Red potatoes are harvested at Jesse James Teal Farms in Antigo, Wisconsin. Drone photo courtesy of Datonn Ammel-Sopa, Swiderski Equipment
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On the Cover: Jesse James Teal says that red and yellow potatoes are in higher demand from his customers than russet potatoes in general. He raises just shy of 300 acres of reds and yellows and has tried many varieties over the years. The drone photo on the cover, taken by Datonn Ammel-Sopa of Swiderski Equipment, is of red potatoes being harvested at Jesse James Teal Farms in Antigo.
8 BADGER COMMON’TATER INTERVIEW:
Jim and Janice Teal pose in front of a James Teal & Sons box truck touting potatoes, oats, hay and straw, and the iconic “Eat Potatoes Love Longer” motto in large letters. Their son, Jesse James Teal, is this issue’s interviewee, and while James passed away in February 2024, Jesse says his mom still helps on the farm and keeps everyone in line. “She’s the hardest worker of any of us, and at 77 years old, is active and still loves to hunt,” he reports.
Celebrating 50 years, see photos and read about achievements in that time
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WPVGA Board of Directors:
PresideNt: JoHN Bustama Nte
Vice PresideNt: WeNdy Dykstra
Secretary: JosH KNigHts
Treasurer: JoHN HopfeNsperger
Directors: Mike BagiNski, Ra Ndy FleisH auer, Bria N Lee, J.D. ScHroeder & Jeff SucHoN
Wisconsin Potato Industry Board:
PresideNt: Heidi Alsum-Ra Ndall
Vice PresideNt: ANdy Diercks
Secretary: Nicola Carey
Treasurer: Keit H Wolter
Directors: JoHN FeNske, Rod Gumz, Jim Okray, Eric ScHroeder & Tom Wild
WPVGA Associate Division Board of Directors:
PresideNt: Matt SeleNske
Vice PresideNt: Et H a N OlsoN
Mission
Mission
Secretary: Melissa Heise
Treasurer: Paul Salm
Directors: Brady Patoka, Scott ScHeer, Morga N Smolarek, Sally Suprise & Bra NdoN Taylor
Wisconsin Seed Potato Improvement
Association Board of Directors:
PresideNt: CH arlie HusNick
Vice PresideNt: ANdy ScHroeder
Secretary/Treasurer: Markus SH afel
Directors: MitcH Mattek & CloVer Spacek
Wisconsin Potato Growers
Auxiliary Board of Directors:
PresideNt: Heidi ScHleicHer
Vice PresideNt: Dakota H Smiley
Secretary/Treasurer: Sama Nt H a CypHer
Directors: Jody BagiNski, Misti KiNNisoN, JeNN a SucHoN & EriN Meister
Badger Common’Tater is published monthly at 700 Fifth Avenue, Antigo, Wisconsin 54409
WPVGA Staff
ExecutiVe Director: Tamas HouliH a N Ma N agiNg Editor: Joe Kertzma N Director of PromotioNs & CoNsumer
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
MARK YOUR Calendar
Planting Ideas
You know you’ve had a positive impact on people when four of them attend your Hall of Fame induction ceremony in your absence. That’s just what happened when Kevin Bula, a longtime inspector with the Wisconsin Seed Potato Certification Program (WSPCP), was unable to make it to the WPVGA Associate Division Awards Banquet on Wednesday evening, February 5, to accept his induction into the Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association (WPVGA) Hall of Fame. WSPCP Assistant Program Director Brooke Babler accepted the Hall of Fame award on Kevin’s behalf, and, in the photo above, posed with a few of her staff members who were also in attendance at the banquet. They are, from left to right, Josie Spurgeon, Babler, Kevin Gallenberg, and Cole Lubinski.
Bula worked in the Wisconsin seed potato program for 45 years and has received several awards and honors, including the WPVGA’s Industry Appreciation Award in 2009 and again in 2012, as well as the Wisconsin Seed Potato Industry Leadership Award, in 2012. Read his full Hall of Fame induction biography and achievements, as well as that of his fellow inductee, Dianne Somers from Plover River Farms, in complete coverage of the Grower Education Conference & Industry Show in this issue.
Babler and the WSPCP also played a role in the 65th Annual Meeting of the Wisconsin Seed Potato Improvement Association, January 29, at North Star Lanes, in Antigo. Babler gave WSPCP Program updates, while Lubinski and coworker Niles Franc provided winter test potato grow-out updates from their time spent at Twin Bridge Farms in Hawaii. Babler also moderated a Seed Certification Panel with program directors and specialists attending virtually from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Michigan Seed Potato Association and the North Dakota State Seed Department. Enjoy the “Seed Piece” column herein for a full overview of the Annual Meeting.
Likewise contributing to a busy January and February was the McCain Foods Grower Awards Banquet on Thursday, January 30, at the Food + Farm Exploration Center, in Plover. Super Bowl Sunday, February 9, was one for the record books, not because the Philadelphia Eagles won, but because of a commercial inspired by the Pavelski family of Heartland Farms, in Hancock, Wisconsin. Check out “Now News” to see who took home the McCain grower awards and for more information on the Super Bowl commercial, including a link to where readers can watch it.
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.
N1435 Cty Rd D
Antigo, WI (715) 623-2689 farm@sbfi.biz johnt@sbfi.biz
NAME: Jesse James Teal
TITLE: Owner
COMPANY: Jesse James Teal Farms
LOCATION: Antigo, WI
HOMETOWN: Antigo
YEARS IN PRESENT POSITION: Purchased the farm from his parents in 2004
PREVIOUS EMPLOYMENT: Working for his dad, James Teal, on the farm, and in the off-season driving semi for the neighbors
SCHOOLING: Antigo High School
ACTIVITIES/ORGANIZATIONS: Wisconsin
Potato & Vegetable Growers Association member, and lifetime member of the National Rifle Association and Pheasants Forever
AWARDS/HONORS: Honored in FFA and traveled quite a bit for the organization, to Washington, D.C., Kansas City, and throughout Wisconsin judging animals
FAMILY: Father, James Teal, who passed away February 7, 2024, and mother, Janice
HOBBIES: Hunting, fishing and the outdoors
Above: Jesse Teal stands in front of a Landoll tillage machine he uses for planting. Jesse James Teal Farms is a potato, vegetable, straw, oats, hay and beef cattle operation in Antigo, Wisconsin.
8 BC�T March
Interview
JESSE JAMES TEAL owner, Jesse James Teal Farms
By Joe Kertzman, managing editor, Badger Common’Tater
The late 1960’s was a bustling time for James Teal, who purchased a farm in 1967, a tavern that was subsequently named Teal’s Bar, in 1968, and married Janice (Strandberg) that same year. He ran the bar until 1990 and the farm until 2004, when he sold it to his son, Jesse James Teal.
James A. Teal passed away at the age of 80 on February 7, 2024.
Jesse says the original family homestead where his dad was born and raised and where his grandpa grew potatoes and kept dairy cows is just south of his own operation, Jesse James Teal Farms, in Antigo, Wisconsin.
“Dad built this house and bought the farm from the three Yonkee brothers,” Jesse explains. “Dad farmed on his own, and Dad and Grandpa swapped equipment for a while before Dad branched off and went 100 percent on his own.”
Is Jesse James Teal Farms mostly a table stock potato operation?
Yes. When I started, it was table and chipping potatoes, but I switched to just table stock recently, mainly because of supply and demand.
In the chip market, you need to operate a washing line, and I got away from that. Plus, Superiors,
Atlantics, and russet potatoes in general, are difficult for me to sell. Reds and yellows are in higher demand from my customers, with yellow potatoes gaining the most interest. Everyone is leaning toward yellows, and I have buyers for them.
I don’t work with any canning companies, but I grow corn, beans,
and a lot of hay and oats. I also run beef cattle, mostly Red Angus. At one point, I was up to 150 cow/calves, but I’ve since backed down to 50 in my cow/calf operation. I calve and then finish them out and sell them as quarters, halves or full sides, kind of a dual thing with growing potatoes. You can’t put all your eggs in one basket. How many acres of potatoes do you grow, and what varieties? Usually just shy of 300 acres of red and yellow potatoes, having tried and discontinued many varieties in favor of others. I’m always trying new varieties. Quite a while ago, I worked with a guy out of Rhinelander who’d bring down 2,000 pounds of potato varieties that I’d try. We tried purples, yellows, reds, and sometimes there’d only be 25 pounds of one variety.
A few years ago, I switched to red Modoc and yellow Colombas, and last year I tried a yellow variety named Natascha from Maine. I’m getting
more seed potatoes from Maine again this year so I can continue trying new up-and-coming varieties in the red, dark red, and yellow markets.
Top Left: Jesse James Teal poses with his dad, Jim Teal, in front of one of three 1066 International tractors the farming operation owned and used for tillage, windrowing, and harvesting when this photo was taken in 1983.
Above & Left: Red potatoes are harvested at Jesse James Teal Farms, Antigo, Wisconsin. Drone photos courtesy of Datonn AmmelSopa, Swiderski Equipment
What rotation are your potatoes on and with what other crops? I’m trying to do a four-year rotation of potatoes, corn, soybeans and oats, with clover under-seeding the oats. continued on pg. 10
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Sometimes I’ll eliminate soybeans, go to oats, and let clover grow for a year as cattle feed.
I’m a firm believer in introducing microbes into a fertilizer program. I run tests on the soil and work with one guy out of Minnesota and several local agronomists. They run tests for me in our effort to balance microbes
for better soil health.
No different from the human body, plants do better on a balanced diet of microbes. Our bodies need Vitamins C and D, and potatoes benefit from zinc, copper, magnesium, boron, and a host of other minerals.
A big problem now with reds and yellows is silver scurf. I’ve been
Above: A cold storage building (left) and shop (right) provide ample room for not only fresh produce, but also equipment like the New Holland T8 tillage tractor.
Below: Jesse James Teal can store up to 60,000 cwt. (hundredweight) of potatoes between his old and new storage facilities, which also house machinery like the Double L bin piler, John Deere 7930 tillage and hay baling tractor, Spudnik planter, and Lenco harvester.
in touch with my contact from Minnesota and a guy out of Maine, as well as the researchers working with them, about silver scurf, and they all say the same thing—keep your microbes in check, all of them.
Is the soil on your farm Antigo silt loam? No, the soil here is a little heavier and doesn’t drain as well as on the Antigo flats. Then, if you go a mile to the west, across the west branch of the Eau Claire River, the soil gets rockier and has more of a clay-like consistency.
Here, you have sandy spots that can’t get enough water, and the next spot is flooding. In wet years like 2024, I had a lot of drown-outs and seed loss from the water in the spring. Yields were struggling.
The soil here holds fertilizer better, though, so you don’t get any leaching. It also holds the moisture, so in drier years, it is better. Still, as dry as we were in the fall of the year,
“I’m a firm believer in introducing microbes into a fertilizer program. I run tests on the soil and work with one guy out of Minnesota and several local agronomists. They run tests for me in our effort to balance microbes for better soil health.”
– Jesse James Teal
there was a lot of crop irrigation going on just before harvest. I was running a couple of irrigators. About 50 percent of my fields are under irrigation.
Do you have siblings or other family members who work on the farm and in what capacity? My mom still helps on the farm and keeps everyone in line. She’s the hardest worker of any of us, and at 77 years old, is active and still loves to hunt.
How many employees do you have, and how about temp workers during planting and harvest? I have one fulltime worker and a couple part-time guys right now, and I’m going to be down to one, probably, in the spring. I usually hire one extra guy to help in the fall, though we could use more. The labor market is tight.
Ideally, for the farm to run efficiently, I could use a total of 10-12 workers
continued on pg. 12
for potato harvest. I’ve been hiring locally, but as times are getting more challenging as far as labor, I’ve looked to different places in and out of the country to get help.
I recently traveled with Steve Tatro from T.I.P. Inc. to Michigan so I could see a new Raytec optical sorter in action. There’s a farm over there that eliminated eight employees through the purchase of an optical sorter. I’ve been looking into it. If I could afford it, I’d have one ordered for next fall. The prices of parts, equipment and labor are outrageous.
With this being the planting issue of the Badger Common’Tater, have you started preparing for the 2025 growing season, and if so, in what ways? I just got done grading the 2024 crop in late January and now I’m prepping—we’ll pressure wash and
disinfect our facility to get it ready for bringing in seed, order seed, order fertilizer, and maintain equipment for spring.
I put up a warehouse 8 years ago, and the new facility holds 60,000 hundredweight of potatoes, so there’s always work to do in loading, shipping, cleaning and maintaining the buildings and equipment.
Did you always know you wanted to be full-time on the farm, Jesse, or what swayed you to take over the family farm? Yeah, I always had the itch to farm. The government regulations and lack of help make you wonder sometimes why you’re doing
Left: Not only did they grow potatoes on the old Teal family farmstead, but they also grilled and ate them right in the field.
RIght: Jesse James Teal’s dad, Jim, proudly stands in front of the barn he had moved onto the farm, painted and shingled. It features all hand-hewn lumber.
what you do. But it was still a good move.
What’s your favorite part of growing potatoes and vegetables in Antigo, Wisconsin? Working the soil up in the spring of the year—there’s something about that fresh dirt smell. Combine that with the appreciation of harvesting a crop in the fall, seeing
Jesse James Teal has a Red Angus cow/calf operation and makes and bales quite a bit of hay, working with Mitch Nelson on roughly 700-1,000 acres of hay a year.
it come out of the ground, that’s why I love farming.
I also love calving the Red Angus in the spring. There’s nothing better than that.
As far as Antigo, Wisconsin, Mike Baginski is my cousin and the same age as I am, and all the other potato growers like Dan Wild, Keith Wolter, Chad Fleischman, Adam Bula, and the Schroeder and Mattek boys. I know all the growers in Antigo and their dads and families. John Hartman, for one, married my cousin. I won’t name everyone, but you get the point.
I work with a couple neighbors, swap land with them, and then I also rent land. I have a good relationship with my neighbors. We all work together, but they don’t grow potatoes, and I do, so we swap land for crop rotation. Who are your customers for potatoes and vegetables? I usually ship potatoes to two re-packers each year, with Larry Alsum of Alsum
Farms & Produce taking around 90 percent of my crop. I work with Rod and Richard Gumz of Gumz Muck Farms, the Okray’s, and I have worked with the Bushman’s,
all the big packers.
Corn and soybeans go to feed mills, specifically ADM and River Country Co-Op.
continued on pg. 14
The harvest photo shows Jesse James Teal in the tractor and his dad, Jim, on top of the harvester at left, and Jamie Adamski at right.
How do you maintain a good working relationship with them? It comes down to honesty between me and Larry. We work together through the ups and downs knowing that not every year is a perfect crop. Anything growing in the dirt is going to be challenging, so we talk through
it as best as we can.
How many total acres do you farm, and do you rent land? I farm around 600 acres of potatoes and vegetables, and of that, I own 500. I farm on rented ground, and if you add hay and everything in, I probably work
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around 1,500 acres, mostly around this area. I make and custom bale quite a bit of hay, working with Mitch
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Above: It took a lot of axles for the round bales to ride on, in 1967, when Jesse James Teal’s dad, Jim, bought the farm from the Yonkee brothers.
Nelson on roughly 700-1,000 acres of hay a year. That takes our summer. Looking ahead to 2025, will you do anything differently as far as planting, growing and harvesting than in 2024? I’m always trying different fertilizers and potato varieties. I’m constantly attempting to find the next golden potato or the next hot potato, because there’s no one yellow yet that everyone likes and can get behind.
What I’ve been noticing is that the newer potato varieties are finicky regarding fertilizer use. Some of the newer varieties of yellows take less fertilizer, so they’re more sensitive to the fertilizer.
There’s one guy I talked to out of New York who works with a lot of varieties, and he changes his fertilizer program according to potato variety. That’s the sort of thing you need to figure out. It’s a never-ending challenge—what fertilizer program is best for what varieties. Some varieties work well in my soil and others in sandy soil.
Have you expanded the farm over the years in acreage, technology, buildings or machinery? Yes, all the above—the equipment is getting bigger and more efficient, and the same thing with buildings regarding new technology and better airflow systems. The bar has been raised in storage technology.
My father started out raising 100 acres of chip stock, so I’ve more than doubled the potato end of the
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business, concentrating on table stock.
Do you want to continue expanding the farm? No, I don’t want to expand because the cost is not in my budget, and I’m 49 years old with no kids. What are your biggest challenges going forward? It sounds like a broken record, but labor—that’s everyone’s problem. Keeping up with food safety regulations is another challenge. The cost is no different for a smaller operation like mine than it is for a big operation, so it’s proportionally higher for me.
What about your father’s legacy do you hope to carry into the future? Keeping the farm going is my main goal. I feel like I have a good group of guys who I work with on all
Above: An old James Teal & Sons delivery truck, with the words “Raw Spuds” painted toward the top of the box, is parked in front of Teal’s Bar. Jesse’s dad, James, ran both the tavern and farm.
ends—from the Antigo growers who I buy all my certified seed from to my neighbors, employees and the packers and feed mills where I sell potatoes and vegetables.
Dad built this up from nothing, so I’m proud of what he accomplished in his life. Literally, he started with nothing and eventually had a successful farm and a booming bar business. The bar in Deerbrook is still open. It’s Held’s bar now, with the current owner, Chris Held, buying it from my uncle. So, I guess Dad’s legacy
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Growing Alongside Potatoes & Vegetables
Hammer-Lok was born out of an opportunity to improve how agricultural buildings were being constructed
By Joe Kertzman, managing editor, Badger Common’Tater
Hammer-Lok is an agriculturespecialized division of Hammers Construction, a full-service construction company based in Perham, Minnesota. Hammers Construction has been serving clients in agriculture since its inception in 1956.
Today, Hammer-Lok provides fullservice design, construction and maintenance of produce storage, food processing, cooler/freezer, equipment storage and other agricultural buildings throughout the United States and Canada.
“Since we’re relatively new to the industry, specifically Wisconsin, people are still getting to know us and the services we offer,” says Jordan Vaughan, vice president of sales and marketing and a project manager for Hammer-Lok.
“Right now, our focus is on the potato market, but we’re excited to meet other growers and industry professionals as we look to grow and expand into other areas,” Vaughan explains.
Hammer-Lok mainly specializes in metal building construction, including roll-formed arch buildings, which offer durability and flexibility, as well
Above: The arch-style building constructed by Hammer-Lok in Central Minnesota is a potato storage facility with a work alley.
Left: The envelope-style building is shown under construction by Hammer-Lok.
as pre-engineered metal buildings. However, building materials are not limited to metal.
“We’ve also built a variety of wood structures and pre-cast concrete facilities. Every project is different,” Vaughan relates, “so we choose what material is best based on the needs and goals of our clients, ensuring we deliver a solid, long-lasting building every time.”
Vaughan emphasizes that HammerLok specializes in building highquality potato storage buildings, and Wisconsin, he says, plays a key role in that business. “Our customer base in Wisconsin is incredible,” Vaughan remarks, “and the vegetable market is thriving and continuing to grow. We feel truly blessed to be part of it all.”
After years of working on building upgrades and maintenance for existing facilities, and noticing some common design issues, the company saw an opportunity to grow and improve how the buildings were constructed. That’s when HammerLok was born, embarking on its first ground-up storage project in 2014.
GROWING BEYOND ITS ROOTS
“Our main focus has always been to take care of our customers in the Midwest, where we got our start first and foremost,” Vaughan stresses.
“Over the years,” he adds, “many of those same loyal customers have helped us grow beyond our roots and expand across the country! We’ve had the privilege of working on projects from Canada to Arizona, Michigan to Nebraska and we’re always excited to take on new projects anywhere across the country.”
Above: Hammer-Lok built this potato washline facility in southern Arizona.
continued on pg. 18
Derived from Meristem Culture
Left to right: Sid, John, Jonathan, Carl, Nick and Cliff.
Vaughan says Hammer-Lok prides itself in being a design/build general contractor offering new ground-up facilities and providing maintenance to existing buildings.
“Our approach is all about bringing everyone together from the start, collaborating closely with our customers to make sure we understand their needs and that
the entire team is aligned towards the same end goal: delivering a successful project and satisfied customers,” he states.
The Hammer-Lok customer base in Wisconsin is growing, with the company establishing relationships and recently enjoying the opportunity, in 2024, to provide highquality potato storage buildings for
the local area.
“Working with our in-house design team, we can come up with a solution for any project,” Vaughan promises. “No project is too big or too small. If you have
Above: With four Hammer-Lok potato storage buildings shown in the foreground, a northern Minnesota Lamb Weston French fry processing plant lies in the background.
a project in mind, we would love the opportunity to work together and find the best solution for your specific needs.”
Headquartered in Minnesota, Hammer-Lok is surrounded by a plethora of facilities, many of which are in the food and agricultural sectors. The company has had the opportunity to build a diverse range of facilities, including cheese plants, freezer warehouses, pet food production sites, candy manufacturing, and potato chip factories and warehouses.
“Since every project is unique, we don’t stick to a one-size-fits-all approach,” Vaughan says. “Whether it’s the style, size of the building, specific design requirements, or owner requests, we tailor everything to fit the project.”
“Choosing Hammer-Lok means you’ll receive personalized service every step of the way,” he concludes. “From day one, you’ll have clear and consistent communication with our entire project team. We make sure your needs are met, and your input is always valued in every decision we make.”
Above and Left: Potato bins are filled in a Hammer-Lok storage building.
Positive Energy Was Palpable at 75th Annual Industry Show
WPVGA & UW Division of Extension saw record attendance at Grower Education Conference & Industry Show
By Joe Kertzman, managing editor, Badger Common’Tater
The Wisconsin potato and vegetable growing industry came out in full force for the 75th Annual Industry Show, February 4-6, 2025, at the Holiday Inn & Convention Center, in Stevens Point.
Unique as a dual effort between the Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association (WPVGA) and University of Wisconsin (UW) Division of Extension, the combined Grower Education Conference &
Industry Show features researcher presentations and an established tradeshow under one roof.
Those in attendance would not be surprised to hear WPVGA Program Assistant Julie Braun say she had more requests for registrations and related materials before the show started than she has ever had in the past.
One of the most respected potato conferences in the nation, the Industry Show is a showcase for the state’s established potato and
Above: The Holiday Inn & Convention Center in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, was the place to be, February 4-6, for the 75th Annual Industry Show.
Left: Stevens Point Mayor Mike Wiza welcomed guests, thanked them for holding the show in the city he represents, and encouraged visitors to explore the area’s parks, trails, restaurants, breweries, distilleries, and other businesses.
vegetable production area, and a chance for agribusinesses to present their products and services.
Growers and industry professionals from across the country traverse the show floor, meeting with associates, networking, and forging new relationships, but also taking in a full slate of reports on current issues affecting farmers everywhere.
Stevens Point Mayor Mike Wiza was there to welcome guests, thank them for holding the show in the city he represents, and encourage visitors to explore the area’s parks, trails, restaurants, breweries, distilleries, and other businesses.
Now in its second year, the Student Leadership Development Workshop is a fantastic chance for selected
From left to right, Dale Warner and Nate Bolton of Warner & Warner,
welcomed a visit from John Hopfensperger and Mike Carter, Bushmans’ Inc., to their Industry Show booth.
Right: During the Industry Show, Stephanie Hoff (left) of “Midwest Farm Report” conducted a live interview with Kevin Gallenberg, manager of the Langlade Agricultural Research Station and a field inspector with the Wisconsin Seed Potato Certification Program.
continued on pg. 22
Contact: Jim or John
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Left:
Inc.
Positive Energy Was Palpable at 75th Annual Industry Show. . . continued from pg. 21
university, technical college, and high school students to attend the Grower Education Conference & Industry Show free of charge.
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
This year, students met with Natasha Paris, UW Extension regional crops educator, and Niles Franc, field inspector for the Wisconsin Seed Potato Certification Program, for an introduction to the industry and continental breakfast before hitting the tradeshow floor to meet with
exhibitors and learn about the vast business and career opportunities available to them.
The students attended the “Bringing Value to Agriculture” session consisting of five 10-minute presentations given by select exhibitors who apply for the opportunity to discuss new technologies, tools, services and approaches their companies offer that benefit the industry.
They also enjoyed “Agriculture 101”
Left: Displayed at the American Drone booth during the Industry Show is a large aerial application model. The company offers drones that can hold 13-18.5 gallons per load and fly 22-40 miles per hour.
Right: John Mesko, chief executive officer (CEO) of the Potato Sustainability Alliance, discussed “The Ecosystem Elements of Potato Sustainability” at the Grower Education Conference & Industry Show. He said, “Every topic on the Grower Education Conference agenda is a sustainability issue. Sustainability not only has to be about common sense, but also work for farmers, recognize past and current achievements, prevent accusations of greenwashing, and be legitimate.”
Above and Right: A research agronomist with Walther Farms of Three Rivers, Michigan, Karl Ritchie presented “Managing Insecticide Resistance in Colorado Potato Beetle Through Collaboration with Our Neighbors” during the Grower Education Conference on Wednesday, February 5.
presentations by UW-Madison basefunded researchers in the areas of “Basics of Potato Diseases,” “Fertility Fundamentals,” and “Basics of Potato Irrigation Management.”
The Student Leadership Development Workshop is a valuable opportunity to expose developing professionals—
the future workforce—to the Wisconsin potato and vegetable industry, and a chance for business leaders to showcase their companies, areas of focus and career opportunities.
Ag businesses and professionals populating booths on the soldout show floor meet face-to-face with growers, dealers, researchers, brokerages, and other attendees
COMPLETE CROP CONSULTANTS
Above Left: Clover Spacek (left), general manager of Eagle River Seed Farm, paid a visit to Justin Dagen of Dagen Heritage Farms at his Industry Show booth.
Above Right: National Potato Council CEO Kam Quarles provided a legislative policy update for lunch attendees, Tuesday, February 4, during the Grower Education Conference & Industry Show.
Right: Ryan Bulgrin (left), sales rep for Gumz Farms, conversed with Marty Kolpack of ThorPack, LLC during the Industry Show.
Positive Energy Was Palpable at 75th Annual Industry Show. . .
continued from pg. 23
THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR SPONSORS!
Premier Event Sponsors:
Progressive Ag
Tuesday Lunch: AgCountry Farm Credit Services
Compeer Financial
Wednesday Lunch: Verbruggen Palletizing Solutions
Banquet Beverage: Volm Companies
Reception Beverage: American Drone
Forest Construction Inc.
J.W. Mattek & Sons
RPE Inc.
TriEst Ag Group
Associate Division Breakfast: AgWorld Support Systems, AMVAC, Baker Tilly, Calcium Products, Nelson’s Vegetable Storage Systems, Inc., Warner & Warner, Inc., and T H Agri-Chemicals, Inc.
Supporting Sponsors: ThorPack, McCain Foods
BMO Bank, Gary Bula Farms, Inc., The Little Potato Company
Allen Supply Company, BankFirst, Big Iron Equipment, Bula Land Company, EXIT Realty CW, M3 Insurance, Modern Produce Equipment, Northwestern Mutual, Ponderosa Pines, Reabe Spraying Service, and Vista Financial Strategies
to show off the latest in products, machinery, technologies, and services.
The Industry Show, including the parking lot outside of the Holiday Inn & Convention Center, provides a venue to exhibit new tractors, implements, equipment, controls, technologies, and products that help potato and vegetable growers become more efficient farmers who use less water, fewer inputs, and
Left: Dr. Peter DiGennaro, assistant professor, UW-Madison Department of Plant Pathology, engaged Grower Education Conference attendees in a discussion on “Advancing Nematology and Bridging Basic Science to Agricultural Innovations.”
environmentally friendly practices. Exhibitors include implement manufacturers and dealers; irrigation
Right: From left to right, Steve Worzella, Worzella & Sons, Inc., visited Bruce Andersen and Aaron Burke at the Atticus, LLC booth during the Industry Show.
Jed Colquhoun, professor, UW-Madison Department of Horticulture, asked “Can NonChemical Alternatives Overcome Herbicide Resistance and Regulations?” during a Grower Education Conference Presentation.
companies; banks and credit unions; insurance agencies; the technology sector; fertilizer, chemical and biochemical companies; ag associations; building contractors; seed suppliers; crop consultants and more.
GROWER ED CONFERENCE
A grand total of 375 people preregistered for one, two, or all three days of the Grower Education Conference, taking full advantage of informative sessions covering issues directly affecting potato and
Top Left: Two veterans of the potato industry, Larry Alsum (left) of Alsum Farms & Produce and Dale Nelson, Nelson’s Vegetable Storage Systems, caught up with each other at the Industry Show.
Top Right: Chakradhar Mattupalli of Washington State University explained the “Effect of Location on the Development of Silver Scurf of Potato” for Grower Education Conference attendees. continued on pg. 26
Rear Wheel
Box Fillers
Combi Units
Enduro Harvester
Positive Energy Was Palpable at 75th Annual Industry Show. . . continued from pg. 25
During lunch on Tuesday, WPVGA Executive Director Tamas Houlihan, left in both images, honored Charlie Mattek of J.W. Mattek & Sons (first image) and Alex Okray (second image) from Okray Family Farms with plaques in appreciation for their service on the WPVGA Board of Directors. Mattek and Okray each completed their second terms on the Board. At a brief meeting held immediately following the WPVGA Annual Meeting, February 6, in Stevens Point, the Board of Directors elected John Bustamante of Wysocki Family Farms as its president for 2025, Wendy Dykstra from Alsum Farms & Produce as vice president, Josh Knights, Heartland Farms, Inc., as secretary, and John Hopfensperger of Bushmans’ Inc. to the treasurer position. The rest of the WPVGA Board of Directors includes Mike Baginski, Baginski Farms, Randy Fleishauer from Plover River Farms, Brian Lee of Okray Family Farms, J.D. Schroeder, Schroeder Bros. Farms, Inc., and Jeff Suchon from Bushman’s Riverside Ranch.
vegetable farmers and ag businesses. With the help of the WPVGA Grower Education Planning Committee, Dr. Russell L. Groves put together a comprehensive, timely, and information-packed lineup of research presentations.
Topics included managing potato tuber necrotic viruses, understanding and minimizing black dot, integrated pest and weed management, potato breeding and genetics, reducing nitrate losses, enhancing early season detection of late blight in potato crops, and managing insect resistance in Colorado Potato Beetle.
Researchers discussed control of onion maggot and thrips, improving gravity and quality in a chipping potato, evaluation of nitrate leaching and groundwater recharge, precision technologies in laser weeding, herbicide resistance and regulation, crop rotation, potato nutrient management, and early generation seed potato advancement.
Rob Schaefer, an agronomist and founder of Mid-Michigan Agronomy, presented “A New Way to Look at In-Season Testing for Verticillium and Lesion Nematodes; and WPVGA basefunded researcher Jed Colquhoun covered “Implications of the Newly
Enacted Endangered Species Act.”
Dr. Zsofia Szendrei, professor in the Department of Entomology at Michigan State University-East Lansing, prepared a presentation on “Alternatives to Neonicotinoid Insecticides—Refinement of IPM Programs in Potato.”
In addition to Wisconsin’s own scientific community, researchers included those traveling from Cornell University, Michigan State, the University of Idaho and Washington State University.
PROCEEDINGS AVAILABLE
The Proceedings of the Annual WPVGA & UW Madison Division of Extension Grower Education Conference are now online. To access a complete index of the 2025 Grower Ed Conference proceedings, as well as .pdf versions of the presentations, research reports and poster abstracts, visit https://wpvga.conferencespot. org/event-data.
The Wisconsin Seed Potato Improvement Association and WPVGA Associate Division held their annual reception on the show floor, Tuesday evening, including delicious appetizers and refreshments. The WPVGA Associate Division
Banquet, Wednesday evening, is the premier social event in the Wisconsin potato industry, including a social hour with appetizers and refreshments, dinner, Industry and WPVGA Hall of Fame awards, and entertainment.
In addition to the annual Industry Awards and WPVGA Hall of Fame induction, drawings for cash prizes totaled $1,600, including 10 $100 cash prizes, a $100 Slumberland gift card, and a $500 grand prize winner whose name was drawn after the awards banquet and during the evening’s entertainment— Wisconsin’s own New Dueling Pianos.
Positive energy from the Grower Education Conference & Industry Show spilled over into the Awards Banquet, while the entertainment and camaraderie that went along with it were a nice way to cap off another record-breaking year.
Thank you to all sponsors who made the 2025 UW Extension & WPVGA Grower Education Conference & Industry Show possible! Please see the ad thanking sponsors on page 33.
WPVGA Honors Industry Stalwarts with Coveted Awards
Ag industry professionals who’ve gone above and beyond recognized at the 2025 banquet
The WPVGA Associate Division Awards Banquet has earned its reputation over the years as the premier social event in the Wisconsin potato industry.
A fitting way to cap off the Grower Education Conference & Industry Show, the Awards Banquet recognizes those who go above and beyond in furthering the causes of the Wisconsin potato and vegetable growing industry.
Taking place Wednesday evening, February 5, a deserving group of award recipients was recognized.
The WPVGA Associate Division Business Person of the Year Award was presented to Matt Selenske, Allied Coop’s Pest Pros Division. Selenske grew up in the potato industry on his family farm in Coloma. There he learned from his father, Robert, and uncles, Ron and Charlie, about how to raise and care for potatoes.
From an early age, Matt’s jobs on the farm included checking seed spacing, quality control on the end of the seed cutter (with a knife), poking potatoes on the back of a Lockwood pick planter and playing good potato-bad potato on the grading line. In high school, he spent many of his summers scouting the family potatoes and helping make pesticide decisions.
After a few years, Matt’s father hired Pest Pros to consult for him, and, in turn, the company hired Matt as a summer intern. This is where Matt found his calling. He worked for Pest Pros through the summers of his college career while he attended UW-Oshkosh as a plant science major. After college, he took a job as a
farm agronomist for a multi-state potato farm. After a five-month stint growing potatoes in China, Matt was promoted to farm manager in northern Indiana. Then, he moved to Missouri to work again as an agronomist on a chip farm before finally returning home to Wisconsin.
In the spring of 2010, Randy Van Haren sought Matt out to have him return to Pest Pros. Matt enjoys working with many of the same growers he grew up with and worked alongside as a young adult. As Randy sold Pest Pros to Allied Cooperative and eventually retired, Matt was promoted to division manager, where he remains to this day.
Matt and his team at Pest Pros consult with over 30 growers on 40,000 acres of potatoes, carrots, corn, soybeans, cabbage, and most Central Sands. Pest Pros soil samples
Matt Selenske
Positive Energy Was Palpable at 75th Annual Industry Show. . . continued from pg. 27
50,000-75,000 acres a year for Allied customers and the Pest Pros nematode lab processes early dying samples from over 20 states.
Matt always strives to continue the legacy of service that was started by Randy back in the 1980’s. He has always done his best to treat his customers like their farm was his, making the best management decisions with the information he has available.
He understands the stakes of wasted applications, missed opportunities, and yield robbers. He is constantly asking questions of his peers and growers to help get closer to solving issues as they materialize. He is diligent in understanding new products because he knows he is a resource for the people he works with at Allied as well as his customers.
Matt was awarded the Certified Crop Advisor of the Year Award, in 2024, and has served on the WPVGA Associate Division Board of Directors since 2021, currently as president.
Wendy Dykstra of Alsum Farms & Produce was named the WPVGA
Volunteer of the Year. Dykstra is the chief operating officer at Alsum Farms & Produce, Inc., a five-decade-strong grower and shipper of potatoes, re-packer of onions and a wholesale distributor of a full line of produce headquartered in Friesland.
Wendy has served in her role for 14 years, working in many aspects of the business from strategy and farm operations to accounting and
logistics. She’s been a catalyst of growth in her family’s vertically integrated family-owned farm, packing facility and logistics company.
Today, Alsum Farms raises 3,000 acres of Wisconsin Healthy Grown® certified potatoes, along with pumpkins, in two farming locations of Arena and Adams.
Wendy has furthered her leadership development and service to the potato industry and community. She serves as the treasurer on the WPVGA Board of Directors and is a member of the Promotions Committee. She also serves on the Potatoes USA Board and is an Executive Committee member serving on the Finance & Policy Committee.
Wendy serves on the Potato Leadership, Education, and Advancement Foundation (Potato LEAF) Board. Additionally, she has served on the National Potato Council Finance & Trade Affairs Committee since 2020. She is a 2019 Potato Industry Leadership Institute graduate.
She has been a Wisconsin Institute of Certified Public Accountants member
Wendy Dykstra
Charlie and Kelly Mattek
from 2010-present; a Sunday school teacher from 2018-present; a coleader for the Welsh Prairie Livewires 4-H Club, served on the Foundation for Christian Education in Central Wisconsin Board from 2020-present; and served on the Randolph Christian School Board from 2018-2020.
Wendy was a Class of 2019 Produce Business Forty under 40 Award recipient and received the WPVGA President’s Award in 2015 and the WPVGA Young Grower of the Year Award in 2022.
Wendy grew up next to the family’s business and followed in her father Larry’s footsteps, graduating from UW-Whitewater with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in accounting and a Master of Professional Accountancy degree.
She and her husband, Neil, have two daughters, Reagan (12) and Riley (9). Outside of work, Wendy enjoys spending time with family and friends and supporting her daughters with their sports and activities.
This year’s WPVGA Young Grower of the Year Award went to Charlie Mattek from J.W. Mattek & Sons.
Charlie is a sixth-generation potato grower at J.W. Mattek & Sons, Inc., a seed potato farm in Deerbrook. Charlie studied agribusiness at Fox Valley Technical College. He also studied welding at Northcentral Technical College.
He has served for six years on the WPVGA Board of Directors, including as president of the WPVGA in 2024. He also served on the Wisconsin Seed Potato Improvement Association Board, including one year as president.
Since the 1800’s, farming has been a way of life for the Mattek family. James W. Mattek operated a dairy and potato business. His sons, Eugene and James J. Mattek, concentrated their efforts on potatoes and were early pioneers in the certified seed program.
In 1960, the farm became incorporated and continued to raise quality foundation and certified seed potatoes.
James J. Mattek’s sons, John, Jim and Joe, currently own and operate the 1,500-acre potato farm on a three-year crop rotation with oats and clover. The Matteks are always looking for new and
promising varieties.
The future of the Mattek farm looks bright, with the family’s sixth generation fully invested in the certified seed potato operation.
Charlie and his wife, Kelly, enjoy hunting, ice fishing and snowmobiling. As the out-going 2024
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WPVGA Board president, Charlie presented the President’s Award to his wife, Kelly Mattek, in grateful appreciation of her support, guidance and love.
The WPVGA Researcher of the Year Award was presented to Jed Colquhoun, a UW-Madison professor and extension specialist and integrated pest management (IPM) program director. His work is focused on integrated weed management strategies in commercial fruit and vegetable production that are practical while minimizing inputs and protecting the surrounding environment.
Jed has served in this role at UWMadison since 2005, and prior to that, was a faculty member at Oregon State University for five years in a similar position.
He has held the Friday Chair for Vegetable Production Research and the Gottschalk Chair for Cranberry Research. Jed has also served in several administrative roles over his career, most recently as Interim
Agriculture and Natural Resource Program Leader for UW Extension and Associate Dean for Extension and Outreach for the UW-Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences.
Jed’s current research program in potato and vegetable production can be described in three broad areas: evaluation and refinement
of new, reduced-risk herbicides and use patterns to overcome herbicide resistant weeds; development of alternative weed management strategies ranging from plant growth regulators to laser weeders that can be integrated into existing herbicide programs; and evaluation of ways to reduce the risk of off-target pesticide movement to the nearby environment and groundwater.
This research is then disseminated to growers via innovative outreach programs, such as the IPM YouTube channel that has had over 2.5 million views.
Additionally, in 2024, Jed and colleagues were awarded and created the Centrals Sands Rural Partnership Institute to find practical ways to protect groundwater from nitrate and pesticide leaching risk.
The group looks forward to a continued partnership with the agricultural community to develop feasible groundwater management options in local, on-farm research that can be readily adopted in potato and rotational crop production.
By the numbers over his career so far, Jed has been awarded 158 grants
Jeb Barzen
Jed Colquhoun
totaling nearly $18 million, published over 60 peer-reviewed articles and books, advised or served on the committees for 46 graduate students, served on over 90 public committees and advisory boards, and delivered over 650 outreach presentations.
He describes the greatest honor of his work as the relationship and collaboration with the grower community. He focuses on embedded outreach, where he learns the most by becoming involved in efforts that are meaningful to and driven by growers, ensuring that his research and outreach efforts are grounded in practical reality behind the farmgate. Recent examples of service in the potato industry include a longstanding advisory role for the Healthy Grown potato program and service alongside potato growers and crop consultants on the Department of Natural Resources Technical Advisory Committee for Groundwater Quality.
Jeb Barzen received the AgriCommunicator Award for excellence in communication and outstanding service to the potato and vegetable industry. Jeb says he’s a duck biologist who worked at the International Crane Foundation (ICF) for most of his career and spent much of that time working with agricultural communities, or other types of private landowners, worldwide, to advance stewardship that might better us all.
Jeb explains that his hodgepodge of divergent attributes does have coherency. Whether he is studying waterfowl while working at the IFC, being an American working in postwar Vietnam, or working with potato growers, he has come to realize that growers, landowners and ecologists all want to be good stewards of the land, regardless of ideology.
The real question, he says, is not if we should be good stewards, it is how to be good stewards of a vibrant,
ecologically sustainable business.
Jeb has worked with the Healthy Grown program nearly since its inception, and this project embodies the process of becoming a better steward for all of us, himself included.
“Meeting the Healthy Grown standard to manage your own farm in its entirety is challenging,” Jeb says, “and it is not a linear process. It evolves over time, requires outside input, and the development of new tools and trust.”
“Afterall,” he reasons, “Healthy Grown growers allow me to light their prairies, savannas and wetlands on fire—prescribed fire that prevents damaging wildfire, stores carbon in the soil, increases groundwater recharge, cleans water, benefits pollinators and recovers species that otherwise would decline.”
Jeb says it has been an honor to work with Healthy Grown growers and the WPVGA staff over these four decades and he looks forward to seeing what they may accomplish next.
Agricultural Research Station (HARS).
“I had so many mentors over the years, it is hard to count them all,” Sytsma said after learning he’d be receiving the Industry Appreciation Award. “The positive impact they made in my life is hard to measure,” he added, “and makes me think that I can do more to pass it on, which I look forward to doing.”
As farm manager, Paul’s responsibilities include crop and research management at HARS, which is comprised of 412 acres in the Central Sands.
The focus of the research station is on irrigated potato and processing vegetable research, and Paul works closely with many UW-Madison professors and private industry professionals to make sure their research and production objectives are met.
He supervises staff carrying out the day-to-day operations on the farm and makes sure field conditions are as uniform as possible for conducting research.
Paul Sytsma
with at the Hancock Agricultural Research Station over the years and elsewhere.”
“Most importantly,” he adds, “I would like to thank my Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who has given me so much that I am very grateful for. All honor and glory go to him.”
During dinner and after the awards ceremony, Wisconsin’s own New Dueling Pianos entertained guests. During the entertainment, cash prizes were awarded to attendees lucky enough to have their names drawn at the banquet. Positive Energy Was Palpable at 75th Annual Industry Show. . . continued from pg. 31
A special WPVGA Appreciation Award went to Paul Sytsma. When Paul was young, he had a fascination with agricultural equipment, whether it was new or old. His interest in agronomy and all related fields continues to develop to this day as farm manager of the Hancock
Paul, who also serves on the Agronomy Committee of the Food + Farm Exploration Center, says, “I am grateful for the influence of my family, especially my mom and dad, as well as Coon Allen, Charles Church, and all the people that I have worked
2025 INDUSTRY AWARDS RECIPIENTS
Associate Division Business Person of the Year: Matt Selenske
WPVGA Volunteer of the Year: Wendy Dykstra
WPVGA Young Grower of the Year: Charlie Mattek
WPVGA Researcher of the Year: Jed Colquhoun
WPVGA Board President’s Award: Kelly Mattek
Agri-Communicator Award: Jeb Barzen
WPVGA Industry Appreciation Awards: Paul Sytsma
Recognition of out-going WPVGA Board Members: Charlie Mattek and Alex Okray
WPVGA Hall of Fame Induction: Kevin Bula and Dianne Somers
Positive Energy Was Palpable at 75th Annual Industry Show. . . continued from pg. 32
Dianne Somers and Kevin Bula Enter the WPVGA Hall of Fame
Dianne Somers, co-owner of Plover River Farms Alliance, LLC, and Kevin Bula, longtime inspector with the Wisconsin Seed Potato Certification Program, were inducted into the WPVGA Hall of Fame at the industry’s Annual Awards Banquet held February 5, 2025, in Stevens Point.
The WPVGA Hall of Fame honors lifetime achievement in the development of the state’s potato industry. It is the intention of the WPVGA to continue to honor individuals who have made significant contributions to the potato industry in Wisconsin by making annual Hall of Fame inductions.
The dedication and involvement in the potato and vegetable industry by Dianne Somers over her lifetime are immeasurable, in time, energy and accomplishments. She is one of the founding members of the Wisconsin Potato Growers Auxiliary (WPGA), which is celebrating its 50th Anniversary in 2025!
A past president of the Auxiliary, Dianne has worked tirelessly on behalf of the industry she loves, and her passion shows through on everything she does. She served on the WPGA Board of Directors for many years and continues to be an active member of the Auxiliary.
She also serves on the WPVGA Water Task Force as well as on the Promotions Committee. She and her husband, Nick, serve on the Spud Bowl Committee, and their efforts have helped make the Spud Bowl an outstanding event while raising thousands of dollars for UW-Stevens Point (UWSP) student scholarships.
Dianne has served on the UWSP Foundation Board of Directors for many years. She is also an Advisory Committee member for the UWSP College of Fine Arts. In 2016, UWSP presented the Mary Ann Nigbor Volunteer of the Year Award to Dianne for service to the university and the potato industry.
Nick and Dianne now provide an annual scholarship to a UWSP student in the Soils Department of the College of Natural Resources.
Dianne has served for many years on the WPVGA Promotions Committee, and along with Nick, has been a strong supporter of the Spudmobile. The Committee undertook years of discussion and research before Nick’s idea of the Spudmobile materialized, but it finally came to fruition and has been a successful promotional tool for the industry over the past decade.
Nick and Dianne were also among the original supporters of the Food + Farm Exploration Center (FFEC), in Plover, serving as co-chairs of the Campaign Committee for the FFEC.
Dianne is a strong supporter of the Healthy Grown program and Plover River Farms has been a Healthy Grown grower since its inception.
Among the awards she has received over the years are the Wisconsin Potato Growers Auxiliary Member of the Year (1988) and the WPVGA AgriCommunicator Award (2015).
Dianne is a continual promoter of the industry. She looks for every opportunity to discuss the benefits of eating potatoes, even with the people sitting next to her on an airplane. Her passion and love are the potato and vegetable industry.
Kevin Bula, who grew up on his
Kevin Bula and Dianne Somers were inducted into the WPVGA Hall of Fame, February 5, each for a lifelong commitment to the Wisconsin potato industry.
family’s small dairy and potato farm in Antigo, applied for a position as an inspector with the Wisconsin Seed Potato Certification Program. Drs. Steve Slack and Bob Slattery “took a chance” on Kevin.
As Kevin states: “I was fortunate to learn the certification and inspection process from Slattery and long-time inspectors Wayne Guyant and Len Sorenson.”
“I always viewed myself as being seed grower oriented,” he adds, “and always tried to be fair, impartial, and consistent in my decisions, but never forgetting the reason for certification in the first place, to protect the commercial potato industry and never compromise the university, the certification program or myself.”
“Potatoes have been good to me,” Bula continues. “Working in the seed program for 45 years provided a fair wage, opened doors for travel, and most importantly, it introduced me to some great potato people, people who have become some of my best friends.”
“The winter test plots in Homestead, Florida,” he says, “were a lot of work but also a lot of great times. The evenings were often spent in friendly banter, each of us promoting our own state as being the best, but of course, Wisconsin was the best. It was a special time, and we became a special seed potato fraternity.”
Bula has received several awards and honors over the years, including the WPVGA’s Industry Appreciation Award in 2009 and again in 2012, as well as the Wisconsin Seed Potato Industry Leadership Award in 2012 for outstanding service and leadership to the Wisconsin seed potato industry.
Congratulations, Kevin and Dianne, on your induction into the WPVGA Hall of Fame.
Complete List of WPVGA Hall of Fame Members and Years Inducted
1990
Joseph L. Bushman
Ben H. Diercks
Myron Mommsen
Edward J. Okray
John Okray
W. James Prosser
Lelah Starks
James D. Swan
Barron G. West
Felix Zeloski
1991
Henry M. Darling
Robert H. Diercks
Melvin E. Luther
Albert M. Pavelski
Henry L. Woodward
1992
Lawrence Krogwold
Michael Patrykus
John A. Schoenemann
Clarence Worzella
Louis E. Wysocki
1993
Champ Bean Tanner
Ernest Bushman
Melvin Hugo Rominsky
Lawrence (Larry) Lapcinski
Wayne Brittenham
1994
James Burns, Sr.
Myron D. Groskopp
James Wencel
(J.W.) Mattek
Hal Roberts
1995
A.F. (Bill) Hoeft
Bennett Katz
Eugene Katz
Donn “Hokey” West
1996
Charles M. Creuziger
Alois (Al) Okray
Joseph Jacob Okray
Stanley J. Peloquin
1997
Anton (Tony) Gallenberg
Howard F. Chilewski
1998
Dave Curwen
Francis Gilson
Emil Perzinski
1999
John J. Bushman
James G. Milward
2000
Dean Kincaid
Henry V. Sowinski
2001
(Presented in Feb. 2002)
James J. Mattek
Francis X. Wysocki
2002
(Presented in Feb. 2003)
Robert Hougas
Gerri Okray
2003
(Presented in Jan. 2004}
Larry Binning
Peter Wallendal
2004
(Presented in Feb. 2005)
Jerome Bushman
Harold Sargent
2005
(Presented in Feb. 2006)
Ed Wade
Dennis Zeloski
2006
(Presented in Feb. 2007)
Don Kichefski
2007
(Presented in Feb. 2008)
Walt Stevenson
2008
(Presented in Feb. 2009)
Victor Anthony
Jeffrey Wyman
2009
(Presented in Feb. 2010)
John Landa
Robert Stodola
2010
(Presented in Feb. 2011)
John H. Schroeder
August Winkler
2011
(Presented in Feb. 2012)
Fred and Kathryne Meyer
Howard “Skip” Tenpas
2012
(Presented in Feb. 2013)
Steve Diercks
Mike Finnessy
2013
(Presented in Feb. 2014)
Myron Soik
2014
(Presented in Feb. 2015)
Robert Helbach
2015
(Presented in Feb. 2016)
Charles Cofer
Robert Guenthner
2016
(Presented in Feb. 2017)
Donald Hamerski
Richard Pavelski
2017
(Presented in Feb. 2018)
Nick Somers
2018
(Presented in Feb. 2019)
Dr. Keith Kelling
2019
(Presented in Feb. 2020)
Larry Alsum
Dick Okray
2020
(Presented in Feb. 2021)
Marv Worzella
Norm Worzella
2021
(Presented in Feb. 2022)
Paul Miller
2022
(Presented in Feb. 2023)
Randy Van Haren
2023
(Presented in Feb. 2024)
Ron Krueger
2024
(Presented in Feb. 2025)
Kevin Bula
Dianne Somers
Dianne Somers (second from left) celebrated her induction into the WPVGA Hall of Fame with her immediate family, from left to right, Doug Somers, Nick Somers and Heidi Foote.
Marketplace
Health Grown® Featured on Award-Winning TV Show
“Wisconsin Foodie” interviews potato growers for educational, independent series
By Dana Rady, WPVGA Director of Promotions and Consumer Education
Since the mid-1990s, the Wisconsin Healthy Grown® Program has put the Badger State on the map, and more specifically, the state’s potato growers.
Ahead of its time at its inception, the program allowed Wisconsin potato growers to speak on an even
greater level with their customers about sustainable ways in which they produce potatoes to feed families daily.
The Healthy Grown Program helped Wisconsin become known as the “green state.”
Thirty years later, the state continues to see value in upholding such a program and everything it represents, especially amidst ever-evolving requirements within respective markets.
An educational and independent series, “Wisconsin Foodie” prides itself on featuring all things Wisconsin and food.
“Wisconsin Foodie” host Luke Zahm is also a James Beard-nominated chef and owner of the “Driftless Café,” in Viroqua. When he’s not in his kitchen, Zahm is in other kitchens and even fields, as he takes viewers on journey after journey of field-to-fork stories, all with ties to Wisconsin.
Above: Healthy Grown® Program growers meet with the “Wisconsin Foodie” production crew during the episode shoot on September 4, 2024.
All images courtesy of Alsum Farms & Produce
GROWER INTERVIEWS
On September 4, 2024, Zahm and the “Wisconsin Foodie” production crew met with a group of Wisconsin Healthy Grown growers at the Hancock Agricultural Research Station (HARS), in Hancock, to get video footage of the group in potato fields and conduct grower interviews for the episode.
Growers brought family members of all ages and representatives from their organizations to HARS so they could showcase Wisconsin’s multigenerational family farms and how vast and diverse the Wisconsin potato and vegetable industry is.
Growers had the opportunity to discuss their farms, crops they produce, the advantages of buying local, their connection to the Wisconsin Healthy Grown Program, and why it’s important and beneficial to consumers.
Healthy Grown potato grower Joe Seis
Grand Marsh, stands
Zahm, host
Other episode highlights included a tour of the operations at Wisconsin Healthy Grown grower and program advocate Alsum Farms & Produce, in Friesland, and a visit to Sterling Farms in Grand Marsh, where Healthy Grown grower Joe Seis shared his story and passion for potatoes.
“Wisconsin Foodie” produces 13 episodes a year that air from January through May and then repeat throughout the week from May
through December. The episodes are available to view on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/user/ wisconsinfoodie.
While one episode is devoted specifically to Wisconsin potatoes, the Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association (WPVGA) also receives a 15-second spot at the beginning and end of every episode, representation on the “Wisconsin Foodie” website, and invitations to
the program’s events, to name a few deliverables from the partnership.
The WPVGA appreciates the opportunity to feature the important and long-standing Healthy Grown program on a valuable and educational program like “Wisconsin Foodie.”
Wisconsin Healthy Grown potato and vegetable grower, and owner of Alsum Farms & Produce, in Friesland, Larry Alsum prepares to speak with “Wisconsin Foodie” Host and Chef Luke Zahm during the episode shoot on September 4, 2024.
Above: Heidi Alsum-Randall sheds light on the Wisconsin potato industry right from the Alsum Farms & Produce packing and grading shed during the episode shoot.
Now News
“The
Little Farmer” Captures Hearts
Fan-favorite Lay’s Super Bowl commercial
By Tyne Morgan, The Daily Scoop,
Farm Journal, Inc.
It was a Super Bowl commercial with a story, and one that sprouted from a real potato growing family in Wisconsin. Frito-Lay and PepsiCo Foods helped put the spotlight on agriculture this Super Bowl Sunday, while also celebrating real farmers.
The Lay’s®/PepsiCo Foods Super Bowl commercial was inspired by a
puts the spotlight on agriculture
real potato farmer, Jeremie Pavelski, his daughter, Charlotte, and wife, Alicia, of Heartland Farms in Hancock, Wisconsin, grower of chipping potatoes.
Jeremie says he was touched by the commercial and proud of how it showcased the work of farmers
continued on pg. 40
Above: A still shot of “The Little Farmer” Lay’s® Super Bowl commercial shows actors playing a farm family enjoying potato chips on their front porch. The girl in the commercial, and family in general, was inspired by Charlotte Pavelski and her parents, Jeremie and Alicia, of Heartland Farms in Hancock, Wisconsin, grower of chipping potatoes for Lay’s and PepsiCo Foods North America. Photo courtesy of PepsiCo Foods North America
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across the United States. “There’s a lot of pride that goes into growing anything in agriculture,” he says. “Most of our potatoes [8,000 acres] go to Lay’s and are specialized for potato chips, which is fairly unique,” he says.
A fifth-generation farmer, producing chipping potatoes for Lay’s is something the Pavelski family has done for 71 years.
Directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Taika Waititi, the Super Bowl commercial that first aired on Sunday, February 9, was inspired by Pavelski’s story after he hosted a farm tour for Frito-Lay one day.
“They thought our story was one that needed to be shared, yet we weren’t expecting it to be shared on the big stage,” he says. “But it was, and it’s an emotional, touching commercial. And it’s very rewarding, especially to be working with such great partners.”
Denise Truelove, senior vice president and general manager, PepsiCo Foods North America, says, “With ‘The Little Farmer,’ we’re proud to take fans on a heartfelt journey that highlights the passion and dedication behind every Lay’s potato chip.”
“Not only does this commercial celebrate the hard work of farming
Left: The Lay’s/PepsiCo Foods Super Bowl commercial was inspired by, from left to right, real potato farmer Jeremie Pavelski, his daughter, Charlotte, and wife, Alicia, of Heartland Farms in Hancock, Wisconsin, grower of chipping potatoes. Photo courtesy of PepsiCo Foods North America
Right: Jeremie and Alicia Pavelski attended the Super Bowl and PepsiCo pregame activities with Denise Truelove (left), senior vice president of marketing and general manager for PepsiCo Foods North America. Photo is a Lay’s public relations asset
families who cultivate potatoes for Lay’s, but it also reminds us of the profound connection we all share to the food we eat,” she continues.
The end card of Super Bowl commercial shows some of the real farm families growing potatoes for Lay’s. Photo courtesy of PepsiCo Foods North America
Jeremie Pavelski watches “The Little Farmer” Super Bowl commercial while at the big game. Photo courtesy of Alicia Pavelski
SPOTLIGHT ON FARMERS
“We cannot think of a better moment to spotlight their contributions than the Super Bowl, the biggest cultural event of the year,” Truelove determines.
Chris Bellinger, chief creative officer, PepsiCo Foods U.S., says, “While ‘The Little Farmer’ is a fictional story, it’s inspired by a real-life farming family. Jeremie Pavelski is a fifth-generation farmer who produces Lay’s potatoes out of his Wisconsin farm alongside his family, including his own ‘little farmer’ daughter.”
“The commercial showcases the pride that goes into producing every single potato–not just on Pavelski’s farm, but on the more than 50 familyowned farms that grow potatoes for Lay’s,” Bellinger states.
The Frito-Lay group was particularly touched by Pavelski’s 7-yearold daughter, Charlotte, who is passionate about the potatoes her family produces.
“Seeing my daughter’s eyes light up when she is going out in the middle of the field and teaching her friends where food comes from. And seeing her when she’s got her boots on, splashing around in the mud, and the joy, the delight on her face when she opens a bag of Lay’s and says, ‘I helped grow this,’ that is honestly one of the most inspirational things,” Pavelski relates.
Charlotte wasn’t the girl who appeared in the television spot, but it’s her story that helped the team at Frito-Lay dream up an extremely touching commercial, while also helping bring to light the fact that those Lay’s potato chips are grown by real farmers on real farms, like Pavelski’s.
“You can see what it took, years of hard work and learning, whether it’s from the growing side of things or from our daughter,” he says. “Just seeing what ends up becoming of this commercial, and how it can really bring joy to a lot of people, I get
a little choked up here, almost brings a tear to my eye.”
One little potato with one big dream was the theme of the commercial. It was also a nod to U.S. family farms and farmers across the country,
families who are the foundation of the food that fuels us all.
To view the commercial, visit https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=gmzklpZFNiE.
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Fortifies fertility programs by enhancing the soil and building a more robust root mass. Contains a proprietary blend of mycorrhizae,
and
Like Charlotte Pavelski, the little girl in the commercial is passionate about agriculture, plants a seed potato, and grows and harvests potatoes as her contribution to the family farm. Photo courtesy of PepsiCo Foods North America
Alsum Farms Introduces Scholarship Program
One-thousand-dollar scholarships will be awarded to 10 high school seniors
Alsum Farms & Produce is proud to announce a new high school senior scholarship program and the awarding of 10 $1,000 scholarships to deserving students to further their education and invest in the future of agriculture.
Graduating high school seniors who have an agriculture or rural background, or plan to major in an agriculture-related field at a community college, university or technical school, are encouraged to apply between now and March 31.
Each scholarship recipient will receive $1,000 for educational tuition expenses. Qualified applicants must be graduating high school seniors
who reside in the Alsum Farms & Produce growing or packing region.
Recipients will be selected based on a combination of academic achievement; agricultural, community and youth organization involvement; and essays.
“In our inaugural year of the Alsum Farms & Produce scholarship program, we are proud to be able to invest in future agriculture leaders and our rural communities,” says Larry Alsum, Alsum Farms & Produce president and chief executive officer.
“We believe in supporting these young adults,” Alsum adds, “and are optimistic the students will seek
careers in Wisconsin agriculture and the businesses that support agriculture.”
Students can find more information and link to the scholarship application at https://alsum.com/scholarships/. All applications must be submitted through the online platform. No paper or email copies will be accepted. The application deadline is March 31.
To learn more about Alsum Farms & Produce and the full line of products available, and how Alsum farm-fresh and sustainably grown potatoes make their way from field to fork, visit www.alsum.com.
WISCONSIN CERTIFIED SEED POTATOES
WISCONSIN CERTIFIED SEED POTATOES
WISCONSIN CERTIFIED SEED POTATOES
WISCONSIN CERTIFIED SEED POTATOES BADGER STATE
McCain Holds Grower Awards Banquet
Contract growers invited to celebrate the 2023 crop year
On January 30, an annual tradition continued as Wisconsin potato growers gathered for the McCain Foods Grower Awards Banquet, held this year at the Food + Farm Exploration Center, in Plover, Wisconsin.
After guests had a chance to catch up during a social hour, they were seated and greeted by Morgan Smolarek, field manager for McCain Foods USA, Inc., who thanked growers for the adjustments and upgrades in equipment they made during the
2023 growing season, and for their care in keeping foreign material out of potatoes shipped to the plant.
Dan Metheringham, McCain Foods vice president of agriculture, North America, kept his initial remarks focused on the celebration and recognition of top performing growers and all gathered at the banquet.
He then mentioned the goal of growing potatoes that are profitable to farmers, and the unique sales mix and huge opportunities for Wisconsin
Above: Honored growers and McCain Foods representatives include, from left to right: Howie Marceau, Alex Chisholm, Mike Johnson, Shaun Pelkey, Max Mortenson, Jacob Herbold, Drew Soik, Andy Wiza, Andy Diercks, Chad Kraft, Kevin Schleicher, Nathan Bula, Tate Bula, Daniel Metheringham, Morgan Smolarek, Cody Johnson, and Cole Ferguson.
potato growers to capitalize on new varieties that can be brought into and grown in the state.
Metheringham also touted the Wysocki Family Farms Innovation Hub
Rhonda and Chad Kraft of R.D. Offutt Farms pose with the Grower Storage Russet Burbank-Champion trophy
where commercial-scale research trials are tested locally in the growing region as an opportunity for learning and transparency.
He acknowledged a recent softening of the market and a 2% decline in foodservice sales. “As a family business, we are able to think long-
term,” Metheringham said. “We will come out the other side. I’m confident about that.”
His remarks were a nice way to segue into the awards portion of the banquet, including monetary rewards and trophies given to potato growers for another job well done.
Above: Morgan Smolarek (far left) joined Wysocki Family Farms in celebrating its award for Grower Storage Umatilla Russett-Champion. From left to right next to Morgan are John Bustamante, Mark Cychosz, Jason Blenker, Kevin Schleicher, A.J. Bussan, Pamela Sankey, and Diane Kollock.
Crop Year 2023 Grower Champions
Direct Delivery Russet Burbank-Champion—$2,000 Nathan Bula Farms
Direct Delivery Russet Burbank-Reserve Champion —$1,000 Plover River Farms
Direct Delivery Umatilla Russet-Champion—$2,000 Mortenson Brothers Farms
Grower Storage Umatilla Russett-Champion—$2,000 Wysocki Family Farms
Recognized for loading on the second-coldest day of the year—January 20, 2025 Soik Farms
Polar Bear Award-Reserve Champion
ReRecognized for the coldest loading days of the year—January 20 and 21, 2025 Wind chill temperature of -41 degrees Fahrenheit Signature Farms
Above: Andy Diercks of Coloma Farms walks away with the New Variety Champion trophy.
Left: Proud dad Nathan Bula stands for a photo with son, Tate, after winning the Direct Delivery Russet Burbank-Champion award.
Wisconsin Famers Needed
Advocate at Ag Day at the Capitol on March 26
Ag Day at the Capitol will be held March 26 at Monona Terrace, in Madison. This event is the largest gathering of farmers representing a variety of groups across the state with the purpose of learning more about issues impacting Wisconsin agriculture and meeting with their state legislators.
“Wisconsin Farm Bureau is honored to provide this opportunity for farmers to share their stories with legislators alongside fellow agricultural organizations,” says Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation (WFBF) President Brad Olson.
“Meeting directly with legislators is one of the most impactful ways to advocate for agriculture and drive meaningful change,” he adds.
This year’s event will feature keynote speaker Brian Reisinger, author of “Land Rich, Cash Poor: My Family’s Hope and the Untold History of the Disappearing American Farmer.”
Reisinger is an award-winning writer and rural policy expert who grew up on a family farm in Sauk County, Wisconsin.
“Land Rich, Cash Poor” weaves the hidden history of America’s disappearing farms with his own family’s four-generation story from The Great Depression to today. Registrants will be entered for a chance to win one of 200 free copies of his book.
AG SHOWCASE
In addition to Ag Day at the Capitol’s policy briefings and legislator meetings, the new Agriculture Showcase on the 100 block of MLK Boulevard will be an open-to-thepublic, educational feature with farm
equipment, dairy calves, free cheese samples and more.
Inside the Capitol Rotunda, attendees can explore Farm Bureau spotlight booths, connect with Wisconsin Ag Coalition partners and test their skills on a hydraulic sprayer simulator, an interactive video game-like experience.
Registration will begin at 11 a.m. with the program starting at 11:30 a.m. Lunch will be served, followed by the keynote address, issue briefings and time for attendees to visit their legislators in the Capitol.
It is important for attendees to call the offices of their legislators in advance to schedule an appointment between 3-5 p.m. for Wednesday, March 26. The new Agriculture Showcase will begin at 12 p.m. and go until 3 p.m.
Early registration is $35 and now available. Registration increases to $60 after March 21 and at the door. Register for Ag Day at the Capitol by visiting https://bit.ly/2025AgDayAtTh
Above: Brian Reisinger, author of “Land Rich, Cash Poor: My Family’s Hope and the Untold History of the Disappearing American Farmer,” will deliver a keynote address during Ag Day at the Capitol
eCapitolRegistration.
Rural Mutual Insurance Company and GROWMARK Inc. are major sponsors of the event.
Co-sponsors of the event with the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation include AgCountry Farm Credit Services, Compeer Financial, Dairy Business Association, GreenStone Farm Credit Services, Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin, Syngenta, Wisconsin Biofuels Association, Wisconsin Cattlemen’s Association, Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association, Wisconsin Corn Growers, Wisconsin Horse Council, Wisconsin Pork Association, the Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association, Wisconsin Soybean Association, Wisconsin State Cranberry Growers, and the Wisconsin Veterinary Medical Association.
PEOPLE George Neuber Passes Away
Spudmobile education and outreach administrator shared passion for agriculture
George Joseph Neuber, 70, of Rhinelander, Wisconsin, passed away on Sunday, February 2, 2025, at his home. He was born on August 29, 1954, in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, the son of the late Earl and Aurelia (Meverden) Neuber.
George grew up in Appleton, Wisconsin, where he attended Xavier High School. His family moved to Chilton, where he graduated from high school and worked side-byside with his father in their family amusement business.
In 1975, he met and married the love of his life, Jessie Wanty, and together they raised their family on his grandparent’s farm in Chilton. In the late 1990s, George and Jessie made their dream come true by moving to the Northwoods and settling in Rhinelander, where George built their home from the ground up on what he fondly called his “own little piece of heaven.”
A man of many talents, George was always the go-to person when something needed to be built or fixed. Whether it was a car, a home, or any other project, if there was a problem, George was the man to solve it. His unmatched work ethic, attention to detail, and willingness to tackle any challenge made him a master of many trades.
George was always ready to lend a helping hand to others. Whether it was a neighbor in need or a friend facing a tough situation, George’s generosity and willingness to pitch in were evident in everything he did.
SPUDMOBILE DRIVER
Over the years, George accumulated millions of safe driving miles as an over-the-road truck driver and spent more than a decade as a master cheesemaker. In 2023, he joined the Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association as the Spudmobile Education and Outreach Administrator, where he shared his passion for agriculture with the public and children at school events and Green Bay Packers games.
He is survived by his loving wife, Jessie Neuber; children: Seth (Valerie) Neuber, Nathan (Krystin Clemo) Neuber, Matthew (Lindsey) Neuber, and Amber (David) McGinley; grandchildren: Tressie, Sam, Joseph, Mason, Wyatt, Connor and Liberty; his siblings: Peggy Neuber, Marie (Douglas) Fink, and Paul (Cindy)
Neuber; and many nieces and nephews.
George J. Neuber August 29, 1954 – February 2, 2025 continued on pg. 48
George was preceded in death by his parents, Earl and Aurelia Neuber; siblings, Cheryl Landwehr and Earl “Manny” Neuber; sister-in-law, Jill Schroeder; brother-in-law, Wimpy Wanty; and father and mother-in-law, Bernie and Jennie Wanty.
Visitation and memorial services
were held at The Pines Event Center, Rhinelander, on February 9, 2025. You may leave your private condolences for the Neuber family at www.carlsonfh.com. The Carlson Funeral Home, (715)-369-1414, is serving the Neuber family.
George will be deeply missed by
Alexandria Behrend Joins
Food + Farm Exploration Center
Executive director is excited to create a vibrant community around food and farming
After an extensive national search conducted by executive search firm Spano Pratt, the Food + Farm Exploration Center of Plover, Wisconsin, is excited to announce Alexandria Behrend as its new executive director. Behrend officially assumed her role on January 2, 2025, ushering in a new era of leadership and innovation for the organization. Behrend brings nearly two decades of progressive leadership experience in the nonprofit sector, demonstrating a profound commitment to advancing agricultural literacy and fostering community engagement.
Most recently, she served as the manager of philanthropy for the Boy Scouts of America. Prior to this, she held the position of chief operations officer for the Greater Tampa Bay Area Council, where she led impactful initiatives, including operational improvements, donor campaigns, events, membership growth, and program development.
A graduate of Lakeland College in Sheboygan, Behrend holds a bachelor’s degree in nonprofit management and sociology. Her
passion for innovative programming and building strong partnerships aligns seamlessly with the Center’s mission. Behrend and her family reside in Plover and are actively involved in the community that they love.
“I am thrilled to lead initiatives that not only educate, but also inspire collaboration among diverse stakeholders, creating a vibrant community around food and farming,” Behrend says.
The Food + Farm Exploration Center extends its gratitude to Dr. Phyllis King, who has served as interim executive director for the past four months. Dr. King’s extensive experience as a storied education administrator, researcher, health care executive, and systems strategist has been instrumental in ensuring stability and progress during this leadership transformation. She remained on staff through January to ensure a seamless transition.
About Food + Farm Exploration Center
The Food + Farm Exploration Center is a science and technology center. The 50,000-square-foot facility sits
all who knew him, especially for his incredible talent, unwavering dedication to his family, and his hands-on approach to life. His legacy of hard work, generosity, and love for others will continue to live on in the hearts of those who had the privilege of knowing him.
on 24 acres in Plover, Wisconsin. Food + Farm Exploration Center features 60 immersive exhibits, along with meeting and event spaces, a café, a farm tech shed, and four one-acre demonstration fields.
Food + Farm Exploration Center is a destination for learning, exploring and celebrating agriculture. It is also home to the world’s largest potato masher.
Learners of all ages are invited to visit the Food + Farm Exploration Center. It is a place to learn, play, explore, and discover. Come and see the incredible technology and sustainability used in modern production agriculture. Learn more and purchase tickets for your visit at https://explorefoodandfarm. org. Pre-purchasing tickets is strongly encouraged.
Badger Beat
Belowground Insects—Know Your Enemy
A new white grub has invaded Wisconsin, the Asiatic garden beetle
By Russell L. Groves, University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Entomology
Belowground insects, such as ants, termites, plus grubs and wireworms, play vital roles in maintaining soil health and ecosystem balance. Their burrowing activities aerate the soil, enhancing water infiltration and root penetration, which is crucial for plant growth.
Additionally, these insects contribute to nutrient cycling by decomposing organic matter, thereby enriching the soil with essential nutrients. This decomposition process not only recycles nutrients, but also promotes the formation of humus, which improves soil fertility and structure, a function that is often overlooked when we investigate soil health.
Furthermore, belowground insects are integral to the food web, serving as a primary food source for various predators, including birds, mammals, and other insects. Their presence and abundance can indicate the health of an ecosystem, as they are sensitive to environmental changes.
For instance, a decline in insect populations may signal issues such as
habitat loss or pollution, which can have cascading effects on the entire food chain. Therefore, conserving belowground insect populations is essential for maintaining biodiversity and the overall functionality of ecosystems
Unfortunately, there are circumstances where these ecologically important or otherwise innocuous insects can become pests. White grubs and wireworms represent two groups of belowground insects that can become problematic under certain circumstances. These conditions often result when agriculturalists plant a crop into the condition known as “new ground.” When a root or tuber crop is planted
Above, Figure 1: Shown are the larval stages of adult click beetles, also known as wireworms. Photo courtesy of John Obermeyer, Purdue University
Figure 2: Wireworm infestation results in direct damage to potatoes. Photo courtesy of Erik J. Wenninger, University of Idaho
into a field with an established history that can favor these belowground insects, the conditions for damage can result.
This new ground phenomenon often
occurs when a producer plants in well-established, perennial grass pastures. In these instances, preexisting populations of belowground insects can switch or move onto the
susceptible root crops (sweet potato, Irish potato, carrot, radish) or even attack seeds directly planted into these environments.
Another new ground condition can result when agriculturalists plant susceptible root/tuber crops into 3-5-plus-year-old alfalfa pastures or even fields with continuous corn. In both environments, populations of multi-year-generation white grubs and wireworms can be present and provide great risk for damage of the new crop.
CLICK BEETLE LARVAE
There are a few common species of wireworms and white grubs that exist in our upper midwestern landscape that can become problematic under
Above, Figure 3: Larvae of May and June beetles (white grubs) infest the soil surface, feed on grass roots, and infest and directly damage tubers.
Left, Figure 4: Relative sizes of the larva (lower left), pupa (lower right) and adult (upper) stages of Asiatic garden beetle are referenced against the backdrop of a penny. This insect is comparatively much smaller than other multi-year generational white grub species often found in permanent pastures. Photo courtesy of John Obermeyer, Purdue University
the right conditions. Wireworms include the larvae of several species of click beetles (beetles that flip into the air with an audible click when turned upside down).
These larvae feed primarily on grasses and grass crops such as corn and perennial grasses. However, they have a broad host range that includes beans, beets, cabbage, carrots, ginseng, lettuce, onions, peas, potatoes, radishes, and herbaceous ornamentals.
Wireworms have an extended life cycle, taking from 1-6 years to complete a single generation. During the growing season, larvae inhabit the upper 2-4 inches of soil where they migrate only short distances and feed on seeds and plant roots.
Larvae are sensitive to moisture and prefer moist, cool, heavy soil. They may burrow deeply into the soil in dry conditions and will also burrow to avoid freezing conditions in the winter.
Adult wireworms (click beetles) become active in spring and begin laying eggs. Adult females live 1012 months, spending most of this time in the soil, where they may lay up to 100 eggs, and grassy weed infestations in row crops.
Eggs hatch over a period of several days to several weeks. The tiny larvae immediately begin to feed on the roots of grasses, weeds, and other crops. Because of their extended life cycle, larvae of some species will feed for 2-3 years before pupating.
Only the larval stage (wireworms) of click beetles can cause damage (Fig. 1). The wireworm feeds on seeds, preventing germination, or on the underground roots and stems of the plants, causing them to wilt, and stunting their growth.
Dead spots scattered throughout a planting may indicate wireworm activity. If you dig up the seedlings
in affected areas, you may find them riddled with holes. Larvae may also be found feeding on the roots of wilted plants.
Wireworms tend to cause the most damage 1-4 years after planting into perennial sod in poorly drained lowlands, but they are not exclusive to those areas. And as we well know, wireworms can ruin the tubers of potatoes by burrowing small, round tunnels into the flesh (Fig. 2).
COMPACTED SOIL
The risk factors for these two groups of belowground insects (wireworms and white grubs) should be well known to Wisconsin producers, and one of these includes the concept of new ground.
In these perennial grass systems, multi-year generation white grubs (Fig. 3) are more likely to become pests in areas with compacted or poorly drained soil, as these conditions encourage root damage and decrease plant vigor, making crops more susceptible to grub feeding.
Wireworms are also abundant in soils with a history of grassy weeds or perennial pasture. This is because
the larvae feed on decaying organic matter, and grassy areas provide an ideal environment for their development.
Again, these conditions should be well known to agriculturalists. We should be prepared to take steps to limit this risk through a combination of well-timed cultivations, together with in-furrow insecticides, to contain
Figure 5: A close-up image of the larva of an Asiatic garden beetle illustrates a bulbous swelling at the base of the mandibles. Photo courtesy of John Obermeyer, Purdue University
or prevent damage that can occur in the susceptible crop year because of larval stages that exist in the ground at the time of planting.
There is, however, a new white grub that has invaded Wisconsin, the Asiatic garden beetle (Maladera formosae) (Fig. 4). It is important to identify and distinguish this insect from our other common belowground grubs and wireworms, as this species is not frequently associated with the prior cropping history.
Asiatic garden beetle larvae (white grubs) can resemble other common species in the group (Japanese beetle, sand chafer, rose chafer, etc.) with pale, C-shaped bodies, three pairs of jointed legs, a brownishorange head capsule and chewing mouthparts.
Uniquely, the Asiatic garden beetle has a pale, bulbous structure at the base of their mouthparts that aids in diagnosis (no other white grubs in the Midwest have this feature) (Fig. 5).
If you suspect you have observed this insect in the field infesting potato, mint, or other vegetable crops, it is important to obtain a species confirmation from the Wisconsin Insect Diagnostic Clinic (https:// insectlab.russell.wisc.edu/samples/).
Briefly, adult Asiatic garden beetles are approximately 3/8-inch long, brownish, and resemble small adult May/June beetles, although they are often much smaller. Importantly, the Asiatic garden beetle has a single generation each year.
ACTIVE ADULTS
Adults are primarily active in mid- to late-July in Wisconsin, and these are nocturnal in behavior and feed almost exclusively after dark. Adult beetles are capable fliers and attracted to lights in large numbers.
A means of trapping and surveillance is by using blacklight traps, which can be a useful monitoring tool. Adult beetle flight activity is most common in late July when we experience warm nighttime temperatures (70˚ Fahrenheit and above).
After mating, adult females lay eggs on moist, sandy soil surfaces compared to loamy soils. Taken together, these factors increase the risk for infestation of susceptible vegetable crops grown on irrigated sands in Central Wisconsin.
Control of this insect can be accomplished by careful monitoring, surveillance and species identification to ensure you are dealing with this new annual pest. To do so, use blacklight traps to capture the adults and consider collecting larvae infesting tubers at the time of harvest to obtain accurate species identifications.
Once confirmed, the use of at-plant and in-season insecticides can be incorporated into pest management programs to further limit damage. At-plant, in-furrow applications of
Figure 6: In-furrow and broadcast application techniques ensure adequate protection from infestation by larvae of the Asiatic garden beetle. Directed spray at hilling is illustrated to the left, and on the right is the incorporation of crop protection products at planting. Photo courtesy of Anders Huseth, North Carolina State University
fipronil (Regent 4SC), broflanilide (Nurizma Insecticide) or bifenthrin (Capture LFR, Capture 2EC) are recommended options that should be incorporated in soils surrounding the potato seed piece (Fig. 6).
Another in-season option is the use of bifenthrin (Capture LFR, Capture 2EC) applied to the surface of the soil at final hilling. This broadcast, surface application to the soil should be watered in to limit the amount of ultraviolet degradation that can occur from direct sunlight.
This broadcast application is designed to create a toxic barrier that young, newly hatched Asiatic garden beetle larvae might be unable to penetrate and reach the susceptible tubers developing under plants.
WPIB Focus
Seats available on the Wisconsin Potato Industry Board
Wisconsin Potato Industry Board is composed of nine producers in three state districts
The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) is accepting nominations for three seats on the Wisconsin Potato Industry Board (WPIB).
The election will be for three board member positions, one from District 1, one from District 2, and one At-Large, with terms of office commencing on July 1, 2025, and continuing through June 30, 2028. The Department is currently accepting nominations through March 28, 2025.
Wisconsin producers who grow and sell potatoes in the following districts are eligible to nominate a producer or to be nominated:
• District 2 – Marathon, Outagamie, Portage, Shawano, Waupaca, and Waushara counties
• District At-Large: – All Wisconsin counties
Each nomination form must include signatures of at least five eligible potato producers, other than the nominee, from the district in which the nominee is running for office.
A Declaration of Eligibility, indicating that the nominated producer meets the qualifications for nomination, must be submitted with the nomination form.
The completed nomination form should be sent to: Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, Marketing Order Program, P.O. Box 8911, Madison, WI 53708-8911. The forms must be postmarked on or before March 28, 2025.
The Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection will conduct the Wisconsin Potato Board election from May 12, 2025, through
June 16, 2025, under applicable procedures in ss. ATCP 140.19, 140.20, and 149.04 Wis. Adm. Code.
Contact Market Orders at (608) 2245046 or email DATCPMarketOrders@ wisconsin.gov with any questions.
About the Wisconsin Potato Industry Board
The Wisconsin Potato Industry Board is composed of nine producers in three districts across the state, including one at-large member elected every third year.
The Board oversees the collection and use of approximately $2 million in assessment fees paid by Wisconsin potato growers. This funding is used to support the potato industry through research, education, and promotion of Wisconsin-grown potatoes.
DATCP administers elections for Wisconsin commodity marketing boards. To learn more about the market order boards, visit https:// datcp.wi.gov/Pages/About_Us/ MarketingBoards.aspx.
50 Years Strong: Celebrating the Auxiliary’s Legacy
Key achievements in the third decade include marketing and media expansion
This year marks the 50th Anniversary of the Wisconsin Potato Growers Auxiliary (WPGA), a milestone in promoting agriculture, fostering community, and advocating for healthy lifestyles.
In this five-part series, we’ve been exploring the history and impact of the WPGA, decade by decade. Here, in the third installment (see the January and February 2025 issues for Parts 1 and 2), we highlight the organization’s evolution from 19952005, a period of public relations challenges and strategic outreach.
The Third Decade: 1995–2005 As fast-food consumption surged
in the late 1990s, potatoes became increasingly associated with unhealthy eating habits. The rise of low-carb diets, particularly the Atkins Diet, further fueled misconceptions about potatoes.
The WPGA met these challenges head-on, working tirelessly to educate the public and promote Wisconsin potatoes as a nutritious and versatile food.
Key achievements of the third decade include:
• Public Engagement & Nutrition
Advocacy: WPGA volunteers participated in major events like the Wisconsin State Fair, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Spud Bowl, and the National Wellness Conference, serving baked potatoes and sharing nutrition facts to counteract negative perceptions.
• Marketing & Media Expansion: The Auxiliary expanded its reach through television appearances, news releases, and advertisements
Deb Bacon (left) and Lynn Isherwood volunteered to staff the WPGA booth at the 2005 WPVGA Industry Show.
Above: In the third decade of the Wisconsin Potato Growers Auxiliary (WPGA), the Wisconsin State Fair booth continued to be a strong revenue generator for the association, as well as a great way to promote potatoes to the public.
Right: Penelope Potato ran into a fellow mascot at the Wisconsin State Fair.
in Family Features magazine, which reached millions nationwide. WPGA also distributed 750,000 placemats featuring potato nutrition facts to restaurants and casinos.
• Educational Materials & Community Outreach: WPGA developed brochures, posters, and recipe booklets, including a special publication for the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Program. Auxiliary members visited grocery stores, handing out samples and answering questions about cooking, nutrition, and the potato industry.
• Cookbook & Recipe Promotion: WPGA released “Wisconsin Potato
Sensations” featuring 117 delicious recipes to inspire home cooks and showcase the versatility of potatoes.
• Mascot & Youth Engagement: Penelope Potato, portrayed by Antigo native Lori Gunderson, visited schools and community events, bringing fun, educational presentations to children and families.
The WPGA’s commitment to public education and strategic marketing ensured that potatoes remained a staple of a healthy diet.
Stay tuned as we explore how the
Left: This 1997 WPGA Board of Directors photo was taken at the Annual Meeting. In the back row, left to right, are Karen Spychalla, Sharon Yeska, Judy Schroeder, Sarah Stelter, Lynn Isherwood, and Kathy Bartsch. Seated on the couch, from left to right, are Linda Bacon, Brenda Bula and Sharon Wysocki.
Right: The Auxiliary understood the importance of providing interesting, nutritional potato recipes to consumers, and recipe contests like this one held at the Wausau Mall, in February 1999, helped generate many new recipes.
Auxiliary adapted and thrived in the 2000’s and beyond!
Until next time,
Dakotah
Brenda Bula (left) and Jayne Zelozoski helped serve baked potatoes at the 1998 Wisconsin State Fair.
WPGA member Carol Glugla (left) and Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association staff member Karen Rasmussen helped at the 1998 Wisconsin State Fair.
New Products
Nutrien Ag Solutions Introduces N-FINITY to U.S. Crop Market
New N-FINITY™ technology gives growers flexibility when making on-farm nitrogen management decisions
Nutrien Ag Solutions Inc. announces the launch of N-FINITY™, an innovative nitrogen management solution that combines three modes of action to increase the efficiency and availability of nitrogen for improved plant health and crop yields.
New to the Loveland Products® shelf, N-FINITY leverages advanced biological technology to optimize nitrogen availability, assisting crops’ ability to receive the essential nutrients required for optimal growth and yield.
N-FINITY’s proprietary science is designed to improve nitrogen use efficiency in comparison to current marketplace offerings by:
1. Enhancing the soil’s ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen
2. Recruiting nitrogen-fixing bacteria into the root zone
3. Facilitating the liberation of nitrogen from soil organic pools
N-FINITY has the potential to more efficiently manage plant available nitrogen and support farming practices by enhancing the effectiveness of nitrogen fertilizers traditionally used to boost annual crop productivity.
“We are excited to introduce N-FINITY to the U.S. market for use in the 2025 growing season,” says Casey McDaniel, vice president of Loveland Products, Inc. “This product represents an advancement for the industry, providing growers with a new tool to enhance on-farm nitrogen management and yield potential.”
Ron Calhoun, plant nutrition senior
manager of Loveland Products, says, “N-FINITY has been extensively researched and field tested over the last several years, consistently demonstrating yield benefits resulting in a positive return for most growers. Designed to enhance the soil’s ability to fix, recruit, and liberate nitrogen in the root zone, N-FINITY can help make every unit of nitrogen go farther.”
N-FINITY will be available for purchase through Nutrien Ag Solutions retail locations in spring of 2025. To learn more, visit https:// info.lovelandproducts.com/nitrogennaturally, or contact your local Nutrien Ag Solutions crop consultant.
Holcomb Scraper Debuts 1400DM-LGP Model
Direct-mount ejector scraper makes a 9-foot cut and features large rear tires for soft conditions
Holcomb Scraper, Inc. announces the addition of the 1400DM-LGP to its product line of agricultural and industrial scrapers.
The 1400DM-LGP (Low Ground Pressure) is a 14-cubic-yard-capacity, direct-mount ejector scraper, with a 9-foot cut and large 23.5”x25” rear tires for excellent performance in soft conditions.
The direct mount design adds weight to the rear tractor tires when loading the scraper, increasing traction and performance. The 1400DM-LGP features Holcomb’s new AG 360 Hitch, which allows direct hitching to the scraper using your tractor’s existing CAT 4 or CAT 5 ag drawbar.
For construction or continuous heavy use, the 1400DM-LGP can be equipped with the optional Holcomb
Model 20 yoke-type scraper hitch.
Forward placed 8”x24” router bits keep material in while loading and, importantly, during the unloading cycle to improve spread quality.
The Holcomb 1400DM-LGP is available with a hydraulic synchronizing valve that ties the gate and ejector operation together
with two hydraulic remotes. A threecircuit option is also available to control functions separately.
For more information, contact Holcomb Scraper, Inc., David Benson, 7225 Turner Ave., Holcomb, KS 67851, davidbenson8530@gmail. com, 620-314-6736, or visit www. holcombscraper.com.
Succession Planning Considerations for Farmers
Since each family farm is unique, no single approach to estate and business planning works for everyone
Information provided by Scott D. Scheer, MSFS, CLU®, ChFC®, RICP®, Financial Advisor*, Vista Financial Strategies, LLC
While farmers confront the same problems as any business owner regarding succession planning, wealth preservation, and estate taxes, they also face many unique issues. Specific tax rules, regulations, and the nature of their industry require specialized focus and expertise in planning.
Farming operators may also have particularly strong convictions regarding long-established family enterprises that are heavily concentrated on property.
Many farms have been in the family for several generations, and a prevalent desire is to keep ownership of the land in the hands of family members, those involved in operations as well as those who may not be involved.
Of course, this generally gives rise to unique problems governing appropriate income apportionment, control, and estate equalization.
As a result, a comprehensive understanding of the relevant issues is crucial to the effective implementation of appropriate legal and tax strategies, ensuring the preservation of the farm for succeeding generations while bestowing long-term peace of mind on operators.
TAILORED PLANNING
Since each family farm is unique, no single approach to estate and business planning works for everyone. It is important to understand that the farm involves the interaction between people with strong family bonds who are engaged in and make decisions affecting the business.
It also is important that estate and succession planning adopt a longterm vision and implement strategies in a timely and efficient manner to accomplish intended goals.
At Top: Many farms have been in the family for several generations, and a prevalent desire is to keep ownership of the land in the hands of family members. Photo courtesy of Jeff Huber, Alsum Farms & Produce
Most farmers want the operation to continue when they are gone, though a few do not. When the operation will not be continued, the focus shifts to transferring, liquidating, and distributing equity to heirs while minimizing any loss in value.
Since operating a farm is difficult, designing a strategy for the ultimate transition of the business upon the primary operator’s demise can be confusing. There are a variety of issues and concerns related to estate and business planning that should be addressed.
Here are the most common issues:
Farm Economics
Farm economics differ from those of most other businesses. Farming is extraordinarily capital-intensive.
Government Programs
Farm subsidies have a significant influence on agricultural production in the global and local economy.
A decision to modify the current business structure or establish an LLC, a partnership, or corporation can also affect agricultural subsidies. The type of organization established, as well as the amount of farmland under management, and number of owners within the organization, can all impact eligibility for subsidy payments.
As a result, the creation and modification of estate and business plans should always be done while cognizant of the extent to which eligibility for certain programs can be impacted.
Lack of Liquidity and Diversification
Due to the unique nature of farming, operators tend to put all income and profits back into the operation in the form of illiquid assets such as farmland and equipment. At an operator’s death, or at the transition of the business, problems can occur due to lack of liquidity.
Operating Loans
Operating loans can be used to
“One of the most sensitive problems for parents within a farming operation is balancing the interests of children who work on the farm against those of non-participating children.”
– Scott D. Scheer, Vista Financial Strategies, LLC
purchase items needed for a successful farm operation. Yearly operating loan balances can be very high in the spring and completely paid off by December. This can cause a problem, depending on the time of year operators become disabled or die.
A loss of the key operator can be devastating at any time and especially when an operating loan exists. The need to recognize the loss of an operator in the succession plan is crucial.
Depreciation Recapture
Certain farm-related property can be depreciated, and property subject to depreciation that is subsequently sold or exchanged can be subject to recapture.
When real property from a farm is sold at a gain, and accelerated depreciation has been previously claimed, the owner may be required to pay tax at ordinary rates to the extent of the excess accelerated depreciation.
Succession Planning for Active and Non-Active Children
One of the most sensitive problems for parents within the operation is balancing the interests of the children who work on the farm against those of non-participating children.
More so than in most businesses, children establish their “right” to the farm through sweat equity. Working
on the farm is not for everyone. Some children would rather pursue other career opportunities.
When there are active children involved in the operation, farm operators will sometimes gift or assist an active child in acquiring their own ownership interest on a portion of the land, livestock or equipment. It is rare, however, for a non-active child to acquire an ownership interest in these assets since current operators realize that non-active ownership can sometimes stifle farming operations.
This is especially a problem when the farm is the only significant asset in the family. Will the non-active children feel slighted, or lucky, that they are free from the rigors of farming life? If the farm represents the family heritage, how can a non-active child feel a part of that heritage?
Resolving this question is fundamental to the continuation of the operation but is limited by the basic economics of farming.
The following factors must be weighed:
• Existing assets and cash flow available to use for funding the legacy in the operation and providing for non-active heirs
• Dedication and ability of the successor
• Parents’ viewpoint regarding contribution equity of the successor and proportion of the operation that should be attributed to the successor as a result
• Desire of non-active heirs for continuity of the operation or preference for liquidation of their share
• Ability and willingness of successor(s) and non-active heirs to work together in harmony
• Parents’ viewpoint on continuity of the operation versus equality of inheritances for the heirs
An additional matter for consideration is the feasibility and reasonable opportunity given to non-active heirs to become active. Some children simply may not have had the chance to work in the family enterprise.
Any plan to pass the farm to the next generation should allow for a secure retirement for the senior generation.
Frequently, operators don’t have sufficient cash flow during their working years to accumulate liquid savings, or they don’t otherwise save enough on a tax-deferred basis for retirement.
Similarly, it is not usually possible to put in place a non-qualified deferred compensation plan when the junior generation is taking over, since there is not sufficient dependable cash flow when multiple families are reliant
Above: Due to the unique nature of farming, operators tend to put all income and profits back into the operation in the form of illiquid assets such as farmland and equipment. At an operator’s death, or at the transition of the business, problems can occur due to lack of liquidity.
on the income from the operation.
The family farm has long had a special place in the American imagination and a special place in the tax code.
Three important tax preferences can facilitate keeping the operation in the family: conservation easements, special use valuation, and alternative valuation date.
Conservation Easements
Farmland is frequently subject to development pressure, which can dramatically increase the fair market value of the land and corresponding property taxes.
Placing a conservation easement on the land permanently restricts the use of the land for agricultural purposes. This will reduce the current value of the land and associated real estate taxes and reduce future appreciation.
Special Use Valuation (Section 2032A)
The purpose of Section 2032A is to allow farmland to be valued as farmland. Section 2032A permits farmland to be valued at its productive value in farming rather
than its fair market value (if sold for its highest and best use).
When valuing farmland at a lower cost, a significant amount of estate tax can be saved. In select situations, it is the difference between a farm remaining in the family or being sold to raise the cash necessary to pay estate taxes.
Special land use 2032A is generally misunderstood. It is widely perceived as easy, uncomplicated, and the primary method of solving farm estate planning problems. Unfortunately, that perception is often based on a lack of accurate information concerning the complexities of how 2032A works and of its true advantages and disadvantages.
First, it is critical that the decedent have materially participated in the farm or closely held business to use special-use valuation. The law also requires that property inherited by special-use valuation be used for a qualified purpose by a qualifying heir for a minimum of 10 years.
A qualified use means: 1) the property is used as a farm for farming purposes; or 2) in a trade or business other than farming.
The term “trade or business” applies only to an active business such as manufacturing, mercantile or service enterprise, or to the raising of agricultural or horticultural commodities.
If such tests regarding the material participation and qualified use by qualified family members are not maintained, additional estate tax and penalties may apply.
ALTERNATIVE VALUATION
The purpose of alternate valuation is to reduce the tax liability if the total value of the estate’s property has decreased since the date of the decedent’s death.
Alternative valuation applies to all property in the estate. It cannot be used for only part of the property, as
is the case with special-use valuation. However, the personal representative may choose alternate valuation and use special-use valuation for qualified real property. The choice must be made on the first estate tax return filed for the estate.
An overriding concern for preservation of the operation upon the death of the senior operator is protection from fragmentation (forced sale) through the following:
• Excessive estate taxes
• Excessive debt service cost
• Operational competence of the legatee
• Division of the estate among family members
Asset liquidity within the estate or liquidity that can be created at death may be a necessary component of the plan.
Many will and living trusts contain tax formulas that can create unanticipated and unwanted results, especially in situations where the estate is not subject to estate tax. As the law changes, operators need to review the impact of the new law upon their existing documents.
Just as you assembled your team to
help with your day-to-day operations, you need to assemble your wealth management team as well. You should be receiving investment consulting, advanced planning, and relationship management from your advisors. Everyone on your Team should be working together to ensure that your hard work does not die with you.
*Scott D. Scheer is a registered representative offering securities through NYLIFE Securities, LLC, member FINRA/SIPC, a licensed Insurance Agency, and a Financial Advisor for Eagle Strategies LLC, a Registered Investment Advisor. Eagle Strategies LLC is a New York Life Company.
Vista Financial Strategies is not owned or operated by New York Life Insurance Company or its affiliates.
Neither Vista Financial Strategies, NYLIFE Securities LLC and its affiliates, nor its representatives provide tax, legal, or accounting advice. Please consult your own tax, legal, or accounting professionals before making any decisions.
SMRU 7510356.
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NPC News
NPC
Welcomes
Rollins Confirmation as USDA Secretary
Potato industry looks forward to working with influential voice in Trump
National Potato Council (NPC) Chief Executive Officer Kam Quarles issued the following statement congratulating Brooke Rollins, who was confirmed on February 13, 2025, by the full Senate to serve as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
“We welcome Brooke Rollins’ confirmation and look forward to working with her to address the critical challenges confronting American farmers and rural communities,” Quarles stated.
“Her leadership at the USDA is essential as the U.S. potato industry and our specialty crop allies work to pass a new Farm Bill, secure essential funding for research and market development projects, open new foreign markets, and support the growers and workers who are delivering nutrition to dinner tables around the world,” he said.
In January, NPC joined more than 400 agriculture groups and businesses on
Administration
a letter of support for Rollins, stating that her “close working relationship with incoming President Trump will ensure that agriculture and rural America have a prominent and influential voice at the table when critical decisions are made in the White House.”
WI 54966
(715) 335-6660
(715) 335-6661
Lee Zeldin’s nomination to be Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was favorably approved by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee by a vote of 11-8 on Wednesday, January 29.
Additionally, Interior Secretary nominee Doug Burgum (vote 18-2) and Energy Secretary nominee Chris Wright (vote 15-5) were approved by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Treasury Secretary nominee Scott Bessent was also approved by the Senate Finance Committee.
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. was approved as Secretary of Health and Human Services by the Senate Finance Committee and the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP).
Above: Brooke Rollins was confirmed on February 13, 2025, by the full Senate to serve as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
The Senate confirmed former Representative Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.) by a vote of 56-42, on Wednesday, January 29, to be the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Seed Piece
WSPIA Hosts Industry at Annual Seed Meeting
Wisconsin Seed Potato Improvement Association welcomes researchers, producers and industry professionals
During its 65th Annual Meeting, January 29, at North Star Lanes, in Antigo, the Wisconsin Seed Potato Improvement Association (WSPIA) presented reports, winter test updates, and production and research results to area seed potato growers and the industry at large.
Amanda Gevens, chair, professor and extension specialist in the Plant Pathology Department of the University of Wisconsin (UW)Madison, and the administrative director of the Wisconsin Seed Potato Certification Program (WSPCP), presented departmental updates and fungicide registrations in conventional potato and certified seed production.
She also updated attendees on efforts to change the Wisconsin Seed Potato Law so that any grower planting five or more acres would forfeit $5,000 per acre, as opposed to a current fine of $150 an acre, for planting noncertified seed.
If the grower is working with a Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (WDATCP) seed waiver, and does not plant certified potato seed, that grower could forfeit up to $5,000 per acre or be ordered
to destroy their crop.
Gevens summarized proposed interim registration review decisions (PID’s) by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regarding
chlorothalonil and mancozeb, with the agency looking at ways pesticide registrations are accepted in lieu of protecting endangered species.
Cole Lubinski, WSPCP field inspector and plant disease specialist, provided an update on the winter potato grow-out in Hawaii.
Above: The 2025 WSPIA Board of Directors are, from left to right, Markus Shafel (secretary/treasurer), Mitch Mattek, Clover Spacek, Andy Schroeder (vice president), and Charlie Husnick (president.)
“It is quite challenging,” Gevens noted. “There was a proposed registration review and a feedback window when I and others provided comments. The EPA is looking to restrict applications of the products on ground with less than 2% organic matter and/or that is closer than a 30-foot depth to groundwater.”
Mancozeb use on potato is for the prevention and control of early and late blight.
Cole Lubinski, WSPCP field inspector and plant disease specialist, provided an update on the winter potato grow-out in Hawaii, with some of the lowest levels of soft rot he’s ever seen, but it was also the worst emergence he can remember with a 60 percent average stand count across all lots. It was one of the dryest years the program has had in Hawaii.
“It was supposed to be their rainy season, but we hardly had any rain,” Lubinski explained. “When we wanted irrigation water, we had to check the basin to see if we had enough for all the certification programs.”
WSPCP PROGRAM UPDATE
WSPCP Associate Program Director Brooke Babler gave updates on ELISA,
IC-PCR, RT-PCR and other lab testing, as well as lot down-classes and rejections. “We did see a little less virus than last season,” she noted, “but not a lot. We were hoping for more. Keep up what you’re doing.”
“Due to the reduced emergence in Hawaii, growers’ PVY results will be varied, especially with the levels of PVY we’re seeing,” she told growers. “We’re now accepting tuber samples and will do direct tuber testing on them if you are concerned about emergence percentage or PVY levels. Get those samples warming—we can get more accurate results if the tubers are warm.”
“I’m excited to say that we were able to obtain the funding we
requested to get direct tuber testing established for the next couple of years,” Babler continued. “We acquired two new PCR machines, and a KingFisher machine to extract genetic material for pathogen detection, allowing us to process 96 samples in 30 minutes.”
Cody Bandoch of the Wisconsin Potato Coalition gave a State Farm report, saying potato yields are comparable to traditional yields from previous years, and the crop is in storage and storing well.
Langlade Agricultural Research Station Manager Kevin Gallenberg said there was a lot of water early in the season in Antigo that researchers and staff had to work around to
WSPCP Associate Program Director Brooke Babler gave updates on ELISA, RT-PCR and other lab testing, as well as lot down-classes and rejections.
Out-going WSPIA Board President Jeff Suchon (left) presented Dan Wild with the Wisconsin Seed Potato Industry Leadership Award for outstanding service as an asset to the WSPIA and his work with the Frisch Greenhouses facility.
Newly elected President of the WSPIA Board of Directors Charlie Husnick (left) honored Out-going President Jeff Suchon with a nice plaque in appreciation for his service.
get test plots planted, raised and fertilized.
Ben Bradford, a UW-Madison Department of Entomology researcher, presented “PVY Management Updates—Managing with and Without Neonics.”
Neonicotinoids are now up for reregistration and are being evaluated through the U.S. Department of Agriculture Crops Research Initiative. Pending biological evaluations will inform regulators who are focused on protecting endangered species from pesticides.
Bradford and Russell L. Groves, professor, UW-Madison Department of Entomology, are using grant money to develop non-neonicotinoid management programs for viral pathogens in seed potatoes. The goal is to increase the efficiency and sustainability of certified seed potato production in the absence of group 4A neonicotinoids.
WPVGA UPDATE
Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association Executive Director Tamas Houlihan gave an overview of current programming, funding and grants, reviewed 2024 crop conditions and a difficult but successful growing season and spoke of the new seed legislation Gevens had outlined and the direct tuber testing Brooks summarized.
“We’re moving forward with direct tuber testing and expect results much earlier than using traditional methods,” he said, “and currently evaluating the model against traditional methods. The WPVGA approved $150,000, and thanks to a generous donation from a grower member, Wisconsin will be a leader in direct tuber testing.”
As a new twist this year, and as a way to potentially find answers to the problem of high instances of Potato Virus Y (PVY), Babler moderated a Seed Certification Panel with program directors and specialists attending virtually from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Michigan Seed
Members of the Wisconsin Seed Potato Certification Program posed for a picture at the 65th WSPIA Annual Meeting. They are, back row, left to right, Dianna Kessler, Cole Lubinski, Niles Franc and Amanda Gevens; and front row, left to right, Brooke Babler, Josie Spurgeon, Sara deVeer, Hrithik Pahuja, and Kevin Gallenberg.
Potato Association, and the North Dakota State Seed Department.
There was some conversation about how a panel like this could be implemented again next year with different agencies to continue discussions about current issues facing the potato industry throughout the world.
The WSPIA Board held its annual business meeting, including election of officers and one new board member, Markus Shafel of Sunnydale Farms, in Bryant, and the presentation of a nice plaque to outgoing board president, Jeff Suchon, in appreciation for his service.
In turn, Jeff presented Dan Wild and his family with the Wisconsin Seed
Potato Industry Leadership Award for outstanding service as an asset to the WSPIA and their support in procuring the Frisch Greenhouses facility for the WSPCP.
Charlie Husnick of Baginski Farms, Antigo, was elected WSPIA Board of Directors president for 2025, succeeding Suchon. Andy Schroeder, Schroeder Bros. Farms, Antigo, was elected vice president, and Shafel was elected secretary/treasurer.
In addition to the three officers, the other two WSPIA Board directors are Mitch Mattek of J.W. Mattek & Sons, Deerbrook, and Clover Spacek from Eagle River Seed Farm.
65th Annual Seed Meeting Sponsors
Goldrush Sponsors
AgCountry Farm Credit Services
Badger State Irrigation
CoVantage Credit Union
Nutrien Ag Solutions-Great Lakes
Roberts Irrigation
Rural Mutual Insurance Co., Antigo Swiderski Equipment, Inc.
Syngenta Crop Protection
Volm Companies
Silverton Sponsors
AMVAC
Insight FS Riesterer & Schnell, Inc.
Southside Tire Co., Inc.
TH Agri-Chemicals, Inc.
T.I.P., Inc. / AgGrow Solutions
Superior Sponsors
AgSource Laboratories
Big Iron Equipment, Inc.
BMO Bank
Jay-Mar, Inc.
Kretz Truck Brokerage LLC
Nelson’s Vegetable Storage Systems
Northwestern Mutual Wealth
Management Co.
Quinlan’s Equipment, Inc.
Vista Financial Strategies, LLC
Warner & Warner, Inc.
Potatoes USA News
Potatoes Drive Produce Sales by the Pound
Spuds lead in retail performance as top powerhouse seller of fresh vegetables
Fresh potatoes remain a staple in the kitchens of U.S. consumers, with 85.2% of households purchasing the versatile vegetable nearly 11 times per year. Recent sales data show that potatoes are not only a beloved choice, but also a top performer in the produce section, boasting the highest household penetration of any vegetable.
As a powerhouse in produce sales, potatoes account for 9.7% of total produce pounds and 21.1% of all vegetable pounds, making them the top seller in fresh vegetables by volume. Potatoes continue to be a top seller and play a major role in retail success.
“Potato dollar sales remain strong, generating $4.4 billion over the past year,” says Nick Bartelme, global marketing manager of retail for Potatoes USA. “Their consistent ranking in the top five fresh produce categories, among 130, for dollar sales demonstrates remarkable resilience in the face of challenging market conditions.”
From June 2023 through July 2024, potato sales contributed an additional $1.3 billion in sales when
compared to sales in June 2018-2019 prior to the pandemic. In addition, those same 12 months represent the second highest potato volume sales in six years, with an additional 322 million pounds moved compared to pre-pandemic (2019).
This upward trend in sales and volume growth are a testament to strong consumer demand and the value that potatoes bring to retailers’ bottom lines.
GROWTH POTENTIAL
“As we’ve shared with retailers before, one of the most promising insights from this year’s study is the potential for further growth,” Bartelme says.
“If just half of the households that currently purchase potatoes were to make one additional buy per year,” he adds, “it could drive a potential
$218 million in sales and 231 million extra pounds, significantly impacting the market. Retailers could see major gains from this simple shift in consumer behavior.”
With 85% of households already buying potatoes, such an increase in purchasing frequency could yield considerable growth for both growers and retailers.
“Potatoes continue to be a reliable, year-round sales powerhouse for produce departments, contributing significantly to retail success,” Bartelme concludes.
“Speedy Spud” Powers Performance with Potatoes
University student runs BMW Dallas Half Marathon dressed in potato costume
Clad in a handmade potato costume touting the nutritional benefits of America’s favorite vegetable, the first-ever “Speedy Spud,” Izzy Aguiar, crossed the finish line in style at the BMW Dallas Half Marathon on December 15, 2024.
What’s a Speedy Spud? Team
Potato’s inaugural Speedy Spud sponsorship was a way to celebrate the fantastic benefits of potatoes
for athletes of all fitness levels.
Team Potato selected Izzy to be the first-ever Speedy Spud out of 90 applicants in a nationwide contest.
Why Team Potato Chose Izzy: A former collegiate runner and a future doctor, Izzy is passionate about fueling her performance with potatoes and showing other athletes of all fitness levels how to do so!
In her quest to become the fastest tuber on two legs, Izzy shared in her application, “According to all known laws of aviation, there’s no way a potato should be able to get off the ground. As the Speedy Spud, I will show you how high the potato can fly.”
And fly Izzy did! The Texas Christian University medical school student placed eighth in her age group,
completing the BMW Dallas Half Marathon with an impressive time of 1:39—that’s about a mile every seven and a half minutes. This was a personal record for Izzy, which is even more impressive because she achieved it in a potato suit!
How Speedy Spud Promoted Potatoes: Izzy’s performance surprised and delighted runners, event organizers, and local media covering the event. She was interviewed by CBS News Texas for a segment that was published on the CBS News national website.
Potato Goodness (https:// potatogoodness.com) social media followers were also able to join Izzy on her training journey with fun updates and recipe suggestions posted in the weeks leading up to the race.
The goal of Speedy Spud was to educate people about the benefits potatoes provide as an affordable, delicious and nutrient-dense source of fuel.
“Speedy Spud” Izzy Aguiar’s half-marathon performance surprised and delighted runners, event organizers, and local media covering the event. She was interviewed by CBS News Texas for a segment that was published on the CBS News national website.
To boost that message, Potatoes USA had a booth at the BMW Dallas Half Marathon, sharing potato nutrition information and swag with the
hundreds of runners and spectators who stopped by our location near the finish line.
ALL NEW! MORE BANG. LESS BUCKS.
Massey Ferguson® 500R
Eyes on Associates
By WPVGA Associate Div. President Matt Selenske, Allied Coop’s Pest Pros Division
Hello, everyone. We are another month closer to spring! As we start gearing up for a new season, my sense is that growers who I have talked to are excited about planting the 2025 potato crop. There is some trepidation regarding finances with the rising costs of crop inputs, yet somehow the love of farming seems to soften that burden, if just a little.
On Wednesday, February 5, we held our Annual WPVGA Associate Division Meeting during the Industry Show. Board members updated attendees on the treasurer’s report, took comments and encouraged discussion about the Industry Show and meals.
Associate Division Board members Ethan Olson, Morgan Smolarek, and Sally Suprise were incumbents running for reelection at the meeting, and all were reelected by a unanimous motion. A resolution was also passed to increase yearly WPVGA Associate Division membership dues from $125 to $150 per year.
We also talked about the Student Leadership Development Workshop, for which 20 signed up, but only 12 could attend due to illness. I got a chance to sit with three of the students at lunch on Tuesday, and they had lots of questions about careers in our industry that those of us around the table were happy to answer.
In our next meeting, we will plan a spring planting event as part of the Student Leadership Development Workshop, which will include a trip to potato and vegetable fields as well as a seed cutting operation.
Cooperative’s Pest Pros Division;
Taylor, Exit Realty; Morgan
C&D
BREAKFAST SPONSORS
Breakfast sponsors for the Associate Division Annual Meeting were AgWorld Support Systems, AMVAC, Baker Tilly, Calcium Products, Nelson’s Vegetable Storage Systems, Inc., Warner and Warner, Inc., and TH Agri-Chemicals, Inc. I’d like to thank these fine sponsors and everyone who attended the breakfast.
Immediately following the Annual Meeting and breakfast, members held a Board meeting to officially elect the officers and select committee positions. The only change of officers was Melissa Heise to the secretary position in place of Smolarek, who was happy to relinquish those duties for the coming term.
During the Industry Show, we passed out surveys to exhibitors, and after we’ve had a chance to review the comments, I will share them with you
in a future column.
The silent auction held during the Grower Education Conference & Industry Show was successful, raising $2,195 for post-secondary scholarships.
Thank you to those who bid on auction items. As a reminder, students with one or more family members who are employed by the WPVGA or any of its grower members or member companies are eligible to apply for scholarships. Applications become available in April, and scholarships are awarded in May.
April and May are right around the corner, and then it all begins again. Until next time.
Matt Selenske
WPVGA Associate Division President
The 2025 WPVGA Associate Division Board is, from left to right, Brady Patoka, Jay-Mar, Inc.; Ethan Olson (vice president), T H Agri-Chemicals, Inc.; Matt Selenske (president), Allied
Smolarek, McCain Foods USA, Inc.; Paul Salm (treasurer), BMO Bank; Sally Suprise,
Professional Insurance Services; and Scott Scheer, Vista Financial Services.
DISHING IT UP WITH DANA
Sundaes Aren’t Just for Ice Cream!
Potatoes, gravy, meat, corn & cheese are topped with sour cream, chives and a cherry tomato
Column and photos by Dana Rady, Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association
The slow cooker is my friend. Even if a recipe doesn’t call for using a slow cooker, I will often find a way to incorporate it anyway.
“Fry the chicken breasts in a pan until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.” Ok, right. How about we put the chicken breasts in a slow cooker the night before, or immediately in the morning, so they’re done by dinner?
“Sear the turkey tenderloin on each side until brown and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.” Um, no thanks!
Don’t get me wrong. I love the flavor that comes from searing meat and the juiciness after baking it. But for the sake of my sanity, I’ll be using the electric invention that sits on my countertop and cooks the meat while I’m taking care of other business.
You’d think Eric and I could go back to traditional ways of cooking on the weekends, but that hasn’t been the case lately, either. With the boys involved in all things sports and our spicy little tagalong of a 3-year-old daughter, weeknights are filled with practices (sometimes more than one in an evening) and weekends with tournaments and swim meets.
Between swimming club, basketball, and baseball
(Rhinelander has the Dome that allows for the blessing and the curse of year-round baseball practices and tournaments that start as early as the first weekend in February), Eric and I feel like a regular taxi service and sometimes like ships passing in the night.
Any other spare moment (if it exists)
is spent giving Havyn attention or helping her find her favorite movie, “Kuwana” (a.k.a., “Moana,”) to watch.
EASE OF MASHED POTATOES
With all our recent taxiing, I’ve been tuning into the ease, convenience, and versatility of mashed potatoes.
Mashed Potato Sundae INGREDIENTS:
4 cups prepared mashed potatoes
16 oz cooked and shredded chuck roast with gravy —about 1 to 1.5 lbs.
1 cup canned corn
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
½ cup sour cream
½ cup diced chives
4 cherry tomatoes salt and pepper to taste
along with a spoon. Then I made four more.
Enter the “Mashed Potato Sundae,” and a true match made in heaven for busy moms of “rowdy Rady” households like mine.
Throw the meat of your choice into a slow cooker, make gravy, prepare the mashed potatoes (fresh or instant), and toss on the toppings. It really is that simple.
One evening, I put this recipe to the test. After swimming practice, we needed to head directly to a basketball game 20 minutes away. We needed a quick, healthy meal and didn’t want to go out (not that we even had time).
Thankfully, I had meat and mashed potatoes already prepared. All I needed were toppings and that was easy enough, too. I threw some frozen corn in the microwave and took out the cheese and sour cream from the fridge. I started layering the ingredients in a pint-sized mason jar.
First the potatoes, then gravy, meat, corn, cheese, and repeat. When the jar was full, I topped the jar with a dollop of sour cream, some chives, and a cherry tomato. I put the jar in the microwave to warm it up, put the cover on and put the jar in a bag
We ate a home-cooked meal in the car on our way to a game and it wasn’t even messy! It also took less time than if we had pulled up to a fast-food window. It was quick, healthy, delicious and even fun! Sundaes aren’t just for ice cream!
DIRECTIONS
Prepare/re-heat the mashed potatoes, chuck roast and corn.
Build each sundae by scooping about one cup of mashed potatoes into the bottom of each mason jar.
Add a layer of approximately 4 to 5 ounces of the roast and gravy on top of the potatoes.
Top the roast with a layer of shredded cheese and then 1/4 cup of corn.
Finish the sundae with a dollop of sour cream, a sprinkling of chives, a cherry tomato and a bit of salt and pepper.
Repeat for each sundae, and enjoy!
The Rady kids, from left to right, Griffin, Easton and Havyn, enjoy their Mashed Potato Sundaes in the car while shuttling between swimming practice and a basketball game.
Friday, June 20, 2025
Bass Lake Country Club W10650 Bass Lake Road
Deerbrook, WI 54424
Deadline for sponsorship commitments to be included in June Badger Common'Tater: May 1, 2025*
DINNER SPONSOR $2,500
• Company name/logo on two banners placed in prominent areas
• Company name/logo on dinner ticket & one beverage cart
• Company name and logo in Badger Common'Tater
• Verbal recognition and name on sign at event
• Registration and dinner for four golfers
LUNCH SPONSOR $2,000
• Company name/logo on one banner and lunch ticket
• Company name/logo on one beverage cart
• Company name/logo in Badger Common'Tater
• Verbal recognition and name on sign at event
• Registration and dinner for four golfers
GOLDRUSH SPONSOR $1,500
• Company name/logo on one banner
• Company name/logo in Badger Common'Tater
• Verbal recognition and name on sign at event
• Registration and dinner for two golfers
CONTACT KAREN RASMUSSEN for more details (715) 623-7683
Make checks payable to WSPIA
*We WILL accept sponsors after this date.
MAIL PAYMENT TO: WSPIA, P.O. Box 173 Antigo, WI 54409
SILVERTON SPONSOR $1,000
• Company name/logo on one banner
• Company name/logo in Badger Common'Tater
• Verbal recognition and name on sign at event
• Registration and dinner for one golfer
SUPERIOR SPONSOR $500
• Company name/logo on one banner
• Company name/logo in Badger Common'Tater
• Verbal recognition and name on sign at event
OCCUPIED HOLE SPONSOR $300
• Company name on hole sign
• Rights to occupy a hole on the course and provide giveaways*
*If alcohol is being served, it must be purchased through the golf course
• Verbal recognition and name on sign at event
BASIC HOLE SPONSOR $200
• Company name on hole sign
• Verbal recognition and name on sign at event
Since 1998, this tournament raised over $214,000, which was donated to Wisconsin potato research.
