. Many growers were forced to dig around low spots in fields.

RACE AGAINST THE CLOCK Several heavy rain events during the

harvest season and the short window of time remaining before the threat of frost forced some growers to work around the clock to get potatoes out of the ground when conditions were favorable. continued on pg. 22

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2019 Wisconsin Potato Crop Report . . . continued from pg. 21

Fortunately, harvest conditions improved in October and temperatures remained above freezing, allowing the vast majority of the Wisconsin potato crop to be harvested without heavy losses.

A killing frost did not occur in October this year.

Growers report average to below average yields with a smaller than normal size profile, very good quality with good specific gravity readings and very little hollow heart.

There are some concerns with how the crop will hold up in storage due to the warm, wet weather in September.

There were no serious issues with late blight in 2019. Late blight was first confirmed in Wood County in midJuly. It was later found on potatoes in six additional counties but was limited to isolated fields.

All were of the US-23 genotype, which allowed it to be managed well by growers to prevent any outbreaks.

AREA REPORTS Northwest Wisconsin – Potatoes were planted in this region in the normal timeframe, but cold weather followed, which delayed emergence.

Once the potatoes emerged, they did well. The growing season was manageable. Harvest was mostly completed before rains came, which delayed the final 15-20 percent of the harvest.

Overall, the harvest went well with virtually no unharvested acreage.

Yields were reported to be good with averages of approximately 550 cwt./ acre. One grower reported yields to be down about 5 percent compared to last year due to a smaller size profile.

There were no disease or storage concerns in this area. Quality is above average and better than last year with fewer instances of hollow heart.

Antigo, Rhinelander, Eagle River – Despite a later than normal planting season with many farms planting well into June, several growers said this year’s crop turned out to be one of the best ever.

Yields were reported to be in the 350-400 cwt./acre range, with russets on the high end and whites and reds lower. The average yield across the board was 375.

The Antigo area reported average to slightly below-average yields with very good quality. Harvest lingered into late October with many growers finishing one to two weeks later than usual.

Fortunately, the Antigo area had

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close to ideal harvest conditions the week of October 7-11, which allowed growers to get a lot of work done.

Average yields on russets were reported to 400-425 cwt./acre; round whites were 350 cwt./acre; and reds 375-400 cwt./acre.

Certified seed potato acreage declined by 27 acres (a decrease of .3 percent) to a total of 9,242. The certified seed acres for major chip varieties increased by 5.2 percent (Lamoka acres were up 13.3 percent), while the russet seed area dropped by 1.2 percent.

The red seed area took a bigger drop, down 10.1 percent from last year to 979 acres.

Central Wisconsin/Stevens Point/ Plover – In the Stevens Point and Plover area, most growers reported very good quality with average yields and a slightly smaller size profile.

A late July storm with very high straight-line winds damaged hundreds of acres in the Plover area, including a number of potato and vegetable fields.

Fields that looked outstanding before the storm were defoliated and did not bulk up, resulting in a lot of B-size potatoes.

In some cases, such as with snap bean and pea fields, the crop was a total loss. Potatoes that were harvested early had below average yields (down 5-15 percent) as the crop had not yet bulked up.

Yields were down about 5-10 percent overall. Later harvested potatoes were reported to be excellent in both size and quality, with some fields yielding 575-600 cwt./acre. One grower described his Russet Burbanks as “huge.”

Average yields were reported to be between 400 and 450 cwt./acre for russets; 350 cwt./acre for reds and yellows; and 325 cwt./acre for round white potatoes. continued on pg. 24 BC�T January 23

2019 Wisconsin Potato Crop Report . . . continued from pg. 23

Several growers said they had a beautiful crop of yellow potatoes with high yields, although they did have a high percentage of small tubers.

Harvest in this region was about two to three weeks longer than normal, with some growers working to get their crop out of the ground throughout the month of October, but very little acreage was left unharvested.

Some growers reported problems with enlarged lenticels. At this time, there are some storage concerns, but actual losses are yet to be determined.

Central Wisconsin/Hancock – Growers battled the weather throughout the growing and harvest seasons. A late July storm knocked out power for several days that delayed irrigation on some fields.

Growers reported that they dug some fields when it was too hot, others when it was too cold and some when it was too wet. Despite these issues, only about 1 percent of the acreage was left unharvested.

There are some concerns with how the crop will store due to the excessively wet growing conditions.

Yields on chip stock potatoes were reported to be 475 cwt./acre with average quality. Russet yields were reported to be 450-475 cwt./acre, which is slightly below average (5-7

There are some concerns with how the 2019 Wisconsin potato crop will hold up in storage due to the warm, wet weather in September.

percent off) due to an increase in the number of B-size potatoes.

Central Wisconsin/Plainfield/ Bancroft/Nekoosa – Growers were still harvesting in late October but were able to harvest their entire crop minus the low spots in fields.

One grower reported leaving approximately 200 acres in the ground.

Overall yields are down about 10 percent across the board with a smaller-than-normal size profile. The processing potato crop was reported to have average yields of 460-480 cwt./acre.

One grower reported that Ranger Russets had very low yields of about 300 cwt./acre, while Russet Burbank yields were closer to 500 cwt./acre.

Overall, yields in this area were reported to be in the 420-440 cwt./ acre range. Growers reported higher than normal bruising due to harvesting in colder than ideal temperatures.

Central Wisconsin - Coloma/Grand Marsh – This region also had a very difficult growing season, but it was described as “better than last year.”

Potato planting was about two weeks later than usual, and several thousand

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acres of potatoes were harvested two to three weeks later than normal.

Fortunately, there was not a hard frost that would have caused a major disaster. Very few acres were left unharvested.

Overall, yields were reported to be average at 450-475 cwt./acre, and quality is good.

There could be some problems in storage as some potatoes were harvested in warmer and wetter than ideal conditions, while others had some green ends nipped by field frost.

Russet Burbank yields were reported to be in the 460-470 cwt./acre range, with some fields hitting 500 cwt./ acre, but with more culls than usual.

Yields on Atlantics were over 400 cwt./acre, which is above average. In Grand Marsh, Silverton yields were reported to be closer to 410 cwt./ acre.

Yields on little potatoes were quite good across the board, averaging 300 cwt./acre on three different varieties, which is higher than any previous year.

Southern Wisconsin - Spring Green/ Endeavor – The growing season got off to a slow start in this area, with a later than usual planting season followed by a cool and wet spring.

There were good growing conditions throughout the summer months, but harvest was delayed by about 10 days.

Yields are reported to be about the same as last year, but below the fiveyear average for this region.

In the Arena/Spring Green area, average overall yields are 420 cwt./ acre; Russet Norkotah yields were closer to 450 cwt./acre. Yields on yellows ranged from 415 to 550, with an average of 455 cwt./acre.

There is also a smaller size profile

on this year’s crop. Wet conditions prevented harvest of about 150 acres in this area.

There are some concerns about the potatoes in storage due to water damage and harvesting in warmer than ideal conditions in September.

On the positive side, there is less hollow heart than usual this year, and the red crop is reported to be in excellent condition with above average yields.

Crop Usage Breakdown Seed Potatoes 3,304,600 cwt.

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Now News McCain Grower Awards Banquet Recognizes Tough Year Those who persevered through the 2018 potato growing season were honored You wouldn’t have known 2018 was one of the most trying potato growing seasons in modern history by attending the McCain Grower Awards Banquet, November 20, 2019, at Sentry World in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, at least not until the reminiscing and storytelling began.

The dinner and awards banquet

are held in November each year to recognize Wisconsin potato growers who excelled in fulfilling their previous year’s contracts with McCain Foods.

Even though the 2018 harvest season was a nightmare, with dreadful rains and eventual frost damage on potatoes, growers came through and kept the McCain processing plant, in Plover, up and running.

Guests enjoyed a social hour before being ushered into the dining room

by Kerry Larson, field manager for McCain Foods USA, for dinner and the awards banquet.

“Looking back at the 2018 season, I want to forget it,” Larson said, “but in a funny way, I don’t. Relationships grew and we got through it.”

“We thought we’d never see it again, and then this season … we feared, ‘Oh no, here we go again.’ But the next thing we knew, we had two weeks of stellar digging, and it’s been one of the better storage seasons so far,” Larson continued.

“My hope is that you’ll see returns that are nice as well,” he added.

PEOPLE, POTATOES & BRAND Marc Kilfoil, plant manager, reminded attendees that McCain Foods is a

Above: Resilient potato growers awarded for toughing it out through the 2018 growing season pose with McCain Foods representatives at the November awards banquet. Standing from left to right are Gary, Matt and Bill Patoka of Patoka Farms; Marc Kilfoil, McCain Foods plant manager; Jim Mortenson of Mortenson Brothers Farms, Inc.; Chad Kraft, RD Offutt Farms; Randy Wohlfeil of Wohlfeil Farms; Rod Norquay, McCain Foods senior director of manufacturing and integrated supply production, North America; Andy Diercks, Coloma Farms; Christine Wentworth, McCain Foods vice president of agriculture, North America; Steve Diercks of Coloma Farms; Morgan Forbush, McCain Foods field representative; Kerry Larson, McCain Foods field manager; and Dave Good, McCain Foods director of agriculture, east region.

26 BC�T January

McCain Foods Crop Year 2018 Grower Champions Champion Potato Grower Grower Storage Contract Gary Bula Farms, $2,000 Reserve Champion Potato Grower Grower Storage Contract Bula-Gieringer Farms, $1,000 Field Champion Potato Grower Class A Field Direct Contract Patoka Farms, $2,000 Reserve Champion Potato Grower Class A Field Direct Contract Hetzel Wohlfeil Farms, $1,000

Between a nice dinner and the handing out of grower awards, Kerry Larson (shown at the microphone), field manager for McCain Foods USA, addressed the difficult 2018 growing season, saying that, though he’d like to forget it, relationships grew and everyone pulled together and got through it.

family-owned company that takes a lot of pride in their people, potatoes and brand.

He said the Plover processing plant is the second largest site that McCain Foods operates in North America, producing 501 million pounds of French fries, frozen potatoes and appetizers last year.

“The 2018 crop was a tough hand to be dealt, and we played it well,” Kilfoil praised. “It was a class act.”

completely self-sustaining.”

Considering the weather challenges in recent years, as well as evolving consumer expectations and demands, it was a nice note to end on before monetary awards and trophies were given to potato growers for another job well done. continued on pg. 28

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Other speakers included McCain’s Rod Norquay, senior director of manufacturing and integrated supply production, North America, and Christine Wentworth, vice president of agriculture, North America.

Wentworth said McCain Foods is “future-proofing” the business from an environmental standpoint.

“McCain is a founding member of ‘One Planet Business for Biodiversity,’” she enthused. “We’re working on such exciting initiatives as regenerative ag products, diversification, re-forestation and bio-ecosystems to provide for a future when farming can be BC�T January 27

Now News. . .

continued from pg. 27

AbbyBank Acquires State Bank

Merger results in expanded services and enhanced opportunities As of October 28, 2019, customers can utilize all seven locations for their banking needs.

AbbyBank announces the closing of a definitive agreement under which State Bank’s assets and liabilities became part of AbbyBank as of October 25, 2019.

“This is an exciting time for all of us,” says Craig Stuedemann, president and CEO of AbbyBank. “State Bank’s customers will find that our resources allow us to offer expanded services and enhanced opportunities to better serve them and their local communities.”

AbbyBank opened in 1968 and the

corporate headquarters remains in Abbotsford, Wisconsin. The addition of the Gresham and Shawano locations will increase AbbyBank’s assets to approximately $550 million.

AbbyBank serves customers with additional locations in Appleton, Medford, Wausau and Weston.

Gerrish Smith Tuck, Consultants and Attorneys, Memphis, Tennessee, served as AbbyBank’s financial and legal advisor in the transaction. Ruder Ware, L.L.S.C., Wausau, Wisconsin, served as State Bank’s legal advisor in the transaction, and Edelman & Co., Ltd. served as financial advisor to State Bank and its parent company West End Financial Corporation.

Roberts Irrigation Wins Four Awards Reinke recognizes company for 50 years as a Top 10 dealership Reinke Manufacturing, a global leader in irrigation systems and technology, has recognized Roberts Irrigation in Plover, Wisconsin, with a Longevity Award for its 50 years as a Reinke dealership.

Roberts Irrigation was also recognized as one of Reinke’s Top 10 highest selling dealerships throughout the United States and Canada, the top selling dealership in the North Central Territory and as a Diamond Pride award winner for the company’s marketing year success.

The organization was honored during Reinke’s annual convention in Charlotte, North Carolina.

“I want to congratulate and thank Roberts Irrigation on receiving these awards,” says Reinke Vice President of North American Irrigation Sales Mark Mesloh. “Reinke appreciates the dedication they have shown to the growers in their area. We are very proud to work with them and have them representing Reinke.”

Reinke dealerships from across the

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HARD WORK & COMMITMENT The awards recognize select Reinke dealers for their hard work and commitment to the higher standards of being 100 percent Reinke Certified and for their dedication to sales and marketing efforts throughout the past year.

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The Reinke Pride awards are determined as part of an incentive program that distinguishes superior achievement levels according to an evaluation based on a dealership’s exterior and interior housekeeping and maintenance, indoor and outdoor displays, safety, retail environment, merchandising, professionalism, promotions, event participation and market share.

With hundreds of dealers in more than 40 countries, Reinke Manufacturing is the world’s largest privately held manufacturer of center pivot and lateral move irrigation systems.

Family owned since 1954, and headquartered in Deshler, Nebraska, Reinke develops products technology designed to increase agriculture production while providing labor savings and environmental efficiencies.

Reinke is a continued leader in

Reinke Manufacturing Co. President Chris Roth (left) congratulates Roberts Irrigation representatives, from left to right, Barry Graham, John Herman, Luke Abbrederis and Vern Hinnenkamp, for winning the Longevity Award for the company’s 50 years as a Reinke dealership, as well as for being a Diamond Pride award winner and a Top 10 highest selling dealership throughout the United States and Canada.

industry advancements as the first to incorporate GPS (Global Positioning System), satellite-based communications and touchscreen panel capabilities into mechanized

irrigation system management.

For more information on Reinke or to locate a dealership, visit www.reinke. com or call 402-365-7251. continued on pg. 30

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BC�T January 29

Now News. . .

continued from pg. 29

Growing Opportunities Act Signed into Law Wisconsin’s hemp law is updated to incorporate lessons learned Hemp—it’s been called “Wisconsin’s comeback crop,” and on November 26, Gov. Tony Evers signed legislation to make that comeback complete.

The Growing Opportunities Act updates Wisconsin’s hemp law following the passage of the 2018 federal Farm Bill.

“It’s a big day for hemp in Wisconsin,” says Sen. Testin. “It was gratifying to see this bill signed into law while standing with growers, processors, retailers and consumers from across the state.”

Sens. Patrick Testin (R-Stevens Point) and Lena Taylor (D-Milwaukee) partnered with Reps. Tony Kurtz (R-Wonewoc) and Dave Considine (D-Baraboo) to author the Growing Opportunities Act earlier this year.

INCREASING CONFIDENCE In 2019, the number of growers and processors increased exponentially.

Rep. Kurtz, who grows hemp and other organic crops on his 260-acre farm in Juneau County, believes the bill will accomplish its goal of increasing confidence at every level of the industry.

The bill accommodates changes at the federal level and incorporates lessons learned from the first two years since the crop’s reintroduction.

“This is still an emerging industry,” says Rep. Kurtz. “Still, I believe that Wisconsin can be a leader in hemp production. Our farmers have the

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talent and the desire; we’re trying to give them the opportunity.”

Rep. Considine, a former teacher and livestock farmer, is also excited about hemp’s potential.

“Historically, Wisconsin has been an excellent place to grow and process hemp,” says Rep. Considine. “I’m excited to continue to work on the issue so that we can renew this option for our state’s farmers and processors.”

Milwaukee’s Sen. Taylor views hemp as a boon for both rural and urban areas.

“Milwaukee should be a leader in hemp’s comeback,” says Sen. Taylor.

“For decades, the book was closed on hemp, but we’ve opened it up and now people across the state are writing the next chapter. Milwaukee has a big role to play.”

Above: As Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, seated at center, signs the Growing Opportunities Act into law, he is flanked immediately behind him by the four authors of the Act, from left to right, Sen. Lena Taylor (green jacket), Sen. Patrick Testin (gold tie), Rep. Tony Kurtz (black zipper jacket) and Rep. Dave Considine (gray suitcoat), among other congressional leaders and staff members.

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1/2

Badger Beat

2019 Insect Pest Management Review

By Russell L. Groves, University of Wisconsin (UW)-Madison Department of Entomology

The 2019 crop season

again brought only a few instances of above-average pest populations.

The spring conditions were cool and moist, like in 2018, with aboveaverage rainfall in many portions of the state, which delayed planting of several crops.

These conditions are very favorable for the early-season seed maggot complex.

Within the complex, the seed corn maggot (SCM) (Delia platura) is a perennial pest of the germinating seeds and young seedlings of a wide range of vegetable and agronomic

Above: Pictured are adult seed corn maggots and the associated damage on corn kernels caused by feeding. Images courtesy of Janet Graham (adult seed corn maggot) and Iowa State University (damaged kernel)

crops, including beet, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cantaloupe, carrot, cauliflower, cucumber, kale, lettuce, bean (lima, snap and red), onion, pea, pumpkin, tomato and turnip.

In high numbers, populations of SCM can decimate entire crop stands if left untreated. Seed corn maggots overwinter as pupae in the soil.

Adult flies begin emerging in the late spring, and peak emergence for the first generation occurs in early-tomid-May. Adult SCM often swarm over recently tilled fields, and egg-laying sites are locations with germinating seeds, plant residue, incorporated green manures or where organic fertilizers have been recently applied.

Injury to plants is caused exclusively by the larval stages of SCM. Poor germination or poor stands of susceptible crops may indicate an SCM problem.

In the cool and wet soils common in the spring of 2019, these populations, together with fungal pathogens such as Pythium, resulted in very irregular crop emergence.

32 BC�T January

A SURPRISE PEST Another surprising pest in 2019 was the potato leafhopper (PLH) (Empoasca fabae). Potato leafhoppers do not overwinter in Wisconsin. Instead they blow into the state each spring (mid-to-late May) on southerly winds.

In late May of last year, however, the major weather systems that could normally bring in large, immigrant populations of PLH were relatively absent, as many systems originated in the southern plains of Canada (e.g. Alberta clippers).

In late June and into early July, however, temperatures did begin to increase, and southerly winds brought unexpected numbers of adult PLH into the state over a very short period.

Both adults and nymphs (young leafhoppers) feed by inserting their piercing mouthparts into the plant’s vascular tissue and extracting sap.

Adult and nymph potato leafhoppers are shown side-by-side. Image courtesy of Penn State University

Damage results when the insect injects saliva containing toxic substances and creates physical damage during feeding, plugging the vascular tissue and permanently reducing the plant’s photosynthetic efficiency.

Continued feeding results in a characteristic yellowing or browning of the leaf tip known as “hopper burn.” As the summer season progressed, injury developed most rapidly during hot, dry portions of July and August.

continued on pg. 34

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Weed Management Observations and Research Update

By Jed Colquhoun, professor, UW-Madison Dept. of Horticulture Well, it seems that in recent years, the only thing consistent about our weather is variability. This variability continues to play a strong role in the pursuit of season-long weed management, and the 2019 season provided yet another example of that.

The cool, wet spring was challenging from a weed management standpoint for several reasons.

First, wet soils made it difficult to hill and spray potatoes in a timely manner, even in the Central Sands at times. Second, some weed species such as waterhemp enjoyed a very

The most popular varieties of these world-class hybrids are going fast.

extended emergence period that outlasted pre-emergent herbicide applications.

Unfortunately, potatoes also suffered from extended emergence periods, making them less competitive with the weeds that escaped control.

Finally, heavy rains and continuously saturated soils after herbicide application diluted concentrations beyond that useful for weed control and put the more soluble residual herbicides at risk of movement below the weed germination zone.

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emergent broadleaf and grass herbicide applications were more common this season compared to recent years, and when applied in a timely manner to young, actively growing weeds, were able to provide a decent recovery.

On a positive note, potato growers enjoyed the rare addition of two new herbicides to their weed control toolbox this year: Sonalan and Zidua.

These tools will be useful to control problematic weeds such as nightshade and pigweed species.

And it’s likely that we’ll see at least a couple more potato herbicides added to the arsenal in the next few years.

In the 2019 growing season, our herbicide research focused on two aspects: •R efining the rates and use patterns of herbicides registered for potato in other production regions to minimize crop risk in Wisconsin growing conditions.

There are three herbicides that have regionally restricted registrations based on potato crop injury risk and/or groundwater risk.

In this research, we’re turning around the typical approach to ask if we can reduce the use rate to mitigate crop injury risk, but still maintain weed control, instead of exploring the maximum herbicide rate the crop will tolerate.

Our goal is to find soil type-specific rates for these herbicides that still control weeds yet minimize crop injury risk.

• Expanding new herbicide registrations in potato and rotational vegetables to manage resistance and broaden weed control spectrum.

We continue replicated field studies to identify potential new herbicides, support them through the registration process and

be practically integrated into existing management programs without significant added energy or cost.

For example, we’re working with very low doses of naturally existing plant growth regulators to enhance earlyseason crop emergence and growth so that they’re more competitive with weeds, as well as to enforce seed dormancy in weeds.

There are several other exciting developments in the non-herbicide research area that we’ll study, such as the use of robotic weeding machines that are becoming vastly more practical and effective at a rapid pace.

Professor Jed Colquhoun gives a presentation on Potato Vine and Weed Management during the 2018 Grower Education Conference & Industry Show in Stevens Point, Wisconsin.

refine use patterns for specific applicability in Wisconsin.

ware, fresh and processed) that are typical in the state.

This work occurs on the multiple soil and potato types (seed and

We’re also working hard on finding tools other than herbicides that can

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And, our more future-thinking work isn’t limited to weed management.

In 2020, we’ll initiate a very large, statewide research project looking at alternative crops to further diversify and add value to our production systems.

continued on pg. 36

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BC�T January 35

Badger Beat. . .

continued from pg. 35

2019 Disease Management Review

By Amanda J. Gevens, University of Wisconsin Department of Plant Pathology Wet weather undoubtedly encourages disease in potato and vegetable crops. The growing season of 2019 began with a very cool and wet spring that delayed planting and growth and favored a suite of pathogens that caused damping off and emergence challenges.

The causal agents included Pectobacterium sp., resulting in soft rot of seed pieces, Rhizoctonia sp., Fusarium sp. and Pythium sp.

Soil type, seed handling and quality, and planting depth certainly interacted with these disease responses.

Early blight set on as expected with progress showing in southern and central Wisconsin during late July and

early August.

With many currently available fungicide tools for management of early blight (and brown spot), attention to modes of action is important to balance resistance management concerns with effective control of disease over time.

Foliar disease control is critical for healthy tubers through harvest and storage cycles of potato.

SAME CLONAL LINEAGE Late blight, caused exclusively by the US-23 clonal lineage of Phytophthora infestans, was diagnosed on potato and tomato crops from July 17 through October 14 in 18 counties, primary from central and northwestern Wisconsin.

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This same clonal lineage was also exclusively identified in late blight of potato and tomato crops from across the United States during 2019.

The disease was well-managed in the multiple Wisconsin locations with use of several effective, welltimed fungicides and with selective crop destruction or early vine-kill approaches as appropriate.

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Though well-managed with timely fungicides and selective crop destruction or early vinekill approaches as appropriate, late blight was diagnosed on potato and tomato crops from July 17 through October 14, primarily in 18 central and northwestern Wisconsin counties.

My program has continued to characterize the late blight pathogen collected from Wisconsin fields, and all the US-23 isolates from recent years are still sensitive to the fungicide mefenoxam (ie: Ridomil Gold).

We track this aspect of the pathogen because resistance can change over time with continued exposure to the specific fungicide. Around the country, there have been resistant and intermediately resistant isolates of the US-23 clonal lineage identified in past years.

Production Summary of 2019 Growing Season

By Yi Wang, UW-Madison Department of Horticulture 2019 is the second consecutive year with adverse weather conditions that had severe impacts on potato production in Wisconsin.

We had some freezing days in midto-late April that delayed planting by about 10 days. Soon after seeds were planted, there were several weeks of rainy and cloudy days in May and June that were not favorable for tubers to initiate, set and bulk.

Figure 1 shows that 2019 (dark red line) had the lowest cumulative Growing Degree Days (GDD), between May 1 and July 1, in the past nine years.

Over 90 percent of the tuber dry matter comes from photosynthesis.

Overcast weather can lead to reduced photosynthetic rates (Figure 2), which then cause jeopardized tuber bulking potential and marketable yield loss.

In general, tuber mass accumulation was delayed by one to three weeks, in 2019, compared to average years.

Previous research indicated that cloudy weather can inhibit biomass accumulation in potatoes during tuber bulking. Plants will trigger a physiological mechanism that forces most biomass gain to the tubers and leaves the shoots and stems with a net biomass loss.

Figure 2: Net photosynthesis rate is illustrated under different temperatures on sunny (green line) versus cloudy (red line) days.

Figure 1: Cumulative Growing Degree Days are shown between May 1 and July 1 in 2011 to 2019. Graph courtesy of Mack Naber

Applying supplemental nitrogen was one strategy to encourage biomass accumulation and yield gain, however some fields encountered significantly delayed vine senescence, making vine kill extremely challenging and skin set not optimal.

marketable yield ranged between 40 and 80 percent across varieties (2019 compared to 2018). The drastic decrease is considered to be mainly caused by the 350 less GDD during the early growing season shown in Figure 1.

In our research plots, we observed good tuber set, close-to-average total yield, but very poor size profile.

Fortunately, the Wisconsin potato harvest season went more smoothly in 2019 than it did in 2018, with

Figure 3 shows that reduction of

continued on pg. 38

Figure 3: Marketable yield is shown (tubers > 6 ounces) for Russet Burbank, Russet Norkotah, Silverton, Hodag, Lamoka and Snowden potato varieties, in 2018 and 2019. Graph courtesy of Trevor Crosby BC�T January 37

Badger Beat. . .

continued from pg. 37

milder frost damage and drier weather. To date, less than 20 percent of harvested piles show soft rot or other early storage issues, and long-term storability is expected to be good.

Lastly, we summarized GDD between April and September at the Hancock Agricultural Research Station, in 10-year increments, over the past 45 years (Figure 4).

We found that the recent five years (dark red line) showed a pronounced trend of late start in the spring with lower average temperatures, as well as an extended growing season in the fall caused by higher nighttime temperatures.

This changing weather pattern might influence future potato production practices in Wisconsin, including variety selection, planting

Figure 4: Growing Degree Days are illustrated between April and September, in 10-year increments from 1975 to 2019, at the Hancock Agricultural Research Station. 1980 represents the 10-year average between 1975 and 1984, and 2020 represents the five-year average between 2015 and 2019. Graph courtesy of Mack Naber

and harvest scheduling, irrigation and fertility application, pest

management, vine kill and storage management.

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Stellar Lineup Slated for 2020 Grower Education Conference UW Extension and WPVGA event boasts timely topics presented by experts in their fields Always well attended, the University of Wisconsin-Extension and Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association (WPVGA) Grower Education Conference & Industry Show has become one of the most respected and anticipated events in the nation.

One reason is the quality of speakers and issues covered that are crucial to the industry in general, and to the success of potato and vegetable growers specifically.

Convening at the Holiday Inn Convention Center in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, February 4-6, potato and vegetable growers are afforded the opportunity to meet with WPVGA Associate Division members, companies and representatives, visiting booths to see the latest in

everything agriculture.

Booth exhibitors showcase their machinery, products, technologies, tools, devices and services, while gaining an overview of the potato and vegetable growing industry and a chance to build relationships.

The February Industry Show helps growers get a head start on the season with expert market analysis and outlooks, research reports, information on new technologies and agribusiness updates.

The 2020 researcher presentations touch on issues such as groundwater quality, pesticide use and resistance, pollinator plantings, soil health, nitrate variability in irrigation water, field monitoring, fungicides, postharvest disease management and creating dihaploids to enable diploid potato breeding.

VALUABLE INFO Genome engineering will be covered, as well as disease resistance in potato, onion bacterial disease, using drones for water management, insecticide timing and options to control Colorado potato beetle, silver scurf management, new potato breeding methods and foliar disease control.

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Computerized Control Systems Refrigeration • Humidification • Ozone Electrical Design & Installation Potatoes • Onions Sprout Inhibiting Sprout Nip® • Amplify® • Shield®

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources hydrogeologists will give updates on the Central Sands Lake Study, ecologist Jeb Barzen is to discuss Wisconsin Healthy Grown pollinator plantings, and Potatoes USA CEO Blair Richardson plans to give an overview on national and international marketing initiatives.

The conference features an informed group of speakers and is a great place for growers to gain insights into what will give them the edge they need in today’s tough business climate.

Holiday Inn Hotel & Convention Center reserved for conference and show attendees. The room rate is $105 for a single or double room.

To reserve your room and take advantage of this rate, visit www. wisconsinpotatoes.com/events/2020grower-education-conferenceindustry-show/ and scroll down to the Online Booking Link.

For those who prefer to make

reservations over the phone, please call 715-344-0200, press 3 and reference the group name Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers, or refer to group block code PVG. The room block will expire on January 26.

Make plans now to attend this valuable event. Please note that conference registration rates will increase after January 17, so register today!

continued on pg. 42

The WPVGA Associate Division Banquet, Wednesday evening, is the premier social event in the Wisconsin potato industry, including a nice social hour, dinner, awards and entertainment.

In addition to the annual industry awards, there will be drawings for cash prizes, with $1,500 to be given away, including more than 10 individual cash prizes and a $500 grand prize winner (must be present after the awards banquet and during the evening’s entertainment to win).

Banquet attendees will be treated to a nice mix of popular songs by Around Town after the awards ceremony.

REGISTER NOW! To register for the conference, please complete the Individual Registration Form by visiting: https:// wisconsinpotatoes.com/wp-content/ uploads/2019/10/Registration-FormIndividual-2020-fillable.pdf and return it with payment to WPVGA, P.O. Box 327, Antigo, WI 54409.

If more than one person from the same company is attending, please use the Group Registration Form (https://wisconsinpotatoes.com/ wp-content/uploads/2019/10/ Registration-Form-Group-2020fillable.pdf). If you have questions, please contact the WPVGA Office at (715) 623-7683.

ROOM RESERVATIONS There is a block of rooms at the

continued on pg. 44

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2020 UW Extension & WPVGA Grower Education Conference Tuesday, February 4, 2020 Holiday Inn Hotel & Convention Center, Stevens Point, WI General Session - Expo 1 and 2 Moderator Tamas Houlihan

Time 7:30 - 8:20

Registration

8:20 - 8:30

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

8:30 - 9:00

Groundwater Quality Surveillance in Wisconsin’s Agricultural Sensitive Regions - Mr. Ken Potrykus, Hydrogeologist, Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, Madison, Wisconsin

9:00 - 9:30

How Much Pesticide is on My Plate? - Dr. Jeff Miller, President and CEO, Miller Research, LLC, Rupert, Idaho

9:30 - 10:30

Morning Break - Visit Exhibit Hall/Poster Session

10:30 - 11:00

Pratylenchus: persistent, pernicious, perplexing - Dr. Ann MacGuidwin, Professor, Department of Plant Pathology, University of Wisconsin-Madison

11:00-11:30

Understanding the potential of irrigation scheduling and precision irrigation to improve water use efficiency in the Wisconsin Central Sands - Ms. Elisabeth McNamee, Wisconsin Distinguished Graduate Fellow, Department of Agronomy, University of Wisconsin-Madison

11:30-12:00

Establishing pollinator plantings within the Healthy Grown context - Mr. Jeb Barzen, Ecologist, Private Lands Conservation, LLC, Spring Green, Wisconsin

12:00 - 1:15

Lunch Featured Speakers: Michael Wenkel, COO, National Potato Council - NPC Update; Micheal Mosher, Division of Food Safety, Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection - On-Farm Readiness Review Program; and WPVGA Industry Awards

Breakout Sessions

Expo 1 Soil Health Moderator - Matt Ruark

Expo 2 Water Quality Moderator - Russ Groves

Sands/Spruce Potato Agronomy Moderator - Yi Wang

1:30 - 1:50

Matt Ruark & Michelle Marks - Enhancing Soil Health in U.S. Potato Production Systems - SCRI Project Overview and Year 1 Activity

Tracy Campbell & Chris Kucharik - Background Nitrate Variability in Irrigation Water: How much N credit should we be giving?

Trevor Crosby & Yi Wang - Evaluating effects of over-irrigation and reduced irrigation on production of multiple potato varieties in Wisconsin

1:50 - 2:10

Ann MacGuidwin & Richard Lankau - Potato Soil Health Research Efforts in the U.S. – Other Projects Currently in Progress

Chuck Bolte - Early findings from edge-of-field monitoring and soil health challenges

Yi Wang - Making recommendations about nitrogen fertility and seed spacing management for new Wisconsin potato cultivars

2:10 - 2:30

Matt Ruark & Michelle Marks - Potato Soil Health Listening & Feedback Session – A Conversation About Industry Needs and Goals

William DeVita - Use of passive sampling devices to monitor neonicotinoid insecticides in surface water on the Central Sands Plain.

Paul Bethke - What determines the appearance of red skinned potatoes?

Afternoon Break - Visit Exhibit Hall/Poster Session

2:30 - 3:30 Breakout Sessions

Expo 1 Storage Management Moderator - Amanda Gevens

Expo 2 Bringing Value to Agriculture Moderator - Kenton Mehlberg

Sands/Spruce Crop Improvement Moderator - Jeff Endelman

3:30 - 3:50

Mike Copas - The state of your seed matters: Developing a new model around physiologic seed management

- Soil health management adds value

3:30: Jim Friedericks, AgSource

Dennis Halterman - Uncovering genes that confer late blight resistance in potato cultivars

3:50 - 4:10

Jeff Miller - Effect of field and postharvest fungicides on pink rot and Pythium leak on eight russet varieties

4:10 - 4:30

Amanda Gevens & Stephen Jordan - Updates in post-harvest disease management for potato

4:30 - 8:00 42 BC�T January

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- Modern day equipment for modern day farming

3:54: Alex Truszkowski, Nichino America

-Torac Insecticide: A unique MOA for CO Potato Beetle control

4:06: Aaron Breimer, Veritas

-Variability auditing: how much variability is too much to ignore

4:18: Mark Varner, Vive Crop Protection - No more mixing problems-5 new products from Vive

Jeff Endelman - Molecular breeding for maturity and disease resistance Shelley Jansky - Creating dihaploids to enable diploid potato breeding

Wisconsin Seed Potato Improvement Association and WPVGA Associate Division Reception

2020 UW Extension & WPVGA Grower Education Conference Wednesday, February 5, 2020 Holiday Inn Hotel & Convention Center, Stevens Point, WI General Session - Expo 1 and 2 Moderator Larry Binning

Time 8:00 - 8:45

Potatoes USA Update - Mr. Blair Richardson, Chief Executive Officer, Potatoes USA

8:45 - 9:15

Central Sands Lake Study - Mr. Jeff Helmuth, Hydrogeologist, Wisconsin DNR, and Mr. Adam Freihofer, Water Use Section Program Manager, Wisconsin DNR

9:15 - 9:45

Farm Bill Updates - Ms. Sandra Chalmers, State Executive Director, USDA Wisconsin Farm Service Agency, Madison

9:45 - 10:30

Morning Break - Visit Exhibit Hall/Poster Session

10:30 - 11:00

Potato 2.0 - Dr. Shelley Jansky, Research Geneticist, USDA-ARS Vegetable Crops Research Unit, and Associate Professor, Department of Agronomy, University of Wisconsin-Madison

11:00 - 11:30

Genome Engineering/Editing of Potato, Vegetable and Specialty Crops: Applications and Challenges - Dr. Heidi Kaeppler, Associate Professor, Department of Agronomy, and Faculty Transformation Technology Director, Wisconsin Crop Innovation Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison

11:30- 12:00

Barriers and Solutions in Working with Farmers to Promote Conservation - Dr. Bret Shaw, Professor, Department of Life Science Communications, University of Wisconsin-Madison

12:00 - 1:15

Lunch Featured Speaker - Jordan Lamb, DeWitt, LLP - WPVGA Legislative Update; and WPVGA Industry Awards

Breakout Sessions

Expo 1 Disease Management Moderator Shane Hansen

Expo 2 Crop Protection Moderator Russ Groves

1:30 - 1:50

Aurelie Rakotondrafara - Strain -specific resistances contribute to the rise of the necrotic Potato virus Y strains in the field

Russell Groves - Heavy metals drive enhanced insecticide resistance

1:50 - 2:10

Shane Hansen & Amanda Gevens - Influence of seed-applied fungicide, moisture, and temperature on potato crop emergence and health

Donald Maum & Jeb Barzen - Qualitative monitoring of pollinator plantings on Healthy Grown farms

2:10 - 2:30

Amanda Gevens & Stephen Jordan - Cultural and chemical management of potato pink rot

Sean Schoville - Genetic control of detoxification pathways in potato beetles

Sands/Spruce Wisconsin Muck Meeting Moderator Michelle Marks

Lindsey du Toit - Onion bacterial disease - Knowledge gaps and a federal grant to 'Stop the Rot'

Michael Havey - Foliage waxes and thrips resistance in onion

Afternoon Break - Visit Exhibit Hall/Poster Session

2:30 - 3:30 Breakout Sessions

Expo 1 Precision Agriculture Moderator Ken Schroeder

Expo 2 Market Development Moderator Deana Knuteson

Sands/Spruce Wisconsin Muck Meeting Moderator Sofia Macchhiavelli Girón

3:30 - 3:50

Mallika Nocco & Alex Chisholm - Using drones for water and nitrogen management in the Central Sands

Deana Knuteson - Healthy Grown market update & Water Stewards program

Dan Heider - Timing and rate of 2,4-D on red potatoes and skin development

3:50 - 4:10

Felix Navarro - Using proximal sensing and hyperspectral imaging to better understand potato variety performance

Paul Fowler - Yield and purity gains from processing improvements in extraction of the commercially important antioxidant, chlorogenic acid, from potato vines

Russell Groves - At-plant insecticide options to control the Colorado potato beetle in muck soils

4:10 - 4:30

Ammara Talib & Ankur Desai - What have we learned from continuous crop and forest evapotranspiration observations in the Central Sands?

Paul Mitchell - Wisconsin's comparative advantages in potato marketing

Sofía Macchiavelli Girón & Amanda Gevens - Updates on potato silver scurf management and azoxystrobin sensitivity

5:15 - 6:00

Social Hour

6:00 - 10:00

WPVGA Associate Division Banquet BC�T January 43

2020 UW Extension & WPVGA Grower Education Conference Thursday, February 6, 2020 Holiday Inn Hotel & Convention Center, Stevens Point, WI General Session - Expo 1 and 2 Moderator: Dr. Walter Stevenson

Time 8:00 - 8:30 8:30 - 9:00 9:00 - 9:30 9:30 - 10:00

New potato breeding methods and clones at UW-Madison

- Dr. Jeff Endelman, Associate Professor, Department of Horticulture, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Proactive strategies to improve production efficiency of Wisconsin potatoes - Dr. Yi Wang, Assistant Professor, Department of Horticulture, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Disease updates and vision for seed potato pathology research in Wisconsin

- Dr. Renee Rioux, Assistant Professor, Department of Plant Pathology, and Academic Director, Wisconsin Seed Potato Certification Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison

The future of potato weed management: Threats and solutions - Dr. Jed Colquhoun, Professor, Department of Horticulture, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Morning Break

10:00 - 10:15 10:15 - 10:45 10:45 - 11:15 11:15 - 11:45

Factors influencing insecticide resistance in the Colorado potato beetle

- Dr. Russell Groves, Professor, Department of Entomology, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Considerations for foliar disease control in Wisconsin potato - Dr. Amanda Gevens, Associate Professor, Department of Plant Pathology, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Review and reassessment of enhanced efficiency fertilizers for potato production - Dr. Matthew Ruark, Professor, Department of Soil Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison

11:45 - 12:00

Thank you and concluding remarks - Mr. Tamas Houlihan, Executive Director, WPVGA

1:00

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“New 8RX Tractors offer all the benefits of tracks and provide a driving experience more like a wheel tractor,” says Tammy Lee, marketing manager, production agriculture for John Deere.

“They represent the next leap forward in tractor innovation and have everything customers like about 8R wheel tractors with the addition of four independent tracks and new fully-suspended cabs that make them more comfortable to operate,” Lee stresses. “This new machine form delivers unmatched flotation, traction and ride quality.”

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“We didn’t just add tracks to an 8R Tractor. This is a fully engineered John Deere four-track solution, not a bolt-on aftermarket product,” Lee explains.

“A key component is the John Deere 1700 pivoting beam axle,” she remarks, “specifically designed Above: John Deere 8RT Tractors are the

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LARGER CABS Every tractor in the 8 Family also received an all-new larger cab, the largest John Deere has ever offered. With an extra two inches continued on pg. 48

“For model year 2020, we made numerous precision ag technology updates that enable customers to remotely monitor and manage tractor and field operations, and more timely transfer prescriptions and data,�

Lee says.

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BC�T January 47

New Products. . .

continued from pg. 47

of headroom and a 24 percent wider entry path, it’s easier to enter and egress.

An automotive-inspired interior surrounds the operator and provides wide open access to a new control layout. Customers can choose from three Comfort and Convenience cab packages that include Select, Premium or Ultimate.

The Ultimate cab includes an exclusive new leather seat with electronic adjustment, heating, ventilation and massage features, and smartphone integration with a 6.5-inch touchscreen and multispeaker system.

Also included in the Ultimate cab are | Volume 71 No. $22/year | $2/copy

THE VOICE OF

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potato harvest beautifully captures October 2019.

A drone image farm, Riverside Ranch on Bushman’s of Jared Suchon Image courtesy

48 BC�T January

a leather-wrapped steering wheel, footrests and carpeted floor mat.

In addition, three Visibility packages are offered, Select, Premium and Ultimate.

For more efficient nighttime operation, Ultimate Visibility features 22 work LED and eight convenience LED lights, twice as many as current models have. This gives an operator 360 degrees of lighting coverage while working on or servicing their equipment.

The Ultimate Visibility package also comes with electric, heated, telescopic mirrors; wipers and sunshades on the front, right-hand side and rear; and integrated front

Above: The John Deere 8RX 370 is

“precision ag” ready from the factory to prepare precise seedbeds, and to manage variable-rate seeding and fertilizer prescriptions.

and rear cameras.

Improving dependability and simplifying routine service and maintenance for 8 Family Tractor customers was another priority of John Deere.

Tractors in the 8 Family have up to 200 fewer connection points and fewer potential leak points.

In addition, a new decal was added inside each tractor’s hood panel with regular service and maintenance points clearly identified to make

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John Deere 8 Family of Tractors 8R Wheels 8R 230 8R 250 8R 280 8R 310 Available Transmissions

8RT Two-Track

8RX Four-Track

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these tasks easy to perform.

Standard equipment for all 8 Family Tractors with 310 or less horsepower includes the field-proven John Deere e23™ PowerShift transmission. Or, customers can choose the optional Infinitely Variable Transmission™ (IVT) that’s available for all models except the 8R 410, 8RT 410 and 8RX 410.

When customers equip their tractor with IVT and add optional CommandPRO™, they gain powerful, smooth, efficient tractor control.

CommandPRO is an ergonomic multi-function control lever that puts tractor speed, direction and implement control in the palm of the operator’s hand.

IVT

IVT

produced,” she remarks. “With more horsepower, 17 percent more fuel capacity and an efficient drivetrain, an 8R 410 can help operators cover more acres per day efficiently.”

with AirCushion™ suspension systems and four-corner cab suspensions that carry the most comfortable, advanced cabs in the industry,” Lee says.

John Deere 8RT Tractors deliver unmatched two-track pulling performance, according to Lee. Four models are available from 310 to 410 horsepower, and transport at speeds up to 26 mph.

Ordering and pricing information is available now for model year 2020, with shipments of 8 Family of Tractors expected to begin in the summer. For more information, visit JohnDeere.com or see your local dealer.

“John Deere 8RT Tractors are the only two-track models available

continued on pg. 50

Any of the 11 reconfigurable buttons can be customized to fit the job, and individual settings are available to be saved for different operators.

“The precise speed control of CommandPRO with IVT makes implement hookups easy and allows for acceleration from zero to top speed with the push of the control,” Lee notes, “perfect for road transport operations.”

For 8R Tractors, Lee explains that John Deere started with the most popular row-crop tractors on wheels in North America and made them better.

COVER MORE ACRES “These updated tractors are the most intelligent, comfortable and dependable tractors we have ever BC�T January 49

New Products. . .

continued from pg. 49

BASF Offers Chemistry to Fight Early Blight Provysol fungicide also manages Alternaria, brown spot and black dot For potato growers battling early blight, brown spot and black dot, BASF has introduced a revolutionary new disease management tool.

Provysol™ fungicide is the first and only isopropanol azole fungicide, making it a truly unique solution for disease control. Provysol fungicide not only controls key diseases, but also provides a new mode of action to manage resistance and has excellent tank-mixing capabilities.

The uniqueness of the product lies in the innovative molecular structure of Revysol® fungicide, the active ingredient in Provysol.

Curtis Rainbolt, BASF technical service representative, speaks about how it works. “The unique isopropanol azole bridge allows the Revysol molecule to customize its shape for tighter binding at the enzyme site of action,” he explains.

“The result is excellent efficacy of even the toughest diseases,” Rainbolt says.

50 BC�T January

REDUCE RESISTANCE Used as a foundational tool, it can strengthen the overall spray program and reduce risk of resistance development.

Rainbolt says Provysol fungicide controls disease pressure for prevalent diseases, including Alternaria, brown spot and black dot.

“Those are diseases that, at least in Idaho, we can find in pretty much every field,” he says.

Rainbolt explains, “Provysol fungicide is really delivering a level of performance that we haven’t seen in a while. In addition to the high level of control, there is a long duration of control. It also tank-mixes well with a lot of other products that growers might use on their fields, so it’s really got a nice all-around fit.”

To determine control of disease pressure from Provysol fungicide, Dr. Jeff Miller, owner and operator of Miller Research LLC out of Rupert, Idaho, tested Provysol fungicide on his plots.

PLOT TRIAL RESULTS Miller Research has been testing Provysol fungicide for several years with positive results. Dr. Miller shared his experience with the product during a BASF field day in August.

“We first began testing Provysol fungicide several years ago, and it has been very impressive from the start,” he says. “Only a few products have come along that are very effective at nearly eliminating early blight.

Provysol fungicide is in that category.”

Dr. Miller recommends fungicides to be used preventatively, not as rescue or curative treatments. Because of that, he suggests incorporating Provysol fungicide in the early part of the grower’s program with “two applications around row closure to two weeks later.”

He notes that, “When you look at the level of protection you get from an Above: Retailers attend a tour hosted by BASF of potato crops treated with Provysol fungicide.

early application, versus late, you get so much superior disease control, and you have much less blight later on.”

Dr. Miller is concerned with growers rotating products and not rotating between Fungicide Resistance Action Committee (FRAC) groups, which can lead to resistance.

The SDHI fungicides, which are members of FRAC Group 7, are critical components of many potato growers’ disease management strategies.

TARGETING NEMATODES Recently, there has been a push to use SDHI fungicides not only as foliar treatments for managing white mold and early blight, but also in-furrow and early in the growth cycle, when plants are six to eight inches tall, to target nematodes.

In speaking about his experience, Dr. Miller shares, “Where I’m using a Group 7 in the furrow, I want to minimize the amount of times that I would put it on the foliage now. So, if I have a different group, a Group 3 fungicide like Provysol fungicide, it would be a perfect fit to put that in the early part of a fungicide program.”

Tim Parry (left), BASF product manager for Provysol, inspects potato plants with Curtis Rainbolt (right), BASF technical service representative.

For more information, connect with your local BASF representative.

Always read and follow label

instructions. Provysol fungicide is a trademark and Revysol fungicide is a registered trademark of BASF.

“With Provysol fungicide, we have a triazole, which is a completely different category of fungicide that has high efficacy,” Dr. Miller explains.

“Now, growers have something that they can rotate to, so they don’t have to use the same FRAC groups,” he says. “They can use Provysol fungicide, which should extend the life of all the fungicides involved, not only Provysol, but also the other chemistries.”

As a closing thought, Dr. Miller shares, “When we get access to a high-quality product, such as Provysol fungicide, we want to make it last as long as we can. We can practice good stewardship principles and still get great control.”

BC�T January 51

People

Dr. Creighton Miller Passes Away He developed or co-developed 19 potato varieties Dr. Creighton Miller was born on March 6, 1940, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the son of Dr. Julian C. Miller, Sr. and Caroline Stone (Leichliter) Miller, and passed away on November 3, 2019 after a 12-year battle with cancer.

He and wife, Jeannie, were married in 1965 at St. Joseph’s Cathedral, Baton Rouge. He considered himself a “university brat,” as his education from kindergarten on took place mostly on the Louisiana State University (LSU) campus at the Laboratory School/University High School.

He also received his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science

degrees from LSU, then his Ph.D. from Michigan State University in horticulture (plant breeding).

In 1972, Dr. Miller was hired by the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Lubbock to initiate a potato variety development program for Texas and retired as professor emeritus in 2019.

Dr. Miller’s involvement with potatoes began when he was a youth, assisting his father, Dr. Julian, the late plant breeder and longtime head of the LSU Horticulture Department, and namesake of Julian C. Miller Hall.

In 1975, Dr. Miller was offered the opportunity to assume a teaching/ research position at the main campus

Dr. Creighton Miller 1940 – 2019

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in College Station. He was chair of the Horticulture/Forest Science Building Committee.

In 1980, he was asked to serve as interim head of the Department of Horticultural Sciences. He held this position for three years, during a time of enormous growth.

His many accomplishments include providing leadership for obtaining nine new faculty positions statewide, organizing the department’s first promotion and tenure committee, initiating exit interviews for graduating seniors and revamping the Texas A&M undergraduate horticulture program, which shortly after, was ranked second nationally by the Gorman Report.

Dr. Miller taught six different undergraduate and graduate courses, which have included over 5,000 students. He was the 1992 recipient of the prestigious L.M. Ware Distinguished Teaching Award from the Southern Region, American

Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS).

MAJOR PROFESSOR In 2005, he received the Distinguished Achievement Award in Teaching from the Association of Former Students of Texas A&M University. He served as major professor for 23 students with master’s degrees and 16 Ph.D. students, and on the graduate advisory committees of over 150.

He was always interested to hear from former students and took a genuine interest in their accomplishments.

Dr. Miller was very proud of these former students, but his greatest pride was in the professional achievements of his wife, for whom he had the greatest admiration, and their two children.

Dr. Miller established a successful potato breeding program for Texas and developed or co-developed 19

potato varieties—Norgold Russet M; Krantz; Russet Nugget; Century Russet; Stampede Russet; Cherry Red; Russet Norkotah 112, 223, 278 and 296; GemStar Russet; Sierra Gold™; Rio Rojo; Sierra Rose; AmaRosa; Reveille Russet; Vanguard Russet; Harlequin Gold; and Yellow Rose Russet.

Virtually all the russet acreage in Texas is now grown to one or more of his Texas Russet Norkotah strains, which collectively ranked third nationally in acreage among 50 varieties approved for seed certification in 2019.

When Dr. Miller initiated the Texas program, average yields for the summer crop were about 200 hundredweight (cwt.)/acre, and by 2009 they averaged 465 cwt./acre, the highest summer-crop yield in the nation.

Dr. Miller’s varieties are grown throughout the country and have continued on pg. 54

PEACE, HOPE & PROSPERITY To our old friends with gratitude, and to our new friends with hope, may the coming year be full of prosperity and joy.

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BC�T January 53

People. . .

continued from pg. 53

brought in more than $6 million in royalties to the TAMU System.

He was recognized for his contributions with the system’s Excellence in Innovation Award for technology commercialization in 2015.

In addition, he released Texas Pinkeye Purple Hull and Golden Eye Cream cowpeas, as well as TexSprout mung bean.

Dr. Miller was a member of several professional organizations, including the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Crop Science Society of America, American Society of Agronomy and The American Genetics Association.

MAJOR LEADERSHIP ROLES He was most active and assumed major leadership roles in The Potato Association of America (PAA) and the American Society for Horticultural

Science (ASHS).

He also provided leadership for the Inter-Regional Potato Introduction Project (NRSP-6), the Western Regional Potato Variety Development Coordinating Committee (WERA27), the Potato Crop Germplasm Committee, the Southwestern Regional Potato Variety Development Project and the National Potato Council.

Additionally, Dr. Miller served as president of the Southern Region, ASHS, and as ASHS national research division vice president.

He has been listed in various biographical references, including American Men and Women of Science, Who’s Who in Science and Engineering, Men of Achievement and 2000 Outstanding Scientists of the 21st Century.

He was also a member of several

honorary societies, including Alpha Zeta, Gamma Sigma Delta, Phi Sigma, Sigma Xi and Phi Kappa Phi. He authored/co-authored more than 500 scientific publications.

Creighton served our nation in the U.S. Coast Guard on the cutter Sebago during the Vietnam War. While undergoing basic training, he was selected as Recruit Regimental Commander. He is now a member of the American Legion.

He was an avid swimmer and served as a U.S. swimming official at all levels of competition for more than 30 years, and was a certified collegiate swimming official for the Big XII and national meets. He was past president of the College StationBryan Swim Club.

Dr. Miller served as deacon and elder at the First Presbyterian Church, Bryan, where he taught

The Rhinelander Agricultural Research Station, part of the University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Agricultural & Life Sciences, would like to thank the following companies for their support and collaboration during the 2019 field year: • A-1 Septic • AgSource Laboratories • AMVAC • Bell Timber, Inc. • Bramm’s Plumbing, Heating & Air • Brian Bart Construction • Carlin Horticultural Sales • Case IH/Beaver Machine Co. • Eagle River Seed Farm • Environmental Scholars of Rhinelander • Fastenal • Frontier Communications • Gaber Electric • Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center • Hanson’s Garden Village • Insight FS • McCain Foods • Medford Cooperative • Michigan State University • Milton Propane 54 BC�T January

• Musson Brothers, Inc. • NBS Calibrations • Nelson’s Vegetable Storage Systems • Nicolet College • Nutrien Ag Solutions • Oasis Irrigation • Pest Pros • Pomp’s Tire • Rhinelander Fire Department • Rhinelander Well Drilling • Riesterer & Schnell • Roberts Irrigation • RPE, Inc. • Swiderski’s • Syngenta • T & H Agri-Chemicals • Tasteful Selections • TIP, Inc. • Trigs • United Greenhouse

• U.S. Forest Service • UW CALS • UW Department of Entomology • UW Department of Horticulture • UW Department of Plant Pathology • UW Department of Soil Science • UW Kemp Natural Resources Station • UW Lelah Starks Elite Foundation Seed Potato Farm • UW Marshfield, Hancock, Arlington & West Madison Ag. Research Stations • WI Crop Improvement Association • WI DATCP • WI Dept. of Corrections • WI Dept. of Natural Resources • WI Seed Certification Program • WI Seed Potato Improvement Association • WI USDA NRCS • Wiitala and Vozka Logging LLC • WPVGA Associate Division

Sunday school, sang in the men’s ensemble, served on the Concerts on Carter Creek Program Committee, chaired the Stewardship and Finance Committees, and served 10 years as president of the First Presbyterian Church Foundation Board of Directors.

Creighton served as President of the Brazos Valley Symphony Society, where he provided leadership for the initiation of two new fundraising events—the Annual Golf Tournament and Premier Market. One of his most rewarding experiences was guestconducting the orchestra.

LIFE MEMBERSHIPS He was a life member of the Friends Association of the Symphony Orchestra. He was also a life member of Sigma Chi fraternity.

Creighton enjoyed feeding and observing raccoons, possums, birds and squirrels, and treasured his time with many dogs and cats.

He was a strong supporter of Aggie

sports, especially football and football weekends with his children and grandchildren.

Creighton was a generous, devoted, loving and kind husband, father, friend, and most especially, grandfather!

He was preceded in death by his parents; brother, Dr. Rodman B. Miller; and sister-in-law, Anna Coyle Miller.

He is survived by his beloved wife of 54 years, Dr. Jeannie P. Miller; a son, J. Creighton Miller, III (TAMU '92) of Seattle; a daughter and son-in-law, Jennifer (TAMU ’95) and Joseph (TAMU ’95) Cash of Allen, Texas; six grandchildren, Madeline, Julia, Jackson and Ryan Miller, and Aiden and Brielle Cash; two nieces, Antya Miller (Boyd Ready) of Haleiwa, Hawaii, and Lisa Simmerman (Ralph) of Cheyenne, Wyoming, and Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

The family wishes to express their gratitude and thanks to Dr. Ana

Aparicio and staff at MD Anderson Cancer Center, and local physicians, Dr. Marcel Lechin and Dr. Erin Fleener, for the outstanding care they provided. Special thanks also to the exceptional and caring team of Brazos Valley Hospice.

Visitation was November 8 at the Hillier Funeral Home of College Station, Texas, and a celebration of life took place, November 9, at the First Presbyterian Church of Bryan.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Creighton Miller Scholarship in Plant Breeding and Genetics, Texas A&M Foundation, 2140 TAMU, 556 John Kimbrough Blvd., College Station, TX 77843-2140; First Presbyterian Church of Bryan Foundation, 1100 Carter Creek Pkwy., Bryan, TX 77802; the Brazos Valley Symphony Society, PO Box 3254, Bryan, TX 77805-3524 or the charity of your choice. continued on pg. 56

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BC�T January 3/12/19 12:03 PM55

People. . .

continued from pg. 55

Jerry Knutson Passes as Result of an Accident Jerry Knutson, age 54, of Almond, Wisconsin, passed Saturday afternoon, December 14, 2019, as a result of a snowmobile accident in Michigan.

He was born March 13, 1965, in Wild Rose, the son of Ralph J. and Jeanne (Kolar) Knutson. He married Kathy Jo Wilson on August 13, 1994, and together they had four wonderful children, Chase, Lindsay, Dawson and Preston.

Jerry was a 1983 graduate of TriCounty High School where he excelled in several sports and band.

He enjoyed playing in the T-Bone & Ribeye’s polka band.

After graduation, Jerry attended Mid-State Technical College and completed the Farm & Industry Short Course at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

He treasured working the family farm alongside his father.

In 2000, Jerry started Oasis Irrigation, of Plainfield, becoming a successful owner and operator.

Jerry had many passions in his life and family was top on the list. He loved spending time with family and friends, fishing, boating and snowmobiling. He also enjoyed the yearly father-daughter dances with Lindsay. He treasured having his three boys working by his side.

ACTIVE IN COMMUNITY Jerry was very active in his community, coaching youth football, baseball and basketball. He was passionate about keeping the youth active in sports. During the football season, you could hear him saying the motto “Family, faith, school, football.”

Jerry was also an active member of St. Paul Catholic Church as a proclaimer of God’s word and singing in the choir. He was also a former school board member of Tri-County Schools.

He is survived by his wife, Kathy Jo Knutson, Plainfield; his children, Chase, Lindsay (fiancé Nic), Dawson and Preston; his siblings, Jim and Jon; his dedicated employees at Oasis Irrigation, other family and many

Jerry Knutson 1965 – 2019

special friends. He was preceded in death by his parents.

A mass of Christian Burial was held on Saturday, December 21, at St. Paul’s Catholic Church, Plainfield. Burial was in the Almond Village Cemetery.

Please visit www.stahlfuneralhome. com to share your online condolences with Jerry’s family. The Stahl Funeral Home assisted the family with arrangements. In lieu of flowers, a memorial in Jerry’s name has been established.

WPIB Focus Wisconsin Potato Assessment Collections: Two-Year Comparison Month

Jul-18

Aug-18

Sep-18

Oct-18

Nov-18

Dec-18

Jan-19

Feb-19

Mar-19

Apr-19

May-19

Jun-19

Year-to-Date

CWT

1,631,620.99

1,724,518.33

1,223,827.03

2,489,512.74

2,711,563.12

9,781,042.21

Assessment

$114,203.25

$125,436.11

$95,267.11

$199,179.55

$216,890.04

$750,976.06

Aug-19

Sep-19

Oct-19

Nov-19

Month

Jul-19

Dec-19

Jan-20

Feb-20

Mar-20

Apr-20

May-20

Jun-20

Year-to-Date

CWT

1,737,634.84

616,558.70

888,994.00

2,231,926.08

2,407,229.71

7,882,343.33

Assessment

$139,082.75

$42,984.69

$77,501.87

$178,514.78

$192,575

$630,659.09

56 BC�T January

NPC News

Japan Approves Historic Agreement on Ag Trade NPC applauds U.S. potato industry’s access to top export market On December 4, the National Potato Council (NPC) cheered the passage of the U.S.-Japan Agreement on Agricultural Trade by Japan’s Upper House. After official announcements by both countries’ trade ministries, the pact was enacted on January 1, 2020.

“As the largest export market for U.S. potatoes, Japan is vital for the continued health and prosperity of America’s potato growers and industry partners,” says NPC CEO Kam Quarles.

“This action will restore tariff reductions and place the U.S. potato industry on a level playing field with our foreign competitors,” Quarles states. “Looking forward, NPC and

our domestic partners will continue to work to expand access to the vital Japanese market for high-quality U.S. potato exports.”

“The December 4 action solidifies the trade benefits previously negotiated under the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement,” says Jared Balcom, chairman of NPC’s Trade Affairs Committee and a farmer from Pasco, Washington.

“The U.S. potato industry appreciates the work of Ambassador Lighthizer, Secretary Perdue and the teams at the Office of the United States Trade Representative, the Foreign Agricultural Service and the Animal Plant Health Inspection Service for continued on pg. 58

The passage of the U.S.-Japan Agreement on Agricultural Trade by Japan’s Upper House restores tariff reductions and places the domestic potato industry on a level playing field with foreign competitors.

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As agriculture has evolved, the nature of the industry has become more complex and regulated. At Ruder Ware our attorneys act as legal counsel for producers and businesses providing products and services for the agriculture industry, and partner with a client’s current trusted advisors, such as accountants and lenders. Contact us today to see how our team approach yields the best results for your farm or business.

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BC�T January 57

NPC News. . .

continued from pg. 57

getting this pact over the finish line,” Balcom remarks.

Once fully implemented, the agreement will reduce and eventually remove tariffs on U.S. frozen and flaked potatoes.

Japan is the U.S. potato industry’s largest export market with exports

totaling over $350 million in the past year. Given a competitive tariff regime and reasonable market access agreements, it is believed that this market can grow by another $150 million annually (42 percent) in the very near future.

The National Potato Council

represents the interests of U.S. potato growers on federal legislative, regulatory, environmental and trade issues. The value of U.S. potato production is over $3.7 billion annually and supports hundreds of thousands of jobs both directly and indirectly.

NPC Welcomes Mark Szymanski Back to the Team NPC is excited to welcome Mark Szymanski back to its Washington, D.C. team. He will be heading up the organization’s communications and media relations efforts.

“We are extremely pleased to have Mark back with us. His superior talents coupled with deep knowledge of our industry are perfect for creating an aggressive communications operation,” says NPC CEO Kam Quarles.

Mark served as NPCs director of

public relations from 2011-2014.

Prior that role, he worked for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce as director of communications for the Institute for Legal Reform. Mark was also a speechwriter for the Environmental Protection Agency during the George W. Bush Administration.

Since he left NPC, Mark has worked for several veterans associations in leading communications roles and for microbreweries in the Washington, D.C. area.

Mark Szymanski will be heading the NPC communications and media relations efforts.

We look forward to seeing you at the

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Together farmers and Rural Mutual keep Wisconsin Strong.

Premiums Paid Here, Stay Here to Keep Wisconsin Strong 58 BC�T January

Potatoes USA News

New Nutrition Label Took Effect January 1, 2020 In May 2016, the Food and Drug Administration announced changes to the requirements for the Nutrition Facts label for packaged foods to reflect new scientific information, including the link between diet and chronic diseases such as obesity and heart disease.

Implementation was delayed until January 1, 2020. There is no longer an allowance for package use.

Key changes to the nutrition label requirements include: • Serving size of one potato increases to 5.3 ounces • Highlights “Calories,” “Servings per container,” and the “Serving size” declaration by increasing the type size and placing the number of calories and the “Serving size” declaration in bold type • Removes “Calories from fat” • Increases font size of servings and bolds this font • Updates serving sizes

• Includes mandatory requirements to declare vitamin D and potassium and removes mandatory requirement to declare vitamins A and C

•R equires maintenance of records to support the declarations of certain nutrients under specified circumstances (i.e. added sugar and fiber)

• Requires manufacturers to declare the actual amount, in addition to percent Daily Value (%DV), of the mandatory vitamins and minerals

Potatoes USA has worked with FDA to develop the new generic label for a medium sized (148 grams) potato as shown on the new label within this column.

• Changes the footnote to better explain %DV: “*The % Daily Value tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.”

• Updates the definition of “Dietary Fiber”

• Develops a single eating occasion label for packages containing 100200 percent of the “Recommend Amount Customarily Consumed (RACC)”

• Adds “Includes ‘X’ grams Added Sugars” directly beneath the listing for “Total Sugars”

• Redesigns dual column label for packages containing 200-300 percent of the RACC

• Updates “Daily Values” for multiple nutrients

OLD LABEL

• Serving size 5.2oz • Calories from fat • DV for total fat 65g • DV for total carbohydrates 300g • DV for Dietary Fiber 25g • All fibers count toward label totals • No added sugar line or DV for added sugar • Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Iron and Calcium required

NEW LABEL

• Serving size 5.3oz • No calories from fat line • DV for total fat 78g • DV for total carbohydrates 275g • DV for Dietary Fiber 28 g • Only certain fibers count toward label totals • Added sugar line and DV of 50g • Vitamin D, Potassium, Iron and Calcium required BC�T January 59

Effects of Higher Wound Healing Temperatures on Storability

Study evaluates storage quality of potato cultivars under three wound healing conditions

By Yi Wang, University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Horticulture A key step of successful potato storage management is appropriate wound healing, which occurs the first two to three weeks after harvest when the potatoes are held at an elevated temperature before final holding temperature is reached.

The purpose of wound healing is for the tubers to quickly repair periderm damage that happened at harvest in order to prevent pathogen infection and weight loss during storage.

The rate of wound healing depends on several factors, including type of wounds, potato variety and storage conditions.

Deep or angled wounds are more difficult to cure because they are

hidden from the ventilation air, which decreases the ability to quickly remove the moisture and stop disease spread.

Certain cultivars can respond differently to wound healing—some might be faster healers than others.

Current standard industry practice for potato wound healing is to store freshly harvested potatoes for two to three weeks between 50 to 55 degrees Fahrenheit (F) under high humidity (95-98 percent) and good airflow, with no free moisture.

High humidity is needed to reduce water loss from the tuber before the wound healing process concludes.

SUFFICIENT AIRFLOW Good airflow in the storage pile can prevent moisture condensation on tuber surface and subsequent oxygen deprivation, both of which enhance disease spread.

Sufficient airflow also removes water from decaying tubers and eliminates carbon dioxide released from tuber respiration.

Temperatures below 50 degrees F reduce the rate of wound healing, and thus require a longer curing time that allows diseases a chance to develop.

Temperatures above 55 degrees might benefit the repair of the wounded periderm, but higher disease incidence/severity can be a negative consequence.

Storage managers need to balance wound healing with slowing the spread of diseases.

The best management practices are to cure potatoes at higher temperatures just long enough to allow for rapid wound healing, but not too long to have substantial impacts on weight loss, disease development or other storage quality issues such as fry color.

In 2017 and ’18, we conducted a study at the Hancock Storage Research Facility to evaluate the storage quality of multiple potato cultivars under three wound healing conditions.

Our treatments were: 1. Wound healing at 55 degrees for 30 days and then ramped down to

60 BC�T January

holding temperature (48 degrees) at a rate of .5 degrees per day, and this is the standard practice commonly used by the industry; 2. Wound healing at 60 degrees for 10 days, lowered down to 55 degrees at a rate of 1 degree/ day, and then ramped down to 48 degrees at a rate of .5 degrees/ day; and 3. Wound healing at 65 degrees for five days, lowered down to 55 degrees at a rate of 1 degree/ day, and then ramped down to 48 degrees at a rate of .5 degrees/day.

Russet Burbank, Snowden and Hodag were tested in both years. Lamoka was tested only in 2018. All tubers were grown and harvested under standard practices at the Hancock Agricultural Research Station.

In each year, planting occurred during the first week of May and harvesting took place in the last week of September.

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Tubers of each cultivar were subjected to different wound healing treatments and stored in 1,000-pound macro totes. Results of the study are shown below.

Weather differed greatly between the two growing seasons. Compared to 2017, 2018 was a difficult year for growing potatoes with more extreme weather conditions.

Such conditions included freezing, snowy days in late April that substantially delayed planting, hot days (higher than 85 degrees) in late May that had a severe impact on plant emergence and big rain events in mid-June that caused a high percentage of nitrogen applied at tuber initiation to leach out.

SATURATED SOILS There were some dry spells in July and a series of high-volume rainfall in late August that led to nonharvestable, saturated soils, enlarged continued on pg. 62

Tubers of each cultivar were subjected to different wound healing treatments and stored in 1,000-pound macro totes.

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Effects of Higher Wound Healing Temperatures on Storability. . .

a.

2017 A

continued from pg. 61

lenticels associated with appearance and disease issues, and tuber quality defects causing economic loss.

B

Comparatively, 2017 was an average year for Wisconsin potato production.

In 2017, across treatments, Snowden had the highest total weight loss (11.6 percent) compared to the other two cultivars (Russet Burbank, 6.9 percent, and Hodag at 6.6 percent) during the eight months of storage.

A B

C

C

C

b.

Across the three cultivars, total weight loss under Treatment #1 (9.8 percent) was significantly higher than under Treatments #2 (8 percent) and #3 (7.3 percent).

A

2018 a bcd

b bc d cd

bcd bcd bcd

For Snowden, total weight loss over the eight-month storage period was always higher than 11 percent no matter what wound healing conditions the tubers were under (Figure 2a).

Over the treatments in 2018, Snowden still showed the highest total weight loss (10.3 percent) relative to the other cultivars— Lamoka, 8.6 percent; Hodag, 7.4 percent; and Russet Burbank, 4.5 percent.

e e e

Figures 2a and 2b show total weight loss for Hodag, Snowden, Russet Burbank and Lamoka varieties in 2017 and 2018 as subjected to three wound healing treatments.

a.

Unlike 2017, across the four cultivars, there was not significant variance in total weight loss under different wound healing treatments, although Treatment 1 (8.1 percent) is greater than Treatment 2 (7.9 percent) and Treatment 3 (7.1 percent).

Again, for Snowden, total weight loss was always higher than the other cultivars under any of the wound healing treatments, and under Treatment 1, it was the highest (Figure 2b).

In general, monthly weight loss under Treatment 1 during the first 30 days after harvest accounted for at least 30 percent of the total weight loss over the entire storage season.

Whereas, under Treatments 2 and 3, monthly weight loss was consistently low.

62 BC�T January

C

Snowden Glucose Content

LSD (0.05) = 0.72

b.

Snowden Fry Color

LSD (0.05) = 4

Figures 3a and 3b illustrate Snowden glucose content and fry color measured periodically during eight months of storage and using three different wound healing treatments.

Russet Burbank Glucose Content Russet Burbank Glucose Content

Hodag and Lamoka exhibited low glucose levels during storage.

Accordingly, they always had Hunter L-values higher than 55 throughout the storage period, no matter what wound healing conditions the tubers went through, and this demonstrated their premium long-term storability.

But for Snowden, a sharp difference can be observed in the seventh month in storage, when tubers under Treatment 1 showed much higher levels of glucose than under the other treatments (Figure 3a).

Hunter L-values for Snowden dropped steeply below 50 under Treatment 1 in the seventh month, indicating much darker fry color (Figure 3a).

The numbers under Treatment 3 stayed above 55 and fry color was light all the time (Figure 3b). This suggests that Treatment 3 was helpful in maintaining good frying quality for Snowden all season long.

A big difference of stem-end glucose between Treatment 1 and the other two treatments was observed on Russet Burbank during the last four months of storage (Figure 4).

Correspondingly, Treatment 1 led to darker fry color at the stem end and higher sugar end defect incidence during storage (Table 1), particularly in 2018.

No difference of disease incidence (bacterial soft rot, Fursarium dry rot and Phythium leak) was captured between the wound healing treatments for any cultivar in any given year.

In general, disease decay was less than 3 percent in all totes throughout the eight-month storage duration.

A good summary of the study is that, compared to the effects of growing season conditions, the effects of cultivar selection seem to play a more important role in determining storage quality under different wound healing temperatures.

Hodag and Lamoka are characterized by their consistently outstanding frying quality during long-term

LSD (0.05) =0.51 LSD (0.05) =0.51

Figure 4 indicates Russet Burbank glucose content measured periodically during eight months of storage and using three different wound healing treatments.

storage, and thus no differences of glucose level and fry color were observed between the three wound healing temperatures in both years.

However, higher wound healing temperatures at 60 or 65 degrees can result in less weight loss than at 55 degrees. There was no difference of effects between 60- and 65-degree wound healing temperatures.

HIGH WEIGHT LOSS Snowden consistently showed higher weight loss than the other cultivars over the storage season, and higher wound healing temperatures (60 and 65 degrees) were associated with less total weight loss in both years.

For glucose and fry color, no difference was noticed between the three wound healing treatments before April, but in May and June (the last two months of the storage duration), fry color on the chips was significantly lighter under 65 degrees Wound healing conditionsa Treatment 1 Treatment 2 Treatment 3

than under 55 and 60 degrees.

Therefore, 65 degrees seems to be the best wound healing condition for Snowden in this study, because it can mitigate senescence sweetening in the final stage of the storage season.

For Russet Burbank, 55 degrees led to higher total weight loss than 60 and 65 degrees, and 65 degrees resulted in the lightest fry color and lowest stem-end defect incidence during storage.

No noticeable storage diseases were observed during this two-year study, which might be due to the excellent airflow and storage environment in the macro totes used at the Hancock Storage Research Facility.

A general observation is that disease spread should not be an issue for tubers to be cured under higher wound healing temperatures if they are harvested healthy out of the field.

Sugar end defect incidence 2017 2018 3% n.s.

25% A 2% n.s.

17% B 2% n.s.

9% C

Table 1: Sugar end defect incidence of French fries processed from Russet Burbank potatoes stored under different wound healing conditions in each year. (n.s.—not significant— numbers followed by the same letter are not significantly different at α=0.05).

BC�T January 63

Eyes on Associates

By WPVGA Associate Div. President Kenton Mehlberg, T.I.P. / Ag Grow Solutions

Season’s greetings, everyone.

I truly hope that you had an enjoyable and safe Christmas and New Year. With 2019 behind us, we can look forward to 2020, and with regards to the WPVGA Associate Division, it is shaping up to be another busy but great year!

We are in full prep mode for the annual Grower Education Conference & Industry Show. It will again be held at the Holiday Inn Convention Center in Stevens Point, February 4-6. We are looking forward to seeing you there.

The Grower Education Conference layout and agenda are like past years, offering valuable breakout sessions and seminars. In addition to those, the Associate Division has been organizing a vendor presentation time slot labeled “Bringing Value to Ag.” Five exhibiting members selected

by the Associate Division will each be allotted 10 minutes to present something their companies bring new and relevant to the industry. This has been a successful breakout that the Associate Division started several years ago, and if we continue to get positive feedback, will continue to offer members.

A silent auction with some great prizes will be set up in the hallway area by the Amber Grill again this year. All proceeds from auction sales go toward the Avis M. Wysocki Memorial Scholarship, so please stop by and bid on something. You will never win if you don’t bid.

The Associate Division is very happy and proud to once again offer free skin cancer screenings at the show.

I recommend taking advantage of this opportunity to get checked.

Two years ago, when we offered screenings, we had at least two individuals that found out they had pre-cancerous spots and ended up getting them removed.

These screenings have the potential to save your life, so please take them seriously and stop by. Screenings will take place near the Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association (WPVGA) registration table. Please see WPVGA staff with any questions.

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.

64 BC�T January

GARTH BROOKS? This year’s Wednesday evening banquet entertainment will be a surprise, and I’m going to leave you all in suspense. It might be Garth Brooks, Def Leopard, or maybe both ... You will have to come and find out.

A little hint, it will be live music and one heck of a show! See you there!

The Wisconsin Seed Potato Improvement Association and WPVGA Associate Division are cosponsoring a reception on Tuesday night of the Industry Show that is sure to please. You can look forward to not only more local beer options, but more beer, period!

Along with great appetizers and a cash bar, this is an excellent opportunity for vendors and growers alike to relax and socialize outside regular tradeshow hours. Use this opportunity to meet someone in the industry or chat with old friends. continued on pg. 66

Exhibitors such as Fencil Urethane Systems, Inc. and KoolJet Refrigeration Systems are setting up booths and taking the opportunity to engage attendees at the 2020 Grower Education Conference & Industry Show in Stevens Point, Wisconsin.

BC�T January 65

Eyes On Associates. . . continued from pg. 65

We are now accepting nominations for new Associate Division Board of Directors members. Elections will be held on Wednesday, February 5, at the annual Associate Division meeting. If you are interested or know someone who is, please let us know and plan to attend.

The Grower Education Conference & Industry Show has become a premier event for many members and years, and this is not by accident.

I would like to thank everyone who attends, sponsors and participates in the show. It has continued to thrive and be valuable because of you. I would also like to thank the Associate Division for working tirelessly to coordinate and make this a valuable conference year after year.

As an ongoing effort to help our members, the Associate Division would encourage all of you looking

for prospective employment or workforce help within your organizations to google “Wisconsin Tech Connect.”

Wisconsin Tech Connect is designed for you to access the highly skilled students and alumni of Wisconsin’s technical colleges and is a great resource that everyone should be aware of. We will have more information about this available at the Industry Show.

SPORTING CLAYS SHOOT I will close this month by reminding everyone that the Associate Division will be hosting its first annual sporting clays shoot in the fall of 2020. The event will take place in October at a location to be determined.

Vendors and growers are encouraged to attend. I will be providing more information as it becomes available, but please plan on taking advantage

of this exciting and new opportunity.

If anybody has questions, comments or concerns about any of our events, please share them with an Associate Division member.

As President of the Associate Division, I would like to sincerely thank you for reading the column each month and keeping tabs on our activities. Our industry is great because of people like you.

As we move into a new year, please consider this: If you can’t fly, then run; if you can’t run, then walk; if you can’t walk, then crawl; but whatever you do, stay positive and keep moving forward.

Stay warm, be safe and see you at all at the Industry Show!

Kenton Mehlberg

WPVGA Associate Division President

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Auxiliary News

By Devin Zarda, vice president, WPGA

Happy New Year, friends! I hope that you

survived the holidays and got the presents you hoped for. We as the Wisconsin Potato Growers Auxiliary are so thankful for every one of our members and supporters.

To say, “thank you,” we host a few events during the year to spoil our members. In the beginning of December, we held a wreathmaking class at the Ponderosa Pines, Plainfield, for our current members.

We had a dozen people show up and make gorgeous wreathes with us!

It always feels so good to reconnect with our members. And, I can’t lie, the Christmas sweaters were on point.

If you couldn’t make the event in Plainfield, don’t worry. We will be hosting a second outing in the months to come. This one will be up in the Antigo area for any of our northern friends.

Watch your mailbox because an invite will be coming soon. This will be an event you don’t want to miss. We will also be having our annual meeting coming up, yet another chance for us to get together.

If you would like to be added to our mailing list or become a member, please reach out to the Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association office at 715-623-7683.

Talk with you soon,

Devin

Above: Wreath making was the order of the day for the Wisconsin Potato Growers Auxiliary at the Ponderosa Pines in Plainfield, Wisconsin, an event meant to say “thank you” to members and spoil them a little.

BC�T January 67

Marketplace

By Dana Rady, WPVGA Director of Promotions and Consumer Education

2020 Food Safety Training Dates Set The Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association (WPVGA) will once again be offering food safety training to grower members in March 2020.

While Wisconsin potato growers have been diligent in staying ahead of the curve regarding the various certifications required, WPVGA recognizes the benefit of associationorganized classes.

The following class options will be offered on the dates specified.

Please take into consideration that, while WPVGA is likely to continue offering some form of food safety training regularly in the future, the same classes listed below will not necessarily be offered every year from here on out.

Therefore, if you need a certificate or an updated certificate in the near future, please consider completing the class in 2020.

Please read the below descriptions thoroughly and carefully before registering.

Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP): Dates: March 3 and 4 (this is a required two-day training) Time: 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. each day Location: TBD HACCP is a requirement for packing houses/wash plants. HACCP is currently a requirement under PrimusGFS. While the new version of PrimusGFS v3.1 will go into effect in January 2020, there is a stipulation in it that requires organizations to have an updated HACCP certificate every five years, unless someone from the 68 BC�T January

Lettuce is inspected on a vegetable farm. Image courtesy of the U.S. Food & Drug Administration

organization holds a PCQI certificate within that timeframe.

At the time of your audit, you will still be required to show your HACCP certificate (even if greater than five years) in addition to your current PCQI certificate.

If you need a HACCP certificate, or an updated one, make sure you register for this class in 2020, as it may not be offered every year. If registered for this class, you are required to come each day to receive your certificate.

NOTE: Immediately following the completion of this HACCP class on March 4, trainer Geri Barone will be holding a question and answer session on the newest version of PrimusGFS. Informative Presentation Seminar and Discussion: Date: March 24 Time: TBD Location: TBD • This is not a required class for any food safety audit, but it is a way for attendees to receive updates and information on recent developments.

For example, the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection has taken on the responsibility of auditing for Produce Safety regulations while Preventive Controls falls under the purview of Manufactured Foods.

There have also been some “social audits” that have occurred more frequently.

The goal of this seminar is to bring presenters in from various organizations to provide updates and information on the above-listed areas.

Please note that WPVGA will not be offering a full training class on PrimusGFS in 2020. Instead, a question-and-answer session on the newest version of PrimusGFS (v3.1) will occur immediately upon completion of the HACCP certification class on Thursday, March 4.

Registration will be available at the 2020 Grower Education Conference & Industry Show registration table.

You can also contact Dana Rady at 715-623-7683 or drady@wisconsinpotatoes.com to register or with any questions.

Ali's Kitchen

Marsala Spiced Baby Potatoes Are Incredibly Flavorful Rich and spicy, the dish offers the comfort and warmth that this Wisconsin girl craves!

Column and photos by Ali Carter, Wisconsin Potato Growers Auxiliary It’s cold in my little corner of the world! When the temperature dips below zero, I tend to crave warm comfort foods.

Potato soups, creamy mashed potatoes with beef roasts and dishes that give a bit of spicy heat all grace

our table to warm us throughout the winter months.

Rich, spicy and incredibly flavorful, these Marsala Spiced Baby Potatoes offer the comfort and warmth this Wisconsin girl looks for! continued on pg. 70

Ingredients: Marsala Spiced Baby Potatoes* • 2 pounds baby potatoes • 2 tbsp. coconut oil • 2 tsp. ginger • 1/2 tbsp. turmeric powder • 1/2 tbsp. coriander seeds • 1/2 tsp. ground coriander • 1 tsp. cumin seeds • 1 tbsp. cumin powder • 1 tbsp. curry powder • 1 1/2 tbsp. garam masala • 1 tsp. red chili powder. Add or cut back on chili powder depending on taste.

• 2 tsp. cloves • 2 tsp. mustard seeds • 1 tsp. salt. Add or cut back based on taste • 1 tbsp. chopped garlic • 1/2 yellow onion, diced • Juice of 1/2 fresh lemon • 1/2 cup fresh cilantro cleaned and chopped * If baby potatoes aren’t readily available, feel free to quarter bigger red potatoes for this recipe.

BC�T January 69

Advertisers Index

Ali's Kitchen. . .

continued from pg. 69

DIRECTIONS Place the potatoes into a large pot, add a good amount of salt (approximate 1 to 2 tbsp.) and fill with enough water to cover the potatoes.

Boil until fork tender.

While the potatoes are boiling, place the coconut oil and spices (ginger, turmeric, coriander seeds, coriander, cumin seeds, cumin powder, curry powder, garam masala, chili powder, cloves and mustard seeds) into a large frying pan.

Heat for about 30 seconds until slightly toasty and fragrant. Add the salt, garlic and onion to the pan and

70 BC�T January

fry until the onions are just beginning to brown. Be careful not to burn the garlic.

Drain the potatoes well and add to the spices in the frying pan. Turn down the heat to low/medium, stir to coat the potatoes with the spices and continue to fry for about 5 minutes.

Remove the pan from heat, drizzle the potatoes with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, sprinkle with fresh cilantro and serve hot.

Enjoy!

Find more recipes at www.LifeOnGraniteRidge.com

AbbyBank........................................47 Advanced Farm Equipment...............2 Altmann Construction Company, Inc. ...............................27 Baginski Farms Inc...........................25 Big Iron Equipment..........................41 Bula Potato Farms, Inc.....................46 Bushmans’ Inc...................................3 Central Door Solutions....................14 Chippewa Valley Bean Co................32 Colorado Certified Potato Growers...35 Compeer Financial.............................9 David J. Fleischman Farms...............61 Fencil Urethane Systems.................10 Gallenberg Farms............................30 GLC Minerals...................................22 Hansen-Rice Inc...............................21 Heartland AG Systems.....................31 Jay-Mar, Inc......................................34 John Miller Farms............................19 J.W. Mattek......................................17 Kartechner Brothers........................36 Kitchen Farms Inc............................51 Lockwood Mfg.................................23 M.P.B. Builders, Inc..........................16 Mid-State Truck...............................24 National Potato Council...................71 Nelson’s Vegetable Storage Systems Inc....................................20 Norika America, LLC........................52 North Central Irrigation...................53 North Dakota State Seed.................49 Nutrien Ag Solutions.......................45 Nutrien Ag Solutions Great Lakes....11 Oasis Irrigation................................72 Rhinehart Metal Buildings, Inc........39 Rhinelander Ag Research Station....54 Riesterer & Schnell..........................13 Rine Ridge Farms.............................28 Roberts Irrigation ............................15 Ron’s Refrigeration..........................40 Ruder Ware.....................................57 Rural Mutual Insurance...................58 Sally Suprise Agency, Rural Mutual Insurance.................70 Sand County Equipment..................29 Schroeder Brothers Farms.................7 Sunnydale Farms.............................44 Swiderski Equipment.......................55 T.I.P..................................................33 Vantage North Central.....................38 Vine Vest North...............................18 Volm Companies................................5 Warner & Warner............................60 WPVGA Subscribers.........................48 WPVGA Support Our Members.......64 WSPIA..............................................66

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