October 2023 Badger Common'Tater

On the Cover: Technology and innovation are ever present at Midwestern Potatoes, LLC, in Plainfield, Wisconsin, where the cover image was taken of Vanguard Russet potatoes being sorted, graded, and readied for packaging. Optical sorters/graders, auto balers, and robotic stackers and palletizers are just some of the machines helping streamline the process.

From left to right in front of the Midwestern Potatoes, LLC sign are Bushmans’ Inc. Chief Operating Officer John Hopfensperger, Rod Beggs, owner of Midwestern Potatoes, and Bushmans’ Inc. Chief Executive Officer Mike Carter. Beggs manages all operations at the packaging facility, in Plainfield, and Bushmans’ Inc., which owns one-third of the company, takes care of the sales and marketing end of the business, as well as transportation/shipping.

WPVGA Board of Directors:

PresideNt: Ra Ndy Fleishauer

Vice PresideNt: Charlie Mattek

Secretary: JohN Bustama Nte

Treasurer: Alex Okray

Directors: Mike Carter, WeNdy Dykstra, Bill GueNthNer, Josh KNights & J.D. Schroeder

Wisconsin Potato Industry Board:

PresideNt: Heidi Alsum-Ra Ndall

Vice PresideNt: ANdy Diercks

Secretary: Nicola Carey

Treasurer: Keith Wolter

Directors: JohN Bobek, JohN FeNske, Jim Okray, Eric Schroeder & Tom Wild

WPVGA Associate Division Board of Directors:

PresideNt: Matt SeleNske

Vice PresideNt: ANdy Verhasselt

Secretary: Sally Suprise

Treasurer: Paul Salm

Directors: Melissa Heise, Etha N OlsoN, Scott Scheer, Morga N Smolarek & Bra NdoN Taylor

Wisconsin Seed Potato Improvement

Association Board of Directors:

PresideNt: Matt Mattek

Vice PresideNt: Jeff SuchoN

Secretary/Treasurer: CloVer Spacek

Directors: Charlie HusNick & ANdy Schroeder

Wisconsin Potato Growers

Auxiliary Board of Directors:

PresideNt: Heidi Schleicher

Vice PresideNt: DatoNN Ha Nke

Secretary/Treasurer: Becky Wysocki

Directors: Jody BagiNski, EriN Meister, Dakotah Smiley & Misti Ward

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

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

Badger Common’Tater is published monthly at 700 Fifth Avenue, Antigo, Wisconsin 54409

WPVGA Staff

ExecutiVe Director: Tamas Houliha N

Ma N agiNg Editor: Joe Kertzma N

Director of PromotioNs & CoNsumer

EducatioN: Da N a Rady

FiN a Ncial Officer: KareN RasmusseN

ExecutiVe Assista Nt: Julie BrauN

Program Assista Nt: Ja Ne GuilleN

Spudmobile EducatioN a Nd Outreach

AdmiNistrator: George Neuber

WPVGA Office

(715) 623-7683 • FAX: (715) 623-3176

E-mail: wpvga@wisconsinpotatoes.com

Website: www.wisconsinpotatoes.com

LIKE US ON FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/WPVGA

Subscription rates: $2.50/copy, $28/year; $45/2 years.

Foreign subscription rates: $35/year; $55/2 years.

Telephone: (715) 623-7683

Mailing address: P.O. Box 327, Antigo, Wisconsin 54409

Or, subscribe free online: http://wisconsinpotatoes.com/blog-news/subscribe/

ADVERTISING: To advertise your service or product in this magazine, call (715) 630-6213, or email: Joe Kertzman: jkertzman@wisconsinpotatoes.com. The editor welcomes manuscripts and pictures but accepts no responsibility for such material while in our hands.

MARK YOUR Calendar

OCTOBER

19 4TH ANNUAL SPORTING CLAYS SHOOT

Wausau Skeet and Trap Club

Wausau/Brokaw, WI

19-21 THE GLOBAL PRODUCE & FLORAL SHOW

Anaheim Convention Center

Anaheim, CA

23-24 WPVGA RESEARCH MEETING

West Madison Research Station and virtual. 1 p.m. on Monday, 8 a.m. on Tuesday

Verona, WI

JANUARY 2024

8-9 POTATOES USA WINTER MEETING

Austin Convention Center Austin, TX

10-11 POTATO EXPO 2024

Austin Convention Center Austin, TX

FEBRUARY

6-8 2024 GROWER ED CONFERENCE & INDUSTRY SHOW

Holiday Inn Convention Center

Stevens Point, WI

26-3/1 2024 NPC WASHINGTON SUMMIT

Washington Marriott at Metro Center

Washington, D.C.

MARCH

26-28 62nd ANNUAL WPS FARM SHOW

Experimental Aircraft Association grounds

Oshkosh, WI

MAY

18-21 NATIONAL RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION SHOW

McCormick Place Chicago, IL

JUNE

21 WSPIA SPUD SEED CLASSIC GOLF OUTING

Bass Lake Golf Course

Deerbrook, WI

23-26 12TH WORLD POTATO CONGRESS

Adelaide, South Australia

JULY

10 2024 PUTT-TATO OPEN GOLF OUTING

Lake Arrowhead Golf Course

Nekoosa, WI

11 HARS FIELD DAY

Hancock Agricultural Research Station

Hancock, WI

31 RARS FIELD DAY

Rhinelander Agricultural Research Station

Rhinelander, WI

AUGUST

23-26 WISCONSIN FARM TECHNOLOGY DAYS

Country/Rock Fest Grounds

Cadott, WI

6 BC�T October

Planting Ideas

Spend enough time

in the Central Wisconsin potato and vegetable industry, and you can’t help but notice that it is populated with family-focused folks who exhibit an incredible work ethic and place emphasis on morals and values. That is a good industry to be in, so when I receive images emailed to me like the one above, it makes me smile. Bob Guenthner of GP Ventures, LLC (formerly Guenthner Potato Company Inc.) sent the image of himself and his family at the Antigo Tater Trot, which the Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association (WPVGA) sponsors. From left to right in the photo are Bill Kolb, Bob, Max McGivern, Jackie Majewski, Chase Majewski, K.K. Majewski, and Mallory McGivern.

Speaking of family, this October 2023 Associate Division Directory and Bagging/Packaging issue includes an interview with Rod Beggs, owner and manager of Midwestern Potatoes, LLC, whose dad, Denzel, was plant manager of Midwestern Farms, in Plainfield, for 35 years. Rod has held just about every job there is at Midwestern Potatoes, LLC, following in his father’s footsteps and taking the business to the next level. There were plenty of family members (roughly 150 volunteers in all) working the baked potato booth at the Wisconsin State Fair, August 3-13, in Milwaukee. The largest fundraiser for the Wisconsin Potato Growers Auxiliary, volunteers sell baked potatoes to eager fairgoers from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. each day, and the line seemingly never stops with hungry people ready for their baked spuds. See “Auxiliary News” herein for the full story along with group photos of all the ready and willing volunteers.

“Now News” in this issue includes a story and images about the Central Wisconsin Farmers Collaborative (a Producer-Led Watershed Protection group) holding a Farmer-to-Farmer Field Day on August 3. The event included a visit to a potato field on the Worzella & Sons Farm, in Plover, to a prairie/pollinator plot on Plover River Farms, and much more. Also featured in “Now News,” the WPVGA encourages members to apply for the Member Development Program to learn about and actively participate in various facets of the Wisconsin potato and vegetable industry by exposing them to relevant information, resources, activities, and networking opportunities. Full details are in “Now News,” and the application deadline is November 3, so apply today.

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

Joe Kertzman Managing Editor

jkertzman@wisconsinpotatoes.com

NAME: Rod Beggs

TITLE: Owner/manager

COMPANY: Midwestern Potatoes, LLC

LOCATION: Plainfield, WI

HOMETOWN: Plainfield

YEARS IN PRESENT POSITION: 10

PREVIOUS EMPLOYMENT: “I began working at Midwestern, in 1989, and worked my way up to assistant manager,” Rod Beggs relates. “In 2001, I moved to Janesville and started a painting business. Ten years later, I moved back to Plainfield and began rebuilding Midwestern. In 2013, Bob Berard and I bought out all other shareholders and formed Midwestern Potatoes, Inc. In 2015, Bushmans’ Inc. bought in, and in 2017, I bought out Berard.”

SCHOOLING: Tri-County High School, Plainfield, and U.S. Army Reserves

ACTIVITIES/ORGANIZATIONS: Member of the Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association

FAMILY: Wife, Candy; children, Mason (Melissa), Makayla, and Jackson; and granddaughter, Penelope

HOBBIES: Spending time in the Northwoods relaxing and boating

Interview

ROD BEGGS, owner/manager, Midwestern Potatoes, LLC

By Joe Kertzman, managing editor, Badger Common’Tater

Rod Beggs didn’t know his future was already mapped out for him. His dad, Denzel Beggs, was plant manager of Midwestern Farms in Plainfield, Wisconsin, for 35 years.

Although Rod joined the U.S. Army Reserves right out of high school, in 1988, and owned his own painting business in Janesville for close to a decade, he has held just about every job there is at Midwestern Potatoes, LLC.

Primarily a packing shed when it was established by a group of Central

Wisconsin potato growers, in 1977, the storied Midwestern Farms served many potato farmers and investors over the years.

“It started back in 1966 when Godfrey and Maybelle Erickson first owned it,” Rod qualifies, “up until 1977, when there was a fire and it burned down. Then, they presented

Rod Beggs, owner/manager of Midwestern Potatoes, LLC, in Plainfield, Wisconsin, says the company primarily focuses on grading, sorting, packaging and storing russet potatoes.

the opportunity for several growers to buy into the company that became Midwestern Farms.”

Denzel, Dave Beggs, Jay Erickson and Bob Berard of Paramount Farms owned and ran Midwestern until Rod and Berard bought out all other shareholders and transferred the operation to their names in October 2013. Then, Bushmans’ Inc. of Rosholt purchased one-third of the operation.

“The operation of Midwestern Farms ran up until 2015, when Bushmans’ Inc. and I formed Midwestern Potatoes, LLC,” Rod explains.

Rod, who bought out Berard in 2017, says, today, Midwestern Potatoes focuses primarily on fresh market russets.

Are you doing all the bagging and packaging of fresh market russet potatoes for Bushmans’ Inc., and how does the partnership work?

I manage all operations here at the packaging facility and Bushmans’ manages all the sales and marketing, as well as transportation/shipping from Midwestern Farms.

The two management teams at Bushmans’ and Midwestern are always in constant communication with each other, from top to bottom, from capital investment discussions on down to order needs and the dayto-day operation. It has been a great

relationship and partnership.

Is Midwestern Potatoes still packing for several growers a year, and what are your projections in that regard for this year? Yes, and looking at the current crop, I feel we are going to have a good year both in quality and quantity. As always, our goal here is to create strong returns for the grower group and provide a top-quality product for the consumer to enjoy.

Are you adding growers to the mix, and what varieties of potatoes do you bag and pack? Currently, we

are working with several growers and adding new ones every year.

We are running all russet varieties and all pack sizes. We also try to run as close to year-round as possible. This year, we were only down for two weeks during the summer.

Above: Midwestern Potatoes, LLC has the capacity to store 450,000 hundredweight (cwt.) of potatoes and tries to keep a yearround supply. The company can pack up to 10,000 cwt. of potatoes a day, which equates to 18 or 19 semi-loads or roughly 10,000 bags. continued on pg.

How many different brands and labels to you bag and pack for? We pack several different brands, but most retailers want their own labels. Therefore, we accommodate their requests.

Our main carton label is the iconic

Potato World Brand, also known as PW Brand.

What type of bagging and packaging machines do you have? We utilize Volmpacks for all our consumer brands and a five-lane Hagen with X-rays for all carton sizes.

Quality

We also just added a custom-built bin filler codesigned with Chris Anderson of Thunderstruck Farms, in Plainfield. This filler allows us to fill the bins

Yellows:

Colomba

Whites: Superior

Reds: Red Norland Modoc

Growers of

Foundation

and Certified Seed Potatoes for Over 50 Years!

Russets: Norkotah #8 Burbank Gold Rush Mercury Silverton Plover

We handle our own line of clean and dependable late model trucks for all of your delivery needs.

Above: Automation such as this Volmpack Auto-Baler saves Midwestern Potatoes time, labor and money.

as fast as one every 1 minute, 20 seconds, which will help during the holiday rushes.

Anderson designed and fabricated a new bin-filling line for us meeting Wal-Mart’s new packaging requirements and box specifications. Now we’re the envy of a lot of people, and I just sold the prototype to the Soiks.

Anderson is also building a box stacker and pallet feed now, and currently making upgrades to the filler line with a few more efficiencies.

Do you pack in bulk bins, bales, or what are your smallest bags/ packages? We pack nearly all consumer sizes with a few off-grade bulk loads for processors. We’re going to start packing 40-pound bales for Wal-Mart as part of our new Midwest Fresh bin program.

Do you work with specialty packs of potatoes, and if so, in what sizes? Currently, we are not packing any specialty packs. With our large cooler space, we utilize other facilities and cross-dock the items here for distribution to our customers.

Are you the sales/marketing end of it to retail or wholesale, or do you simply do the bagging and packaging and not sales? I manage all aspects of the operation here at the facility. I leave the sales and marketing to Bushmans’, Inc.

What is Midwestern Potatoes’ potato storage capacity, and how

long do you typically store potatoes? Midwestern has the capacity to store 450,000 hundredweight (cwt.) of potatoes, and we try to keep a yearround supply.

This year, we stored to the end of June and then ran outside potatoes to finish off the rest of the year.

CHROME ALLOY WEAR PARTS

R & H Machine manufactures wear resistant Chrome Alloy parts for planting, fertilizing, cultivating, ripping, and harvesting.

You can count on our signature high Chrome Alloy to give you extremely long life. Our wings maintain their original width throughout the life of the point.

Our shin guards are designed to protect your shank from wear. We make it our business to help reduce your downtime when preparing your fields for next year’s crops.

Rod Beggs (left) and Bushmans’ Inc. Chief Operating Officer (COO) John Hopfensperger (right) pose by a box of Vanguard Russet potatoes. The main carton label for Midwestern Potatoes is the iconic Potato World Brand.

Do you have a shipping arm of the operation? We don’t have any trucks. Bushmans’ arranges all the transportation for truck loading out of Midwestern and we utilize many local carriers. Some are sourced truck broker relationships.

Do you have any new bagging/ packaging machines using the latest technology? Palletizers? We just added a custom-built bin filler, and we also ordered a new A5 Tomra optical auto grader. We expect that installation to be complete before the end of the year.

How about X-ray capability, and what are you trying to detect with the machines? We currently have three X-ray machines looking for hollow heart in the potatoes.

How much time do you think automated palletizers and bagging/ packaging machines save you? It’s not so much the time as it is labor savings. Palletizing is hard work,

Above:

“It’s not so much the time as it is labor savings,” says Rod Beggs regarding the necessity for such machines as the Fuji-Ace EC201 robotic stacker. “Palletizing is hard work, and it makes it much easier to hire and retain employees when that is not part of the job description.”

Rod Beggs’ son, Mason (left), works for Midwestern Potatoes as Rod’s right-hand man. “I kind of pulled him through the system like my dad pulled me through,” Rod says.

“Palletizing is hard work, and it makes it much easier to hire and retain employees when that is not part of the job description.”

– Rod Beggs, Midwestern Potatoes, LLC

and it makes it much easier to hire and retain employees when that is not part of the job description.

As far as bagging, is there a push for you to use more eco-friendly

packaging, and if so, how are you handling that? We pack whatever the retailer is demanding, and we will adjust as they do. However, all the cardboard we use is made from some percentage of recycled material.

Above: The Lockwood VACS Mobile potato handling and cleaning system takes a lot of manual labor out of the equation for Midwestern Potatoes and ensures rocks and debris stay outside of the packing facility.

continued on pg. 14

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You said you’ll be busy from now (late August) straight through to December because of harvest and potatoes coming in. What is your daily production capacity? We can run up to 10,000 cwt. a day, which equates to 18 or 19 semi-loads or roughly 10,000 bags.

I enjoy the challenge and like being busy. I’d rather have 11 orders going out the door than three. I can tell you

Above: Chris Anderson of Thunderstruck Farms, in Plainfield, fabricated a bin-filling line for Midwestern Potatoes that meets Wal-Mart’s new packaging requirements for boxing 5-pound bags of potatoes. Octagonal-shaped boxes allow them to be triple-stacked without being crushed from the weight above.

that in all honesty.

What technologies or changes do you see on the horizon for Midwestern Potatoes and other plants like yours? Automation is the number one technology we see coming down the pipe, as well as

better storage techniques to allow for long-term quality storage.

What do you hope for the future of Midwestern Potatoes? I plan to continue expanding the company with top-tier growers, those who raise quality potatoes. My son,

Mason, works for us as my right-hand man. I kind of pulled him through the system like my dad pulled me through.

Above: While Bushmans’ Inc. Chief Executive Officer Mike Carter (left) looks on, John Hopfensperger, COO of Bushmans’, inspects Vanguard Russets at Midwestern Potatoes, LLC.

Using AI to Help Sort Potatoes

How to be 25% more efficient in quality control by implementing artificial intelligence

Submitted by Dominique Jobin, business development manager, Vooban

Patates Dolbec is the largest potato producer in eastern Canada. The company cultivates nearly 10,000 acres of land in the Portneuf region and has vertically integrated itself over the years.

The Saint-Ulbade company markets to retailers such as Costco, Metro, and Sobeys, as well as distributors like Cage aux Sports, for example. Today, Patates Dolbec cultivates,

transforms and packages a wide variety of potatoes destined for the North American market.

Patates Dolbec had a problem with potato sorting in its factories, which required extensive manpower.

Potatoes can exhibit many types of imperfections, with some becoming green because of sun exposure in the field, or others exhibiting black spot, which is caused by fungi, and more.

In all, Patates Dolbec identified 25 types of defects to consider, as well as size, with some customers wanting small potatoes and others preferring medium or large spuds.

Through the labor-intensive task of manually sorting potatoes, workers were accidentally removing healthy potatoes or missing those that had defects.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

In automating the task with optical sorting machines and cameras, Patates Dolbec initially achieved a 70 percent efficiency rate, which meant that the remaining 30% of potatoes were not sorted correctly.

Above: Patates Dolbec was not satisfied with the performance (30% error rate) of its legacy potato optical sorting machine, which required laborers to manually remove the remaining defective potatoes and avoid losing good potatoes and the profits associated with them.

Having always relied on innovation to improve performance, Potatoes Dolbec sought the help of Vooban, a Quebec-based company, to streamline its quality assurance process using artificial intelligence.

Vooban not only specializes in the application of artificial intelligence (AI), but also helps companies navigate the Cloud and Internet of Things (IoT), as well as performing Web and mobile device development.

The challenge was to significantly improve Patates Dolbec’s existing equipment with the help of AI, among other technologies, without completely changing the machines. One change was to the preexisting system of cameras, which was older or more traditional, replacing them with newer, more effective models.

Vooban also developed a deep learning algorithm with a whole new dataset made from thousands of pictures of potatoes taken by the cameras.

Commands were created according to the algorithm’s results to effectively sort the potatoes.

DETECTING IMPERFECTIONS

Patates Dolbec’s objective was to enlist Vooban to help detect all types of imperfections affecting the potatoes’ quality and to provide a solution that would allow freedom in choosing the quality level of product according to the varying needs of customers (restaurants, grocery stores, etc.).

An additional challenge was to surpass the performance and detection algorithm of its industrial sorting machine, which is the market benchmark for this sort of task.

Patates Dolbec was not satisfied with the performance (30% error rate) of its legacy optical sorting machine, requiring laborers to manually remove the remaining defective potatoes to avoid losing good

continued on pg. 18

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“Not only did AI help a local company optimize its processes, but it also helped counter food waste.”

– Hugues Foltz, executive vice president, Vooban

potatoes and the profits associated with them.

In an industry with chronic labor shortage, a better solution was crucial.

The company did eventually reach a 95% efficiency rate by retrofitting its optical sorting machine with high-definition cameras and a state-of-the-art, deep-neuralnetwork model to leverage recent developments in AI and computer vision.

To allow for periodic retraining of the model, a machine learning pipeline was developed in the AWS (Amazon Web Services) Cloud.

From datastore, labeling, and training to model registry and edge deployment, the AWS Cloud is the foundational backbone of the upgraded sorting machine.

25% GAIN IN EFFICIENCY

In the end, the implementation of AI in the quality control process had allowed Patates Dolbec to gain no less than 25% in efficiency, as the error rate went from 30% to 5% in just a few months.

“Simply with the implementation of artificial intelligence, we managed to avoid the loss of at least 15% of healthy potatoes that would have been thrown out otherwise,” says

Hugues Foltz, executive vice president of Vooban. “That amounts to roughly 500,000 pounds of potatoes a year.”

“Not only did AI help a local company optimize its processes,” he adds, “but it also helped counter food waste.”

Patates Dolbec, with the help of the AWS Cloud, is now fully autonomous in its capacity to retrain and deploy new models developed using knowledge from the company’s own workforce.

This allows Patates Dolbec to adapt the model to new varieties or changes in the base product. Furthermore, the company can customize the behavior of the sorting to a level unattainable by its legacy machine.

Patates Dolbec can now precisely tune the sorting characteristic to address the needs of different customers.

Patates Dolbec eventually reached a 95% efficiency rate by retrofitting its optical sorting machine with high-definition cameras and a state-of-the-art, deep-neural-network model to leverage recent developments in AI and computer vision.

BinFronts can be placed in tight circumferences for corners or circles, eliminating the burden of ordering corner pieces.

How Each Nutrient Nourishes Plants

What is the plant equivalent of a protein shake for humans?

If a plant decided to go on a diet, what do you think it would choose to be as healthy as possible? It turns out that plants, like humans, rely on essential nutrients to maintain a healthy and balanced lifestyle.

So, what’s the plant equivalent of a protein shake you might be wondering? Probably an N-P-K shake comprised mostly of nutrients like nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K).

These are referred to as plant macronutrients. Then you can add some “shots” of smaller amounts

Above: Macronutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium aid plant growth along with smaller amounts of calcium, magnesium, and sulfur, as long as not overapplied. The green bean field appears healthy. Image courtesy of TriEst Ag Group

Left: A comparison of common nutrients and what they do for plants and humans.

Source: “Agronomy: Grow with It!,” Ateh, et al., 2016, page 73.

Provided by the Soil Science Society of America and Amanda Ramcharan of Bayer Crop Science

of calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), and sulfur (S), which are essential for plant health. These are plant micronutrients.

Nitrogen (N)

Nitrogen is used by plants to create amino acids, the building blocks of proteins. Proteins are essential for all our human and plant cells.

Amino acids are needed to form protoplasm—the site for cell division. That makes nitrogen crucial to plant growth and development. All plant enzymes used in biochemical reactions are also made of proteins. Besides the creation of amino acids and proteins, nitrogen is also a necessary component of the chlorophyll molecule. So, nitrogen influences the photosynthesis process.

Nitrogen can improve the quality and quantity of dry matter in leafy vegetables and protein in grain crops. Nitrogen deficiency results in stunted growth, and pale green or yellowing of older leaves, the latter as the plant tries to scavenge nitrogen from older leaves and give it to younger tissues. You might be thinking, “Well, I’m going to pour on the fertilizer, then,” but hold that thought. Plants can also have toxic levels of nutrients.

Nitrogen toxicity also results in stunted growth, with plants looking dark green. It can also result in vegetative bud formation (more plant leaves or stems) instead of reproductive bud formation (more flowers or crops), which isn’t very good for yield.

Phosphorus (P)

Another big player in plant nutrition is phosphorus. It is very important in plant metabolism. Phosphorus is used in plant photosynthesis and respiration, as it is needed for energy storage and transfer.

It’s also part of ribonucleic acid (RNA)

and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), the stores of genetic information of living things. Seeds usually have large stores of phosphorus available for young cells in shoot and root tips where growth is rapid.

If the plant lacks phosphorus, it will result in stunted growth as cell division gets compromised. Luckily, phosphorus can be mobilized in a plant and transferred to sites of

new growth. However, if a plant does this, it causes older leaves to appear dark or blue-green and even purple in severe cases.

Phosphorus deficiency thus causes slow development and low seed and fruit quality. But be cautious about applying too much phosphorus to a plant; excess amounts can cause iron and zinc deficiencies.

SPUDNIK Harvester

Used - 2004 SPUDNIK 9060 Hiller

Used - SPUDNIK 8046 7-Row Potato Bed Planter. Includes Fertilizer Tanks and Tubing.

Used - 2009 GRIMME M odel GL38T-2 8-Row Planter, 36”Row Spacing.

How Each Nutrient Nourishes Plants . . .

Potassium (K)

Potassium is a bit different from nitrogen and phosphorus. It doesn’t become part of any organic compounds in the plant. It’s more like the ultimate assistant to many processes happening in a healthy, growing plant.

For example, potassium assists in the regulation of water use in the plant by controlling the opening and closing of stomata, allowing the plant to cool itself.

At sites of energy production, potassium maintains the balance of electrical charge. It has even been shown to improve disease resistance of the plant, improve the size of

seeds and grains and improve quality of fruits and vegetables.

But too much potassium can also result in toxic levels in the plant, leading to calcium, magnesium, and nitrogen deficiencies.

Calcium (Ca)

Now on to those smaller essential nutrient “shots.” Calcium is needed in smaller amounts in the plant, but it’s not mobile in the plant. This means that if adequate amounts of calcium aren’t available, symptoms of deficiency will first appear on young leaves as growth is stunted.

Growing points of the stem and roots also stop developing with notable

Magnesium deficiency is evident in this canola plant leaf. Notice the vein area remains green, while the rest of the leaf is turning yellow. Image courtesy of Ivan Izgagin

deterioration of the root system before the above-ground parts of the plant. Again, on the flip side, high calcium in a plant can cause magnesium and boron deficiencies.

Magnesium (Mg)

Magnesium is an important component of the chlorophyll molecule and therefore needed for photosynthesis.

It is mobile in the plant, therefore when there’s a deficiency, chlorosis first occurs on older leaves in the leaf tissue between the veins.

Leaves can start to look yellow, bronze, or reddish, while leaf veins remain green. High magnesium levels can cause a calcium deficiency.

Sulfur (S)

Finally, sulfur is used by the plant to create some amino acids and is essential for chloroplast growth and function (the part of the cell where photosynthesis occurs).

Sulfur is not mobilized in a plant,

Besides the creation of amino acids and proteins, nitrogen is also a necessary component of the chlorophyll molecule. So, nitrogen influences the photosynthesis process necessary for such healthy plants as the cucumbers shown here.

so symptoms of deficiency first show on new plant growth where there is a uniform yellowing of new plant tissue. Growth is stunted and maturity is delayed, which lowers yield.

Toxic levels of sulfur are hard to create, so a plant likely won’t suffer from this problem.

So now you know the list of essential nutrients a plant needs to have a healthy diet. With these nutrients, plants can make the most of the water and sunlight available, which results in a high-yielding crop!

If you are growing vegetables in your own garden, it’s best to have a periodic soil test to determine if the soil contains the correct amounts of each nutrient. You don’t want to create toxic levels of any one nutrient, nor do you want those nutrients getting into stormwater systems.

The Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) is a progressive international scientific society that fosters the transfer of knowledge and practices to sustain global soils.

Based in Madison, Wisconsin, and founded in 1936, SSSA is the professional home for 6,000+ members and 1,000+ certified professionals dedicated to advancing the field of soil science. The Society provides information about soils in relation to crop production, environmental quality, ecosystem sustainability, bioremediation, waste management, recycling, and wise land use.

Follow SSSA on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/SSSA. soils, or Twitter at SSSA_Soils. SSSA has soils information on www.soils.org/discover-soils, for teachers at www.soils4teachers.org, and for students through 12th grade, www.soils4kids.org.

“With these nutrients, plants can make the most of the water and sunlight available, which results in a high-yielding crop!”

– Amanda Ramcharan, Bayer Crop Science, and Soil Science Society of America

Now News

Central WI Farmers Collaborative Hosts Field Day

Producer-Led Watershed Protection group holds farmer-to-farmer gathering

The Central Wisconsin Farmers Collaborative (a Producer-Led Watershed Protection group) held a Farmer-to-Farmer Field Day on August 3.

The event included a visit to a potato

field on the Worzella & Sons Farm, in Plover, Wisconsin, to hear about research being conducted that helps potato growers measure and monitor crop water use with highly accurate evapotranspiration (ET) calculations

using an Eddy Covariance Flux Tower. The field day also featured a visit to a prairie/pollinator plot on Plover River Farms. Without the actions of pollinators, agricultural economies, our food supply, and surrounding

Above: Nick Somers of Plover River Farms (center, facing camera) describes the prairie/pollinator plot on his farm, which is adjacent to a vegetable production field in Plover, Wisconsin. Plover River Farms’ pollinator plantings are one component of the Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association’s Healthy Grown high-bar sustainability program.

Left: The first stop of the Farmer-to-Farmer Field Day, August 3, was at a potato field on the Worzella & Sons Farm in Plover. Pictured are (left to right) Jonathan Thom with the University of Wisconsin (UW) Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences Department, and potato growers Nick Somers, Curtis Gagas, Curt Soik and Scott Worzella; and Karla Lochman, program leader of the Boston School Forest. Thom describes the research that is helping potato growers measure and monitor crop water use with highly accurate evapotranspiration (ET) calculations using an Eddy Covariance Flux Tower.

landscapes would collapse. During the Farmer-to-Farmer Field Day, Curt Soik of Myron Soik & Sons Inc., Stevens Point, explained how his farm makes use of The CropX system, which aggregates data from soil to sky and transforms it into useful information, helping farmers monitor the health of fields and crops.

Farmer-to-farmer and producerled initiatives such as the field day showcasing recent technologies and research help growers change public

perception, become better stewards of the land and learn new, more sustainable ways of producing quality, high-yielding crops.

Above: Potato grower Curt Soik (left) explains how his farm makes use of The CropX system. This system aggregates data from soil to sky and transforms it into useful information, helping farmers monitor the health of fields and crops. The information is easy to access and provides a holistic overview of field conditions, providing guidance for successful and sustainable farming. From left to right next to Curt are

potato growers Scott Worzella and Andy Diercks; Guolong Liang, outreach specialist in UW-Madison’s Extension Ag Water Quality Program; and Portage County Ag Agent Ken Schroeder.

Above: This image of a bee and a butterfly was taken on the prairie plot at Plover River Farms. Without the actions of pollinators, agricultural economies, our food supply, and surrounding landscapes would collapse. Pollinator plots also sustain our ecosystems and preserve our natural resources by helping plants reproduce.

Allied and ProVision Announce Merger

that just fits.”

TRANSITIONING LOGOS

The co-op has been transitioning the logos on their facilities, vehicles, and marketing materials to reflect the Allied Cooperative brand.

Allied Cooperative (Adams, Wisconsin) and ProVision Partners Cooperative (Marshfield) announce the merger of their cooperatives, which officially took place in March 2023.

In a recent letter to their members, they also announced the name of their new cooperative—ProVision Partners Cooperative, doing business as (dba) Allied Cooperative.

Believing that the co-ops already had two strong names, the boards made the decision to forego the expense of rebranding and trademarking a new name, and instead utilize their existing names in the new company.

The name ProVision Partners Cooperative will be used on legal documents. The name Allied Cooperative will be used for all marketing purposes and is the name that the public will see.

“We believe this is a win-win for both cooperatives. Each cooperative’s name is represented with significant savings for our organization as a whole,” says Rob Larson, ProVision Partners Cooperative chief executive officer (CEO), who is set to take the helm of the new cooperative.

“The name Allied Cooperative has an active registration with the U.S. Trademark Office and is a strong representative of who we are moving forward,” says Tim Clemens, Allied Cooperative CEO. “The word ‘Allied’ means connected or joining together by compact or treaty. It’s a definition

“Regardless of what name is on the facility or vehicle, we are moving forward as one cooperative. This company is owned by our members, and we look forward to growing an even stronger co-op as we come together,” Larson says.

The combined co-op has over 600 employees and will serve customers from east to west across Central Wisconsin. Cooperative business leaders estimate that the combined organization’s sales will be approximately $570 million. Allied Cooperative’s roots date back to 1918. Its services include agronomy, grain, LP (liquid petroleum) gas, refined fuels, hardware, tires, auto parts, country stores and convenience stores. It currently has operations in Adams, Blair, Galesville, Mauston, Melrose, Mindoro, Necedah, Plainfield, Plover, Tomah, West Salem, and Wisconsin Rapids.

ProVision Partners’ roots date back to 1912. Its services include agronomy, feed, grain, LP, refined fuels, country stores, convenience stores, a tire and service center, and lawn care.

It currently has operations in Arpin, Auburndale, Black Creek, Black River Falls, Chili, Colby, Fairchild, Granton, Hixton, Humbird, Luxemburg, Manitowoc, Marshfield, Merrillan, Northfield, Pittsville, Seymour, Stratford, Unity, Warrens, and West Salem.

Food + Farm Exploration Center Launches Website

All aspects of the Foundation and Center are under one new responsive website

The Food + Farm Exploration Center in Plover, Wisconsin, is excited to announce the launch of a new website, www.explorefoodandfarm. org. The new website is the culmination of several months of work by the staff and the website developer, Detonator.

Previously, the organization was operating two separate websites, fftf. us, which was the Farming for the Future Foundation website focused on the capital fundraising campaign initiatives, and foodandfarm. us, focused on the Food + Farm Exploration Center and featuring the educational and programming initiatives.

All aspects of the Foundation and the Center are under one new responsive website that is easily navigable on all

devices and built to showcase all that the Food + Farm Exploration Center has to offer.

Visit www.explorefoodandfarm.org to learn about the immersive exhibits, educational offerings, and meeting space rental opportunities. The Exploration Center is projected to open in late fall of this year.

About Food + Farm Exploration Center

The Food + Farm Exploration Center is an extension of Farming for the Future Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to educating current and future generations about agricultural innovation and sustainability.

Its goals are to promote agricultural literacy, to increase the understanding of the origins of our food and to deepen the relationship between farmers and consumers.

continued on pg. 28

Join WPVGA Member Development Program

Objective: It is only by preparing members to be effective that the future success of the organization and industry will be realized.

The purpose of the Member Development Program is to provide members of the Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association (WPVGA), WPVGA Associate Division and Wisconsin Potato Growers Auxiliary with the opportunity to learn about and actively participate

Right: As part of the February 2022 “Promotions and Marketing” session of the WPVGA Member Development Program, participants made potato donuts. From left to right are Jared Suchon, John Bustamante, Mike Johnson and Samantha Konkol.

in the various facets of the Wisconsin potato and vegetable industry by exposing them to relevant information, resources, activities and networking opportunities.

Program Design: Designed as a fivemonth program, one session will be held each month between November and March. Sessions will be offered in-person (with some available virtually).

Participants will be expected to attend all five sessions, with each being approximately five to seven hours in length and focusing on a particular topic, skill or issue relevant to the potato and vegetable growing industry.

Preparatory material will be provided prior to each session to enhance the value of the associated relevant experience. Dates and locations for the sessions will soon be announced.

Program Participants: Ten to 20 candidates for the Member Development Program will be selected by the WPVGA from submitted applications based on their potential as active participants and future leaders in the potato and vegetable growing industry.

Candidates should represent one or more of the following segments of the industry: chip grower, seed grower, process grower, fresh grower/marketer, vegetable grower, farm worker or farm office worker, any facet of the Associate Division category or the Auxiliary.

Candidates should also exhibit a willingness to commit time and effort to prepare for sessions and actively participate in all aspects of the program. There are no age requirements or restrictions.

Program Costs: Program participants will pay nominal fees ($250) for

participation and will be expected to make their own personal arrangements to attend sessions and related activities (including transportation, meals outside of the sessions, and lodging if necessary).

Costs associated with conducting the program will be borne by the WPVGA with aid provided by the WPVGA

Associate Division in keeping with its mission to support the growth and development of the Wisconsin potato and vegetable growing industry. Most sessions will include a lunch/meal along with snacks and refreshments. The application deadline is November 3, 2023.

“Flat Spudly” Debuts on Social Media

WPVGA mascot loves to be out and about, and now he can be many places all at once

By Dana Rady, WPVGA Director of Promotions and Consumer Education

The Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association mascot, Spudly, loves to be out and about!

He has certainly had his share of fame over the last year after being featured as a main character in a series of online videos showing him

not quite understanding what to do in the kitchen.

He’s provided a level of good-natured humor, appeal and brand awareness to Wisconsin potatoes, thereby taking knowledge of the product to a new level.

While the videos showcased Spudly in the kitchen, a “flat Spudly” concept is beginning on social media. The idea originally known as “flat Stanley” is the notion of taking a computer file or printout of a particular image, in this case, of Spudly, and putting it in everyday situations.

In other words, you can print out an image of Spudly and put him in your harvester or at your computer desk. You can take a picture of him and post it to social media with a caption explaining the photo and include hashtag Spudly (#Spudly).

It’s an easy and seamless way to gain a following for Spudly that ties in with his kitchen videos and is sure to gain the WPVGA mascot even more of a fan base.

It’s also an effort that requires teamwork to implement. Anyone involved in the industry is able, welcome and encouraged to

Above: Spudly happily stands in the fertile soil of a Wysocki Family of Companies field, within the Wisconsin Central Sands production area, after planting.

Spudly enjoys a UTV ride in the fields around Bancroft. He even makes sure his seatbelt is fastened!

incorporate Spudly into their professional and personal social media platforms.

Wysocki Family of Companies, in Bancroft, has already taken advantage and made Spudly travel around the farm.

LAMINATED SPUDLY

A laminated image of the Wisconsin potato mascot has been appearing in UTV’s (Utility Terrain Vehicles), in potato fields, on a pile of potatoes and on the side of farm equipment as part of RPE Inc.’s social media efforts.

In each image, he shows off his studly physique and the health benefits that he has gained through regularly consuming Wisconsin potatoes.

He also sports the “Powered by Wisconsin Potatoes” logo on his jersey to feature how far Wisconsin potatoes go in powering performance for any activity level.

It’s an effort that will go a long way in spreading word of Wisconsin potatoes and their health benefits online.

Spudly has become increasingly popular since debuting the four videos of him in the kitchen, to the point where WPVGA’s consumer website (https:// eatwisconsinpotatoes.com/spudly/)

saw significant increases in traffic. So, the more the industry can help him gain a greater fan base across its networks, the more successful our promotional efforts will be.

Visit https://eatwisconsinpotatoes.

and scroll down the page to download images of Flat Spudly and start including him in your social media efforts!

Spudly shows his support for foundation seed potatoes from Eagle River Seed Farm, in Eagle River, Wisconsin, as he stands in front of a beautiful field of blooming spuds.

Spudly is so proud to stand in the sun on a pile of Wisconsin potatoes. If we’re being honest, is there any better place to be?

New Products

Old Barn Roofs Get a New Purpose

Sunflare LiteMount60 solar panels do not jeopardize the integrity of older buildings

Farms and ranches have been hard hit by inflation, and skyrocketing fuel and energy costs this year. Going to solar power can help cut electricity costs, but installing traditional silicon solar panels on 100-yearold barn roofs is impossible due to weight issues without an entire roof restructure.

Instead of rebuilding barns and outbuildings, there is now an alternative to traditional silicon solar panels that is lightweight, and more weatherproof and efficient in lowlight, shaded or cloudy conditions— Sunflare LiteMount60.

LiteMount60 panels proved to be the ideal solar option for a 100-yearold barn at Hopeful Hollow Farm, in Rockingham County Virginia.

The installation consisted of 50 185W (watt) LiteMount60 modules with an installed capacity of 9.25kW (kilowatts). One of the biggest

reasons this farm owner chose Sunflare was because the 100-yearold roof was not strong enough to hold traditional silicon modules without an entire reworking of the structure.

Instead of putting that time, money and effort into a barn that has been owned by the same family for generations, the owner opted to install the LiteMount60 modules that would not jeopardize the integrity of the building.

Another benefit of the LiteMount60 panels was realized during the installation process. The slope of the roof was quite steep, and having light modules that were not prone to cracking made placing and moving the modules around much easier.

Two installers were easily able to manipulate module placement compared to using a traditional silicon module.

Above: The Hopeful Hollow Farm in Rockingham County Virginia is 100 years old, and while the roof structure could not support the weight of a standard solar installation, the lightweight Sunflare solar panels were the ideal match.

LESS THAN 1 LB./SQ. FT.

Sunflare LiteMount60 195W panels weigh less than a pound per square foot and are installed using standard S-5! roof clamps for standing metal seam roofs. Custom 20mm (millimeter) high S-5! Pvkit 2.0 Module clamps are also an option and have the benefit of grounding each module when installed.

LiteMount60 is the only lightweight module that seamlessly integrates with every existing metal roof attachment system.

Sunflare Chief Executive Officer Philip Gao says, “Our mission is to reduce CO2, so it’s imperative to find innovative ways to go where

traditional solar can’t. At almost 4 pounds per square foot, silicon is too heavy to be installed on many metal roofs.”

LiteMount60 panels have a wind load of 42 lbs./sq. ft. (pounds per square foot) and a snow load up to 33 lbs./sq. ft. They also have no glass covering, so are shatterproof. That means there’s no waste due to broken panels.

Sunflare panels are all tested to withstand extreme weather conditions, in temperatures ranging from 40-185 degrees Fahrenheit, and impact resistance tested to withstand 25mm (1 inch) diameter hail at 52 miles per hour.

LiteMount60 also has bypass diodes at every cell. That means shading doesn’t affect the unit as much as most silicon panels that have a bypass diode for every string. It would take full shade to shut down a LiteMount60 panel, whereas silicon panels can be shut

down if shade falls across one cell.

For more information, contact Sunflare, 1693 Yeager Ave., La Verne, CA 91750, 888-577-9935,

info@sunflaresolar.com, https:// sunflaresolar.com, or contact Laura Baumgartner, lbaumgartner@ asylumpr.com.

Built on a thin and flexible stainless-steel backing, Sunflare solar panels are more durable and weather resistant than traditional units that utilize glass substrates and can be prone to micro-cracking. continued

Fan Efficiency Equals Effective Airflow

Tolsma ACM fan is driven by a permanent magnet synchronous motor

Reprinted with permission from Paul van Eijck of PotatoPro.com

Ventilation takes a lot of electricity and has become pricy now that energy prices are going through the roof. One stroke of luck is that the latest generation of fans is much more energy efficient.

Fans come in all shapes and sizes. But every fan has an optimal control range in terms of rpm (revolutions per minute), airflow and energy consumption.

Modern fans with a direct current motor (EC type) achieve an efficiency of 30 to 60 percent effective airflow. In addition, the back pressure in Pascal (Pa) determines what type of fan is best for which application.

For example, with a pressure difference of 150 Pa in box storage, this requirement is different from bulk onion storage with pressure differences of up to about 350 Pa.

a fan blade would suffice with fewer blades.

In the latter case, the fan blade needs more blades and higher power. Therefore, the most optimal setup is chosen for each application, allowing

Come

With Us!

The fan consists of a fan housing with mounting brackets on which the electric motor is mounted. Remarkably, the shape and placement of the motor supports determine a significant part of the ambient noise.

The Tolsma ACM fan is driven by a permanent magnet synchronous motor, or PM motor.

In these motors, the speed control (an electronics box) is placed outside the motor, thus not exposing the technology to vibration.

Another feature of this PM electric motor is its flat shape and lower maximum speed. This type of motor is on average 30 percent more economical than a standard asynchronous induction motor.

THE CURVED

BLADE

Tolsma’s latest development is the curved blade. This contributes to higher efficiency in air movement and

The blade is wide at the point where it sits against the fan blade shaft because it is at the tip. However, the

position of the blade varies with the radius.

That means the blade is more twisted close to the shaft than far from the drive shaft. As a result, the fan close to the shaft moves about as much air as it does at the end of the blade, where the turnover rate is much higher.

You could say that the modified blade angle compensates for the lower turnover rate near the shaft. Furthermore, the blade has the external characteristics of an airplane wing, which helps the airflow. An additional advantage of an ACM fan is that it can easily rotate backwards, so the fan sucks instead of blows.

Saving energy (reducing costs) is an important criterion in ventilation. A possibly even greater effect is ventilating at the right time, as this can reduce ventilation time.

A quieter fan means gain for the environment, but also for the wallet.

At current energy rates, the payback period of modern fans with a PM motor is shortened. Moreover, the purchase of energy-efficient fans is fiscally attractive.

For more information, contact Tolsma-Grisnich, attn: Cameron Folmer, 208-519-6421, cameronfolmer@tolsma.com, https://www.tolsmagrisnich.com.

2023 WPVGA Associate Division Directory

ACCOUNTING

OMERNIK & ASSOCIATES INC

MICHAEL OMERNIK

PLOVER, WI

(715) 341-9036

mike@accounting-offices.com www.accounting-offices.com

AERIAL SPRAYING

AGRICAIR FLYING SERVICE INC

JIM PERRIN

BANCROFT, WI

(715) 335-4470

agricair@uniontel.net www.agricairflyingservice.com

REABE SPRAYING SERVICE INC

CURT MEISTER

PLOVER, WI

(715) 341-9393 office@reabesprayingservice.com www.reabesprayingservice.com

AG CONSULTANTS

AGRI-PEST CONSULTING INC

TIM GROSS MILTON, WI (608) 208-5049

agripest89@gmail.com

AGSOURCE LABORATORIES

COLE BRODIN BONDUEL, WI

(715) 758-2178

cole.brodin@agsource.com www.agsource.com

ALLIED COOPERATIVE

KARMEN BERNACCHI

ADAMS, WI

(608) 339-3394

info@allied.coop www.allied.coop

CLA (CLIFTON LARSON ALLEN LLP)

JIM HALVORSEN

MARSHFIELD, WI

(715) 221-3037

jim.halvorsen@claconnect.com www.claconnect.com

ELLINGSON COMPANIES

SIMONE STEISKAL

WEST CONCORD, MN (507) 527-2294

ssteiskal@ellingsoncompanies.com www.EllingsonCompanies.com

FOCUS ON ENERGY

LAURA LANE

CHIPPEWA FALLS, WI (800) 762-7077

business@focusonenergy.com www.focusonenergy.com/agribusiness

GZA GEOENVIRONMENTAL INC

JAMES F DROUGHT

BROOKFIELD, WI (414) 831-2540

james.drought@gza.com

www.gza.com

INSIGHT FS

CASEY KOBACK

ANTIGO, WI

(715) 627-4844

antigo@insightfs.com

www.insightfs.com

MID-STATE TECHNICAL COLLEGE

ALEX LENDVED

MARSHFIELD, WI

(715) 389-7011

alex.lendved@mstc.edu www.mstc.edu

MOERKERKE CONSULTING

BOB MOERKERKE CORNELIUS, OR (715) 360-7975

bob.moerkerke@gmail.com

NELSON'S VEGETABLE STORAGE SYSTEMS

HOLLY NELSON

PLAINFIELD, WI (715) 335-6660

holly@nelsonsveg.com

POSSIBILITIES UNLIMITED

ELLIE WOMELDORF

STEVENS POINT, WI

(715) 281-1743

ellie_womeldorf@yahoo.com

ROCK RIVER LABORATORY INC

DUSTIN SAWYER

WATERTOWN, WI (920) 261-0446

dustin_sawyer@rockriverlab.com

www.rockriverlab.com

SYNAGRO LLC

MATTHEW MIELKE

WISCONSIN RAPIDS, WI

(715) 421-1866

mmielke@synagro.com

www.synagro.com

AG INSPECTIONS

AG WORLD SUPPORT SYSTEMS LLC

BRYAN HENNINGER

MOSES LAKE, WA (509) 765-0698

bhenninger@aginspections.com

www.aginspections.com

AGRICULTURAL CHEMICALS

AMVAC CHEMICAL CORP

RALPH FREDERICK

DULUTH, MN (218) 340-1609

ralphf@amvac.com

www.amvac.com

ANALYTICAL LABORATORY

A & L GREAT LAKES LABORATORIES INC

DAVID HENRY

FORT WAYNE, IN

(260) 483-4759

dhenry@algreatlakes.com

www.algreatlakes.com

BAG COMPANIES

FOX PACKAGING AND FOX SOLUTIONS

VICTORIA LOPEZ

MC ALLEN, TX (956) 682-6176

victoria.lopez@foxbag.com

www.foxbag.com

THORPACK LLC

MARTIN KOLPACK

BRYANT, WI

(715) 627-7333

mkolpack@thorpack.com

www.thorpack.com

VOLM COMPANIES INC

MARSHA POZZA

ANTIGO, WI

(715) 627-3626

marsha.pozza@volmcompanies.com

www.volmcompanies.com

WARNER & WARNER INC

JAY WARNER

PLOVER, WI

(715) 341-8563

jay.warner@warnerpackaging.com

www.warnerpackaging.com

CHAIN

BROEKEMA BELTWAY USA INC

JEFF EILERS

PINE CITY, MN

(320) 629-3900

jeff.eilers@broekema.us www.broekemabeltway.com

CHEMICALS

GOWAN USA

BECKY HECK

BARNEVELD, WI

(715) 450-1291

bheck@gowanco.com

www.gowanco.com

SYNGENTA CROP PROTECTION

KEN CLEVELAND

MARATHON, WI

(608) 642-3717

ken.cleveland@syngenta.com

www.syngenta-us.com

CHEMICALS/FERTILIZERS

ALBAUGH LLC

KEITH MILLER

TROY, IL

(314) 306-7444

keithm@albaughllc.com

www.albaughllc.com

ALLEN SUPPLY COMPANY INC

JASON ALLEN

STEVENS POINT, WI (715) 341-7635

jason.allen@allensc.com

ALLIED COOPERATIVE

KARMEN BERNACCHI ADAMS, WI (608) 339-3394

info@allied.coop

www.allied.coop

AQUA YIELD

ROY ZELLMER

BARABOO, WI (608) 393-4120

roy@aquayield.com

www.aquayield.com

BASF JUSTIN TUSS

APPLETON, WI

(920) 570-2686

justin.tuss@basf.com

BAYER

ADAM VANDENPLAS

CROSS PLAINS, WI

(608) 640-9810

adam.vandenplas@bayer.com

CONTREE SPRAYER AND EQUIPMENT

DAVID VONBEHREN

BEAVER DAM, WI (920) 356-0121

davev@contree.com

www.contree.com

CORTEVA AGRISCIENCE

ROBERT HAUS

JOHNSTON, IA (515) 535-6290

robert.j.haus@corteva.com

www.corteva.com

COUNTRY VISIONS COOPERATIVE

BRIAN MADIGAN

BRILLION, WI (920) 754-4321

bmadigan@cvcoop.com

www.countryvisionscoop.com continued

2023 WPVGA Associate Division Directory. . . continued from pg. 37

DRAMM CORP

JUSTIN ELLIS

MANITOWOC, WI (920) 684-0227

jellis@dramm.com www.dramm.com

GREENLIGHT BIOSCIENCES

CATIE LEE

LEXINGTON, MA (617) 616-4258

clee@greenlightbio.com www.greenlightbio.com

HELIAE MARK IMMEL

PESHTIGO, WI (715) 923-5550 mimmel@heliae.com www.PhycoTerra.com

HGS BIOSCIENCE

TOM BALLINGER

ONALASKA, WI (507) 273-4095 tom.ballinger@hgsbioscience.com www.hgsbioscience.com

ICL

JUDSON MOORE

GARRETSON, SD (605) 215-2876 judson.moore@icl-group.com www.icl-sf.com/us

JAY-MAR INC

TONY GRAPSAS PLOVER, WI (715) 341-3445

tonyg@jay-mar.com www.jay-mar.com

MIDWESTERN BIOAG HOLDINGS LLC

PATRICK HOLVERSON

BLUE MOUNDS, WI (608) 437-4994

patrick.holverson@midwesternbioag.com www.midwesternbioag.com

MILLER CHEMICAL

KAYLA SMITH

ATLANTA, GA (715) 591-1921 kaylasmith@millerchemical.com www.millerchemical.com

NACHURS

SIMON LARSON MARION, OH (800) 622-4877 silarson@nachurs.com www.nachurs.com

NICHINO AMERICA INC

TIM SCHRANK

ST JOHNS, MI (989) 763-3506

tschrank@nichino.net www.nichino.net

NUTRIEN AG SOLUTIONS

JIM BEACH BELOIT, WI (970) 518-2685 jim.beach@nutrien.com www.NutrienAgSolutions.com

PRECISION GROUND APPLICATIONS LLC

DOUGLAS BENNETT NEKOOSA, WI (715) 315-9728 aerocrop@hotmail.com

ROVENSA NEXT

KEVIN BOEHM DEERFIELD, WI (608) 697-5949

kevin.boehm@oroagri.rovensa.com www.oroagriusa.com

STOLLER

CARLA MILLARES

HOUSTON, TX (800) 539-5283 cmillares@stollerusa.com www.StollerUSA.com

T H AGRI-CHEMICALS INC

ROBERT ZIMPEL PLAINFIELD, WI (715) 335-6343

robertz@thagrichemicals.com www.thagrichemicals.com

T I P INC

STEVE TATRO CUSTER, WI (715) 592-4650

tip@tipinc.net www.tipinc.net

TELEOS AG SOLUTIONS

MELODY CRISP

HAMLET, NC (619) 592-0858

mcrisp@teleosagsolutions.com www.teleosagsolutions.com

TRIEST AG GROUP INC

TONY BELCHER

GREENVILLE, NC (844) 878-5178

tbelcher@triestag.com www.triestag.com

UPL

TYLER PALM

EAU CLAIRE, WI (763) 325-5502

tyler.palm@upl-ltd.com

www.upl-ltd.com/us

VALENT USA LLC

BRAD GUNNINK

SUN PRAIRIE, WI (608) 213-7309

brad.gunnink@valent.com

www.valent.com

VIVE CROP PROTECTION

ROB VINCENT MISSISSUAGA, ON, CANADA (416) 260-8889

rvincent@vivecrop.com

www.vivecrop.com

WILBUR-ELLIS COMPANY LLC

KURT DEPORTER

ALMOND, WI (715) 366-2500

kdeporte@wilburellis.com

www.wilburellis.com

COMMUNICATION

FOX VALLEY TECHNICAL COLLEGE

NICK SCHNEIDER

APPLETON, WI (920) 831-4369

nicholas.schneider2990@fvtc.edu

www.fvtc.edu

UNITED POTATO GROWERS COOP OF WI DANA RADY

ANTIGO, WI (715) 610-6350

drady0409@gmail.com

www.unitedpotatousa.com

WDATCP-SAFE WISCONSIN PRODUCE KRYSTAL MARTIN

MADISON, WI (715) 216-0379

safeproduce@wi.gov

www.safeproduce.wi.gov

CONSTRUCTION

ALTMANN CONSTRUCTION COMPANY INC

TAMMY MEYERS

WISCONSIN RAPIDS, WI (715) 421-2550

tmeyers@altmannconstruction.com

www.altmannconstruction.com

BLENKER CONSTRUCTION

MELISSA ELLINGSON

STEVENS POINT, WI (715) 824-5665 EXT 140

melissa.ellingson@blenkerco.com

www.blenkerco.com

CENTRAL DOOR SOLUTIONS

CHRIS BROOKS

PLOVER, WI (715) 342-4153

cbrooks@centraldoorsolutions.com

www.centraldoorsolutions.com

COUNTY READY MIX

SCOTT BEHNKE

MARATHON, WI (715) 848-1365

scott.behnke@countymaterials.com

www.countymaterials.com

ENERGY EDGE LLC

BEN RUDIN WAUSAU, WI (715) 551-5945

ben@energyedge.info

www.energyedge.info

HIXWOOD METAL

BOB KORTBEIN STANLEY, WI (715) 206-7027

bobk@hixwood.com

www.hixwood.com

KELLER INC

KATIE BAUKNECHT

KAUKAUNA, WI (920) 766-5795

kbauknecht@kellerbuilds.com

www.kellerbuilds.com

MCGOWAN RICE CONSTRUCTION

MARK RICE

MERIDIAN, ID (208) 863-7242

mrice@mcgowanrice.com

www.mcgowanrice.com

MIDLAND GARAGE DOOR MFG CO

DOUG LARSON

WEST FARGO, ND (701) 282-8136

dougl@midlandgaragedoor.com

www.midlandgaragedoor.com

M.P.B. BUILDERS INC

DOYLE POKORNY

RIPON, WI (920) 748-2601

doyle@mpbbuilders.com

www.mpbbuilders.com

RHINEHART METAL BUILDINGS INC

CHAD RHINEHART ADAMS, WI (608) 547-1523

chadr@rhinehartmetalbuildings.com

www.rhinehartmetalbuildingsinc.com

CONSUMER EDUCATION

FOOD + FARM EXPLORATION CENTER

ANDY REITZ

PLOVER, WI (715) 459-3535

areitz@fftf.us

www.fftf.us

DIESEL REPAIR

K&S FUEL INJECTION INC

JASON MAKI

WESTON, WI (715) 359-1000

jmaki@ksfuel.com

www.ksfuel.com

ELECTRICAL

ADAMS-COLUMBIA ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE

JEREMY HUHNSTOCK

FRIENDSHIP, WI (608) 339-5428

jhuhnstock@acecwi.com

www.acecwi.com

2023 WPVGA Associate Division Directory. . . continued from pg. 39

MOTORS AND CONTROLS OF WI LLC

KEVIN KONOPACKY

PLOVER, WI (715) 344-0010

sales@macowi.com www.macowi.com

RON'S REFRIGERATION & AIR CONDITIONING LLC

EUGENE MANCL

WISCONSIN RAPIDS, WI (715) 421-1525

emancl@coolsys.com

www.ronsrefrigeration.com

EXIT / SUCCESSION PLANNING

VISTA FINANCIAL STRATEGIES LLC

SCOTT D SCHEER

APPLETON, WI (920) 731-4572

scott@vistafinancialstrategies.com www.vistafinancialstrategies.com

FARM EQUIPMENT

BADGER PLASTICS & SUPPLY

MAX BERGEN

PLOVER, WI (715) 345-0009

mbergen@badgerplastics.com www.badgerplastics.com

CROP IMS LLC

BARRY BEWLEY

EFFINGHAM, IL (217) 347-5959

bbewley@cropims.com www.cropims.com

FALL CITY IMPLEMENT

ROLLIN METZGER

GRAND MARSH, WI (715) 505-5188

rmetzger@cvbean.com www.cvbean.com

FERTILIZER DEALER SUPPLY

PAUL MCQUILLEN

MILON, WI

(800) 462-6670

paulmc@fertilizerdealer.com www.fertilizerdealer.com

LEMKEN USA

JAY HALBERT

LANGFORD, SD

(507) 951-2494

j.halbert@lemken.com www.lemken.com

PESHTIGO NATIONAL BANK

MICHAEL JAJE

PESHTIGO, WI

(715) 582-4512

mjaje@peshtigobank.com www.pnbwi.com

PICKETT EQUIPMENT

BRADY OLSON BURLEY, ID (208) 678-0855 bolson@pickettequipment.com www.pickettequipment.com

RIESTERER & SCHNELL INC

HEATHER RIPP MARION, WI (920) 358-3801 marketing@rands.com www.rands.com

SAND COUNTY EQUIPMENT PAUL CIESLEWICZ paul@sandcountyequipment.com

BANCROFT, WI (715) 335-6652

cheryl@sandcountyequipment.com www.sandcountyequipment.com

SERVICE MOTOR COMPANY

KRISTEN WONDRA

DALE, WI 920-779-4311

kristen.wondra@servicemotor.com www.servicemotor.com

SWIDERSKI EQUIPMENT INC

MELISSA HEISE

MOSINEE, WI (715) 693-3015

mheise@sei247.com www.swiderskiequipment.com

VANTAGE NORTH CENTRAL INC

SEAN TIMM

PLAINFIELD, WI (715) 335-6368

sean@vantage-northcentral.com www.vantage-northcentral.com

WILCOX AGRI-PRODUCTS

ALAN WILCOX

WALNUT GROVE, CA (916) 776-1784

awilcox@wilcoxap.com

FERTILIZERS

BIO-GRO INC

BRUCE ANDERSEN

CEDAR GROVE, WI (608) 354-1123

bruce@biogro.com www.biogro.com

CALCIUM PRODUCTS

DENA RESECH

AMES, IA

(800) 255-8196

dena.resech@calciumproducts.com

www.calciumproducts.com

DRAMM CORP

JUSTIN ELLIS

MANITOWOC, WI (920) 684-0227

jellis@dramm.com

www.dramm.com

INSIGHT FS

CASEY KOBACK

ANTIGO, WI (715) 627-4844

antigo@insightfs.com

www.insightfs.com

NEW CHESTER DAIRY

AVI STERN

FREEDOM, WI (920) 759-4673

astern@milksource.net

www.milksource.com

FERTILIZERS - CONVENTIONAL AND ORGANIC FARM FIXATION LLC

MARK J KLISH

MOSINEE, WI (715) 347-0545

mark@farmfixation.com

www.farmfixation.com

FINANCIAL ABBYBANK

NATALYN JANNENE

ABBOTSFORD, WI (715) 223-2345

marketing@abbybank.com

www.abbybank.com

AGCOUNTRY FARM CREDIT SERVICES

MARK GROHOLSKI

STEVENS POINT, WI (715) 321-2970

mark.groholski@agcountry.com

www.agcountry.com

BAKER TILLY

DANIEL EHR

APPLETON, WI (920) 739-3392

daniel.ehr@bakertilly.com

www.bakertilly.com

BANK FIRST

BRAD RAHMLOW

TOMAH, WI

(715) 299-9809

brahmlow@bankfirst.com

www.BankFirst.com

BMO

PAUL SALM

ALTOONA, WI

(715) 726-0718

paul.salm@bmo.com www.bmoharris.com

CLA (CLIFTON LARSON ALLEN LLP)

JIM HALVORSEN

MARSHFIELD, WI

(715) 221-3037

jim.halvorsen@claconnect.com www.claconnect.com

COMPEER FINANCIAL

CATHY SCHOMMER

PRAIRIE DU SAC, WI (608) 370-6792 cathy.schommer@compeer.com www.compeer.com

COVANTAGE CREDIT UNION

STEPHANIE BARTLETTI

ANTIGO, WI

(715) 627-4336

sbartlet@covantagecu.org www.covantagecu.org

I

FIRST STATE BANK

BRENDA HANSEN

NEW LONDON, WI (920) 531-2857

bhansen@bankfirststate.com www.bankfirststate.com

INCREDIBLE BANK

ROB WYMAN WESTON, WI

(715) 584-4203

rwyman@incrediblebank.com www.incrediblebank.com

METLIFE INVESTMENT MGMT AG FINANCE

TROY FISCHER

ROCKFORD, IL (815) 494-4349

tfischer@metlife.com

www.metlife.com/ag

NICOLET NATIONAL BANK

CRAIG ROGAN

STEVENS POINT, WI

(715) 254-3450

crogan@nicoletbank.com www.nicoletbank.com

NORTHWESTERN MUTUAL

WEALTH MANAGEMENT

BRIAN D BLINK

ANTIGO, WI

(715) 627-2865

brian.blink@nm.com

www.brianblink.nm.com

PREVAIL BANK

DALE SANKEY

STEVENS POINT, WI

(715) 254-0596

dsankey@prevail.bank

www.prevail.bank

THE PORTAGE COUNTY BANK

JEFF ZWIEFELHOFER

ALMOND, WI

(715) 341-8808

jeff@portagecountybank.com

www.portagecountybank.com

VISTA FINANCIAL STRATEGIES LLC

SCOTT D SCHEER

APPLETON, WI

(920) 731-4572

scott@vistafinancialstrategies.com

www.vistafinancialstrategies.com

continued on pg. 42

Customer

“

appreciate the service provided by a local agent. They are always available for questions. I like having someone in my community that knows the area. It is like having a friend in the insurance business.

Walter Current Client

service is one of our core values. A customer satisfaction benchmark survey ranks us in the top percentile for the insurance industry.

2023 WPVGA Associate Division Directory. . . continued from pg. 41

FOOD SAFETY CONSULTANT

CAROL BURZA

BANCROFT, WI (715) 498-1849 carol.burza@yahoo.com

QAFS INNOVATION LLC

CHARLIE GALLENBERG

BUENA VISTA, CO (970) 630-5830 cgallenberg1@aol.com

FUEL & LUBRICANTS

CONDON OIL COMPANY

MARK BELAU RIPON, WI (800) 452-1212 mbelau@condoncompanies.com www.condoncompanies.com

INSIGHT FS

CASEY KOBACK

ANTIGO, WI

(715) 627-4844 antigo@insightfs.com www.insightfs.com

INSURANCE

AGCOUNTRY FARM CREDIT SERVICES

MARK GROHOLSKI

STEVENS POINT, WI

(715) 321-2970

mark.groholski@agcountry.com www.agcountry.com

C & D PROFESSIONAL INSURANCE SERVICES LLC

SALLY SUPRISE

DAVE LOKEN

WAUPACA, WI (715) 258-8830 canddwaupaca@ruralins.com

COMPASS INSURANCE SERVICES

JUSTIN YACH

STEVENS POINT, WI

(715) 303-3679

justin.yach@compassinsurance.net www.compassinsurance.net

COMPEER FINANCIAL

CATHY SCHOMMER

PRAIRIE DU SAC, WI

(608) 370-6792

cathy.schommer@compeer.com www.compeer.com

FAMILY INSURANCE CENTER

ERIC GREENING

ANTIGO, WI

(715) 627-4302

egreening@mccormickklessig.com www.familyinsctr.com

M3 INSURANCE

JEN PINO-GALLAGHER

WAUSAU, WI (715) 849-9400

jen.pinogallagher@m3ins.com www.m3ins.com

MT. MORRIS MUTUAL INSURANCE COMPANY

DANIEL FENSKE

COLOMA, WI (715) 228-5541

melissa@mtmorrisins.com www.mtmorrisins.com

NORTHWESTERN MUTUAL WEALTH MANAGEMENT

BRIAN BLINK

ANTIGO, WI (715) 627-2865

brian.blink@nm.com www.brianblink.nm.com

OKRAY INSURANCE AGENCY LLC

KYLE OKRAY PLOVER, WI (715) 335-4549

kyle@okrayins.com www.okrayins.com

PROGRESSIVE AG

RAY GRABANSKI

FARGO, ND (701) 277-9210

rlg@progressiveag.com

www.progressiveag.com

RURAL MUTUAL INSURANCE CO

MICHAEL LUBAHN MADISON, WI (608) 828-5591

mlubahn@ruralins.com www.ruralmutual.com

RURAL MUTUAL INSURANCE-ZINDA INSURANCE GROUP

JENNIFER ZINDA-MANCL STEVENS POINT, WI

(715) 341-5808

jzinda@ruralins.com www.ruralmutual.com/agent/jennifer

SECURA INSURANCE

NEIL WAIT

NEENAH, WI (920) 830-4732

neil_wait@secura.net

www.secura.net

THE BENEFIT DOCTOR

LYNN KARL

ANTIGO, WI (715) 889-2314

lynnk@thebenefitdoctor.com

www.thebenefitdoctor.com/lynnk

VINE VEST NORTH INC

KRIS GLAZE

WAUSAU, WI (715) 675-1829

kris@vinevestnorth.com

www.vinevestnorth.com

VISTA FINANCIAL STRATEGIES LLC

SCOTT D SCHEER

APPLETON, WI (920) 731-4572

scott@vistafinancialstrategies.com

www.vistafinancialstrategies.com

IRRIGATION

BADGER STATE IRRIGATION

MARC ADDIS PLAINFIELD, WI (715) 335-8300

marca@badgerstateirr.com

www.badgerstateirrigation.com

HORTAU INC

CODY JONES

SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA (920) 246-9130

cjones@hortau.com

www.hortau.com

LINDSAY CORPORATION

STEVE RISLEY

GALIEN, MI (574) 229-7041

steve.risley@lindsay.com

www.lindsay.com

NORTH CENTRAL IRRIGATION INC

SCOTT POLZIN

PLAINFIELD, WI (715) 335-6368

scott@valleynci.com

www.valleynci.com

REINKE

VERN HINNENKAMP

SAUK CENTRE, MN (402) 365-7251

vernhinnenkamp@reinke.com

www.reinke.com

ROBERTS IRRIGATION CO INC

JOHN HERMAN

PLOVER, WI (715) 344-4747

jherman@robertsirrigation.com

www.robertsirrigation.com

SPECTRUM TECHNOLOGIES INC

MINDY IVANOV

AURORA, IL (331) 212-6724

mivanov@specmeters.com

www.specmeters.com

LEGAL SERVICE

ANDERSON O'BRIEN LLP

LISA J HANSEN

STEVENS POINT, WI

(715) 344-0890

lhansen@andlaw.com

www.andlaw.com

BOARDMAN & CLARK LLP

JEFFREY J STORCH

BARABOO, WI

(608) 356-3977

jstorch@boardmanclark.com

www.boardmanclark.com

RUDER WARE

LISA O'FLYNG WAUSAU, WI (715) 845-4336

loflyng@ruderware.com www.ruderware.com

LUBRICANTS

CONDON OIL COMPANY

MARK BELAU

RIPON, WI

(800) 452-1212

mbelau@condoncompanies.com www.condoncompanies.com

MOBILE WAREHOUSE MANAGEMENT

REDLINE SOLUTIONS INC

GREG EMERY

SANTA CLARA, CA (408) 562-1700

gemery@redlinesolutions.com www.redlineforproduce.com

PACKAGING

GREEN BAY PACKAGING INC

JEFF LEOPOLD WAUSAU, WI (715) 845-4201

jleopold@gbp.com www.gbp.com

PACKAGING EQUIPMENT

BW FLEXIBLE SYSTEMS - SYMACH

HARM GEURS

BEDFORD, NS, CANADA (902) 410-5009

harm.geurs@bwpackaging.com www.symach.nl

FOX PACKAGING & FOX SOLUTIONS

VICTORIA LOPEZ

MCALLEN, TX (956) 682-6176

victoria.lopez@foxbag.com

www.foxbag.com

THORPACK LLC

MARTIN KOLPACK

BRYANT, WI (715) 627-7333

mkolpack@thorpack.com

www.thorpack.com

VERBRUGGEN PALLETIZING SOLUTIONS INC

FREYA JENSEN

PASCO, WA (509) 531-7350

f.jensen@verbruggenusa.com

www.verbruggen-palletizing.com

VOLM COMPANIES INC

MARSHA POZZA

ANTIGO, WI (715) 627-4826

marsha.pozza@volmcompanies.com

www.volmcompanies.com continued on pg. 44

2023 WPVGA Associate Division Directory. . . continued from pg. 43

WARNER & WARNER INC

JAY WARNER PLOVER, WI (715) 341-8563

jay.warner@warnerpackaging.com www.warnerpackaging.com

POTATO EQUIPMENT

ALLAN EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURING LTD

DAVID HUESTIS YORK, PEI, CANADA (902) 672-2510

dlh@allanequipment.com www.allanequipment.com

BIG IRON EQUIPMENT INC

ZACHARY MYKISEN

STACY GROSHEK PLOVER, WI (715) 344-3401

bie@bigironequipment.com www.bigironequipment.com

CETS LLC

JANINA PETRICK

SUSSEX, WI (262) 246-1799

j_petrick@gbms.us www.cetstech.com

ELLIPS USA

JOHN R ALBERT

WENATCHEE, WA (206) 915-4962

john.albert@ellips.com www.ellips.com

GENERAL METAL FABRICATION LTD

GERALD BAUMAN

WINKLER, MB, CANADA (204) 325-9374

gerald@generalmetal.ca www.generalmetal.ca

HARRISTON-MAYO

MIKE DELISLE

EAST GRAND FORKS, MN (701) 773-1234

mikedelisle@mayomfg.com www.harriston-mayo.com

MODERN PRODUCE EQUIPMENT

JAXON R DEUR

FREMONT, MI

(800) 663-8640

jaxon@modernproduceequipment.com www.modernproduceequipment.com

NOFFSINGER MANUFACTURING CO

GREG CAPPAERT

GREELEY, CO

(800) 525-8922

gcappaert@noffsingermfg.com

www.noffsingermfg.com

OEM FABRICATORS INC

THOMAS AABY

WOODVILLE, WI (715) 716-3184

toma@oemfab.com www.oemfab.com

SAND COUNTY EQUIPMENT

PAUL CIESLEWICZ

paul@sandcountyequipment.com

BANCROFT, WI (715) 335-6652

cheryl@sandcountyequipment.com www.sandcountyequipment.com

T I P INC

STEVE TATRO CUSTER, WI (715) 592-4650

tip@tipinc.net www.tipinc.net

TOMRA FOOD

AMBER AMADOR

WEST SACRAMENTO, CA (916) 388-3900

amber.amador@tomra.com

www.tomra.com/food

TRISTEEL MANUFACTURING COMPANY INC

SCOTT HOMSTAD

GRAND FORKS, ND (701) 772-5591

scotth@tristeelmfg.com www.tristeelmfg.com

VOLM COMPANIES INC

MARSHA POZZA

ANTIGO, WI

(715) 627-4826

marsha.pozza@volmcompanies.com www.volmcompanies.com

POTATO EQUIPMENT

ROCK PICKERS

NORTEC

DENNIS PECHA ANTIGO, WI

(715) 623-6300

nortecusa@hotmail.com www.nortecusa.net

PRECISION EQUIPMENT

INSIGHT FS

CASEY KOBACK

ANTIGO, WI

(715) 627-4844

antigo@insightfs.com www.insightfs.com

PRINTING

SPECTRA PRINT

HEIDI OKRAY

STEVENS POINT, WI

(715) 344-5175

hokray@spectraprint.com

www.spectraprint.com

PROCESSORS

AGRISTO NV

JOCHEM ROVERS

WIELSBEKE, BELGIUM

(325) 654-0900

jrovers@icloud.com

www.agristo.com

CHIPPEWA VALLEY BEAN CO INC

CHARLES WACHSMUTH

MENOMONIE, WI

(715) 664-8342

charleswachsmuth@cvbean.com

www.cvbean.com

MCCAIN FOODS USA INC

TANI CREGO

WISCONSIN RAPIDS, WI (715) 422-8104

tani.crego@mccain.com

www.mccain.com

PEPSICO - FRITO LAY

JOSHUA PARSONS

RHINELANDER, WI (715) 365-1640

joshua.parsons@pepsico.com

THE LITTLE POTATO COMPANY

DANIEL SNYDER

DEFOREST, WI (608) 842-2713

daniel.snyder@littlepotatoes.com

www.LittlePotatoes.com

REAL ESTATE

EXIT REALTY CW

BRANDON TAYLOR

STEVENS POINT, WI (715) 340-8698

brandon@exitcw.com

www.exitcw.com

REFRIGERATION

NELSON'S VEGETABLE STORAGE SYSTEMS

HOLLY NELSON

PLAINFIELD, WI

(715) 335-6660

holly@nelsonsveg.com

RON'S REFRIGERATION & AIR CONDITIONING LLC

EUGENE MANCL

WISCONSIN RAPIDS, WI (715) 421-1525

emancl@coolsys.com

www.ronsrefrigeration.com

RETIREMENT PLANNING

VISTA FINANCIAL STRATEGIES LLC

SCOTT D SCHEER

APPLETON, WI (920) 731-4572

scott@vistafinancialstrategies.com

www.vistafinancialstrategies.com

RUST PROOFING

MIKE CAVES RUST STOP LLC

MYRON A CAVES

PLAINFIELD, WI (715) 572-9510

mcrockingc@hotmail.com www.profleetcare.com

SALES/BROKERS

BUSHMANS' INC

MICHAEL GATZ

ROSHOLT, WI

(800) 826-0200

michaelg@bushmansinc.com www.bushmansinc.com

LANGLADE POTATO DISTRIBUTING INC

JIM KAPUSTA

ANTIGO, WI

(715) 627-4873

jimk@langladepotato.com

PLANT GROW HARVEST

JIM CORNEILLIE

WILLIAMS, MN (701) 335-9255

jc@pgh.farm www.pgh.farm

RPE INC

RUSSELL WYSOCKI

BANCROFT, WI (800) 678-2789

russell.wysocki@rpespud.com www.rpeproduce.com

SEED

JAY-MAR INC

TONY GRAPSAS

PLOVER, WI (715) 341-3445

tonyg@jay-mar.com www.jay-mar.com

SEED CERTIFICATION AGENCIES

COLORADO CERTIFIED POTATO GROWERS ASSN

LYLA HATHAWAY

MONTE VISTA, CO

(719) 274-5996

lyla@ColoradoCertifiedPotatoGrowers.com www.ColoradoCertifiedPotatoGrowers.com

MINNESOTA CERTIFIED SEED POTATO GROWERS ASSN

JUSTIN DAGEN

KARLSTAD, MN (218) 686-1734

jdagen@wiktel.com

WISCONSIN SEED POTATO CERTIFICATION PROGRAM

BROOKE BABLER

ANTIGO, WI

(715) 623-4039

brooke.babler@wisc.edu

SEED SALES

SUNRAIN VARIETIES LLC

BRIT WHITE

IDAHO FALLS, ID

(208) 552-3096

bwhite@sunrainseed.com

www.sunrainseed.com

SOFTWARE

ACUITUS AG

CHRIS HUNSAKER

LEHI, UT

(208) 243-0135

chris@acuitusag.com

www.acuitusag.com

PROVISION ANALYTICS

DANA SLAGLE

CALGARY, AB, CANADA (720) 492-5885

dana.slagle@provision.io

www.provision.io

SOIL AMENDMENTS

GLC MINERALS

BRIAN LANI

GREEN BAY, WI (800) 236-7737

blani@glcminerals.com

www.glcminerals.com

JAY-MAR INC

TONY GRAPSAS

PLOVER, WI

(715) 341-3445

tonyg@jay-mar.com

www.jay-mar.com

continued on pg. 46

2023 WPVGA Associate Division Directory. . . continued from pg. 45

MIDWESTERN BIOAG HOLDINGS LLC

PATRICK HOLVERSON

BLUE MOUNDS, WI (608) 437-4994

patrick.holverson@midwesternbioag.com www.midwesternbioag.com

SPRAYER PARTS

JAY-MAR INC

TONY GRAPSAS

PLOVER, WI

(715) 341-3445

tonyg@jay-mar.com

www.jay-mar.com

SPRAYERS/FERTILIZER

EQUIPMENT

HEARTLAND AG SYSTEMS

GUY MATHIAS

DEFOREST, WI (800) 523-2350

guy.mathias@heartlandag.com

www.heartlandag.com

SPROUT INHIBITING

NELSON'S VEGETABLE STORAGE SYSTEMS

HOLLY NELSON

PLAINFIELD, WI

(715) 335-6660

holly@nelsonsveg.com

RON'S REFRIGERATION & AIR CONDITIONING LLC

EUGENE MANCL

WISCONSIN RAPIDS, WI (715) 421-1525

emancl@coolsys.com

www.ronsrefrigeration.com

STORAGE

1,4GROUP INC

JENNIFER BILLS

MERIDIAN, ID (208) 887-9766

jbills@14group.com

www.14group.com

CENTRAL DOOR SOLUTIONS

CHRIS BROOKS PLOVER, WI

(715) 342-4153

cbrooks@centraldoorsolutions.com www.centraldoorsolutions.com

LINEAGE LOGISTICS

HEIDI CHARLESWORTH

STEVENS POINT, WI

(715) 544-4565

hcharlesworth@lineagelogistics.com

www.lineagelogistics.com

TECHMARK INC

PATRICK MORRIS

LANSING, MI

(517) 322-0250

pmorris@techmark-inc.com www.techmark-inc.com

TOLSMA USA

CAMERON FOLMER

BOISE, ID (208) 401-9217

cameronfolmer@tolsma.com www.tolsmagrisnich.com

UPL

TYLER PALM

EAU CLAIRE, WI (763) 325-5502

tyler.palm@upl-ltd.com www.upl-ltd.com/us

STORAGE CONTROL SYSTEMS

NELSON'S VEGETABLE STORAGE SYSTEMS

HOLLY NELSON

PLAINFIELD, WI (715) 335-6660

holly@nelsonsveg.com

STORAGE VENTILATION SYSTEMS

RON'S REFRIGERATION & AIR CONDITIONING LLC

EUGENE MANCL

WISCONSIN RAPIDS, WI (715) 421-1525

emancl@coolsys.com www.ronsrefrigeration.com

TIRES AND SERVICE

SCHIERL TIRE & SERVICE

KEVIN BEYER

STEVENS POINT, WI (715) 345-5060

kevinb@teamschierl.com www.schierltire.com

TREE/SHRUB PLANTING & CONSERVATION SERVICES

CENTRAL WI WINDSHED

PARTNERSHIP GROUP

SHANNON ROHDE

HANCOCK, WI

(715) 249-5424

cwwp@uniontel.net

www.co.portage.wi.us/department/ planning-zoning/cwwp

TRUCK DEALER

BRICKNER'S OF WAUSAU

CRAIG STECKLING

WAUSAU, WI

(715) 842-4646

csteckling@bricknerfamily.com

www.bricknersofwausau.net

ISTATE TRUCK CENTER

ERIC GABEL

MARSHFIELD, WI

(715) 486-8800

eric.gabel@istatetruck.com

www.istate.com

KRIETE TRUCK CENTER - STEVENS POINT

SAM STEVENSON

STEVENS POINT, WI

(715) 997-9002

sam.stevenson@kgtruck.com

www.krietetrucks.com

MARK TOYOTA OF PLOVER

BRENDAN OLINYK

PLOVER, WI

(715) 342-5040

brendan@markmotors.com

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Auxiliary News

By Datonn Hanke, vice president, WPGA

Hello, everyone,

and welcome back to Auxiliary News.

We might currently be in the middle of harvest, but I’d like to take you all back to August and chat about the Wisconsin State Fair. I can smell the baked potatoes already!

The State Fair was held August 3-13, and between great musical lineups, wonderful weather, plenty of animals, and delicious baked potatoes, of course, it was an awesome 11 days.

We started each day with the booth opening at 10 a.m., and there was never a shortage of people in line for their breakfast baked potatoes. Then we finished each night with our last potatoes being served at 10 p.m. It makes for fun-filled days with plenty of smiling faces excited for their loaded baked potatoes.

For those of you who don’t know, selling baked potatoes at the Wisconsin State Fair is the Wisconsin

Potato Growers Auxiliary’s largest fundraiser, and we take slinging spuds very seriously!

Each year, roughly 150 volunteers travel to the State Fair to help the Wisconsin Potato Growers Auxiliary sell baked potatoes as part of its largest annual fundraiser. Group 1 was chaired by Linda Vollmar.

Group 2: Wisconsin Potato Growers Auxiliary (WPGA) State Fair baked potato booth volunteers, Tara Jameson, chairwoman, and including the 76th Alice in Dairyland, Ashley Hagenow

Group 3: WPGA State Fair baked potato booth volunteers, Patty Hafner, chairwoman

150 VOLUNTEERS

We have roughly 150 volunteers that come down with us each year, and we wouldn’t be able to do any of this without each and every one of them.

Take a look at the pictures we have of our 11 groups; you might see someone you know.

If working in the baked potato booth at the Wisconsin State Fair sounds like a great time to you, please call the Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association office at 715623-7683 to learn more.

Up next month, we’re going to meet new board member, Erin Meister. Thanks all. See you next time.

Datonn Vice president, WPGA

Group 7: volunteers, Peggy Quinn, chairwoman

Group 11: volunteers, Sara Schroepfer, chairwoman

Group 5: WPGA volunteers, Becky Wysocki and Heidi Schleicher, co-chairwomen

Group 4: WPGA State Fair volunteers, Carole Gagas, chairwoman

Group 8: volunteers, Deb Mattmiller, chairwoman

Group 6: volunteers, Kathy Baginski, chairwoman

Group 9: State Fair baked potato booth volunteers, Kathy Bartsch, chairwoman

Group 10: WPGA State Fair baked potato booth volunteers, Datonn Hanke, chairwoman

Badger Beat

Exploring Potato Virus Y Dynamics in Wisconsin Seed Potato Production

Economically important potato pathogen leads to rejection of seed lots and losses in crop yield

By Amanda Gevens, professor, Extension specialist, and department chair, University of Wisconsin (UW)-Madison Plant Pathology, and interim administrative director of the Wisconsin Seed Potato Certification Program (WSPCP); John Hammel, research assistant in Potato & Vegetable Pathology, UW-Madison, and a recent master’s graduate; Brooke Babler, assistant director of the WSPCP; and Russell Groves, professor, Extension specialist, and department chair, UW-Madison Department of Entomology

Potato Virus Y (PVY) is the most economically important pathogen of potato worldwide, leading to losses in crop yield and quality and rejection of seed lots.

PVY infections range in severity, causing mild symptoms such as mosaic and crinkling and more severe symptoms such as chlorosis, stunting, necrosis, potato tuber necrotic ringspot disease (PTNRD), and even total plant death.

Potatoes are the third most consumed staple food crop in the world, and production in the developing world has now surpassed that of the developed world. Thus, PVY and other viruses are a major potential threat to global food security.

While PVY has been found in Wisconsin for decades, epidemics have been on the rise due to multiple

factors, including the emergence of novel genetic recombinant viral strains, the introduction of new aphid vectors, and widespread production of cultivars that exhibit mild or no symptoms, thus serving as asymptomatic carriers and presenting further diagnostic challenges.

All market types are presented with challenges due to PVY. In commercial potato production, PVY directly decreases yield and causes PTNRD, subsequently limiting storage quality and marketability and resulting in additional post-harvest economic losses.

TUBER SPECIFIC GRAVITY

PVY has also been shown to reduce

Left: Potato plant leaves show severe mosaic Potato Virus Y symptoms, including rugosity, deformation and stunting.

Right: Severe PVY symptoms include leaf drop and stem necrosis.

tuber specific gravity, presenting economic losses to the chipping industry. PVY is the leading cause of downgrading and rejection of lots in seed potato production.

It is difficult to quantify the precise potato yield losses resulting from viruses, and even more difficult to specify those resulting exclusively from PVY due to co-infections with other viruses.

Moreover, yield losses due to PVY depend on a complex of interrelated epidemiological factors, and thus reported values are highly variable. PVY has been reported to reduce potato yields by as little as 10% to upwards of 50-80%, depending on the severity of the infection.

While the greatest yield losses result from seedborne PVY infections, recent research has shown that inseason transmission can also cause notable losses in yield and quality.

PVY also presents additional economic challenges beyond its direct yield and quality losses. Effective management incurs costs related to diagnosis, management inputs, breeding programs, seed certification, and aphid vector control.

While difficult to model precisely, such costs are unmistakably high. In addition to PVY’s direct impact on potato production, secondary indirect economic losses are experienced in endogenous industries such as sales, transportation, production inputs, and insurance.

PVY biology, discovery, and taxonomy. PVY is a monopartite virus belonging to the Potyvirdae family of viruses—the largest family of ribonucleic acid (RNA) plant viruses, containing some 160 single-stranded, cylindrical, positive-sense RNA species.

PVY was first described in 1931 as one of the viruses correlated with the disorder then referred to as “potato degeneration.” The virus originated in the Andean region of South America and was disseminated worldwide through global trade.

PVY has since evolved into a complex of various distinct strains defined by their genetic makeup and associated host-cultivar reactions.

Strain types include both the early identified, non-recombinant parent strains such as the ordinary, common, and necrotic strains like PVY and PVY

recombinant strains that generally arise through genetic exchange between parental strains, including the later-identified tuber necrosis and wilga strains (PVY

Currently, five non-recombinant and 36 recombinant strains have been reported, some of which are found across the globe, while others remain localized to specific regions.

In North America, PVY

historically the most prevalent strain, however, in recent decades, there has been a rise in recombinant strains, with PVYN-Wi now the most common, followed by PVYNTN

PVY transmission. PVY is transmitted horizontally (primary infection) between plants through mechanical transmission or, more efficiently, by aphid vectors, and is also transmitted vertically across generations through infected tubers.

Mechanical transmission occurs when sap leaks from the wound of an infected plant and contacts the wound of a neighboring healthy plant. Wounds develop by natural means such as wind or precipitation, or by human activity, including mechanical seed cutting or operating equipment in the field.

Aphids serve as the primary vector of PVY between plants, acquiring PVY by probing infected plants with their stylets while feeding. Being a non-persistent virus, PVY particles are retained in the aphids’ stylets, allowing for immediate virus transmission between infected hosts and healthy hosts.

Aphids typically only spread PVY within 300 yards or less, however longer dispersal is possible through aphid migration along wind currents. Transmission of PVY occurs rapidly, with the virus spreading from aphid to plant in less than one minute and generally only requiring a few seconds.

The aphid remains infective for less than 2-4 hours, depending on the number of plants it feeds on and the duration of its feedings, potentially losing infectivity after five or fewer plants as the viral particles are removed from its stylet.

There are over 65 PVY-transmitting aphid species worldwide, including resident colonizing, and transient non-colonizing species.

In Wisconsin, the species of greatest concern are the soybean aphid, bird cherry-oat aphid, and to a lesser degree, green peach aphid, potato aphid, pea aphid, and numerous other aphids.

The soybean aphid is a non-colonizer of potato, preferring soybean. After soybean aphid colonization in the summer, the aphids begin to migrate in late July through midAugust, causing the majority of PVY transmission to occur late in the potato growing season.

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This commonly leads to latent, asymptomatic infection of potato plants in which foliar symptoms are not present, but tubers may become infected, inhibiting PVY detection in the field.

PVY disease triangle and epidemiology. PVY severity, epidemiology and ultimately the virus’ economic impact depend on all aspects of the disease triangle, including host, pathogen, and environmental conditions.

Host response to PVY varies by cultivar, with some exhibiting severe foliar and/or tuber symptoms while others remain mild or completely asymptomatic.

For example, when infected with PVY, Yukon Gold potatoes produce predictable, severe foliar symptoms and are customarily used as a base test for PTNRD, while Russet Norkotahs typically exhibit minor foliar symptoms and greater resistance to PTNRD.

Some cultivars exhibit agerelated resistance, in which more physiologically mature hosts can inhibit the systemic movement of the virus from the infection court.

Translocation of the virus from the foliage to tubers may take up to 26 days in older plants, but only 14 days in immature plants. Furthermore, some infected cultivars express only mild symptoms or remain asymptomatic.

Such cultivars are colloquially referred to as asymptomatic carriers and include many commercial potato varieties such as Gem Russet, GemStar Russet, Russet Norkotah, Silverton Russet, and Shepody.

VIRAL STRAINS

PVY severity also depends on viral strain. PVYO is known to produce predictable, visible foliar symptoms on susceptible cultivars, while PVYN infection is generally mild on potato foliage (the name “necro c” stemming instead from its effect on tobacco foliage), and recombinant

strains, such as PVYNTN and PVYNWi, tend to produce more variable foliar symptoms.

PVYNTN has historically been the primary cause of PTNRD. However, other strains of the virus such as PVYN-Wi and PVYO have also been shown capable of causing tuber cracking and PTNRD.

More severe infections can arise when PVY co-occurs with other potato viruses, such as when PVY coinfects with Potato Virus X (PVY X) or Potato Virus S (PVY S) to establish the rugose mosaic disease complex, leading to stunting of plants and decreased tuber size.

Environmental conditions also impact PVY severity. Infections are generally more severe in less vigorous hosts, and thus plants undergoing stress from abiotic factors such as drought, nutrient deficiency, and especially heat are generally more prone to infection.

PVY severity is also increased by local aphid vector populations in terms of both enhanced transmission and increased stress from insect feeding. Local agronomic geography further affects epidemiology.

Aphids are attracted by color contrasts between plants and exposed soil, and thus fields with greater levels of exposed soil can experience more severe PVY outbreaks. Additionally, farms located in areas of high agricultural activity have been shown to exhibit higher PVY incidence as compared to farms located in areas of lower agricultural activity.

PVY management. PVY management presents a dynamic challenge to potato production. As viral strain populations and aphid vector pressure change and more asymptomatic cultivars enter production, effective management programs require an integrated approach.

Such programs should focus on detecting and properly diagnosing

PVY, reducing in-field inoculum levels, minimizing aphid transmission, selecting proper cultivars for production, and, most importantly, avoiding the introduction of the virus altogether.

PVY detection is achieved through various methods.

Visual inspection of potato seed lots is often performed during the growing season and at harvest. However, due to modern cultivars and PVY strains resulting in mild to asymptomatic infections combined with the increase in late-season aphid transmission, visual assessment is often not enough to accurately predict PVY levels.

The use of serological enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA) antibody testing and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing has been adopted to identify PVY and distinguish strains.

There are many cultural strategies available to help manage in-field PVY inoculum levels. Growing potatoes in areas with less intensive agricultural activity can reduce incidence.

To minimize mechanical transmission, seed-cutting equipment should be sanitized between each lot, and other equipment should be sanitized before entering new fields.

REDUCE IN-FIELD PVY

Planting the crop early may provide a temporal barrier to avert enhanced

Yellow flecking is a detectable PVY symptom on potato leaves.

late-season aphid pressure. Additionally, planting a non-host barrier crop such as wheat, rye, or sorghum around the perimeter of a potato field can reduce in-field PVY levels by serving as attractive plant material for aphids to ‘clean’ their stylets before entering the production area.

Care should be taken to minimize levels of exposed soil around the crop. Water and fertility should be managed to support plant vigor, reducing abiotic stresses and their associated infection risks.

Proper management of volunteer plants, solanaceous weed species, and other potential hosts of PVY, combined with routine scouting and rogueing of infected plants, especially early in the growing season, helps maintain lower levels of inoculum and restrict spread.

Early vine killing can inhibit lateseason foliar infections from spreading to tubers, but potential yield loss tradeoffs must be considered.

In order to minimize on-farm horizontal transmission of PVY, aphid vectors must be properly managed. Unfortunately, due to rapid transmission windows and the non-colonizing nature of many PVY-transmitting aphid species, insecticide application alone is not an effective management strategy.

Foliar application of petroleumbased mineral oils has been shown to inhibit aphid transmission of PVY and reduce spread both horizontally within potato fields and vertically to daughter tubers.

However, the effectiveness of these mineral oils depends on both potato cultivar and aphid species. Taken together, insecticides and mineral oils may not offer complete control of migrating aphids but can successfully delay infection long enough to result in yield and quality benefits at harvest.

MOST EFFECTIVE STRATEGY

Seed potato certification programs (SPCPs) located in all major potatoproducing states remain the most

effective PVY management strategy by providing growers with crucial disease-free seed stock for a healthy crop.

SPCPs rely on current, interdisciplinary research to establish the best management practices for seed growers and maintain specific regulations for potato disease tolerances and seed quality with continued federal oversight.

Generally, SPCPs are structured as limited-generation seed potato systems and are managed by state governments, universities, and/or potato producer organizations.

The Wisconsin Seed Potato Certification Program (WSPCP) ensures that both commercial seed and ware potato production begins with quality, healthy seed stock of varietal purity.

Established in 1913, the WSPCP is a collaborative effort between academia, industry, and the Wisconsin state government.

The WSPCP is managed by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Plant Pathology, overseen by the Wisconsin Seed Potato Improvement Association (WSPIA), and follows protocols established by the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade

and Consumer Protection in the State Legislature Chapter ATCP156 (Wisconsin Legislature, 2016).

To maintain a certified, healthy seed potato stock, the WSPCP utilizes a limited generation seed potato system with a maximum of seven generations of field propagation.

TISSUE CULTURE LAB

This system begins in Middleton, Wisconsin, at the WSPCP Tissue Culture Laboratory at the Wisconsin Crop Innovation Center where approximately 90% of Wisconsin’s commercially available potato cultivars are maintained in vitro in growth chambers as tissue cultures of prenuclear plantlets and micro-tubers.

The prenuclear stock is then transferred to the University of Wisconsin Lelah Starks Elite Foundation Seed Potato Farm in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, where it is grown in hydroponic systems using a nutrient film technique or in potted soil greenhouses.

The progeny mini tubers of the prenuclear stock are harvested and remain onsite, where they are then planted as nuclear stock in the subsequent growing season to produce Elite 1 Foundation seed stock.

continued on pg. 54

continued from pg. 53

Field Year One (FY1) stock is then either sold to certified seed growers, or this process is repeated the following growing season to produce Elite 2 Foundation stock, which sees a larger field increase and requires visual inspection during the growing season.

The progeny tubers of the Field Year Two (FY2) stock are harvested, and upon passing inspection are classified as “foundation” seed stock, permitting the stock to be sold for the fresh or processing ware markets, or allowing it to be further utilized for seed production.

From here, the foundation class FY2 stock is grown out by certified Wisconsin seed growers concentrated in the state’s northern growing region, which experiences reduced disease pressure due to its colder climate.

Wisconsin certified seed growers then either sell the stock to the commercial ware potato industry as foundation class stock or multiply it for successive generations.

SEED LOT SAMPLES

Between each generation, seed lot samples are transported to Hawaii for a winter grow-out and post-harvest inspection. Finally, the certified stock is sold to commercial ware potato producers in Wisconsin and across the country where it is used to produce ware potatoes.

To maintain certification status, certified seed growers are required to follow strict protocols. Certified seed growers must enter all their potato acreage into the WSPCP, plant entirely with foundation class seed, and are not allowed to produce foundation class seed if they have any record of bacterial ring rot for two consecutive growing seasons.

All seed lots are required to undergo at least two field inspections during the growing season and one tuber inspection at harvest or during storage. In order to store certified seed stock, all storage facilities are first required to undergo inspection.

Upon passing all inspections, seed lots must then undergo further postharvest testing. Finally, regardless of foundation or certified classifications, all seed stock must meet specific grading requirements and be labeled with appropriate tags when shipped. Examination of WSPCP data helps delineate broader PVY trends.

In prior research, of 2011, researchers analyzed PVY incidence in seed lots of various commercial cultivars from 1987-2010 as reported by the WSPCP winter grow-out tests. The proportion of seed lots approved for certification and not rejected varied significantly from year to year, with PVY infection, especially in asymptomatic carriers, accounting for almost all seed lot rejections.

SOYBEAN APHID PRESSURE

Years with increased soybean aphid pressure (1999-2003) saw higher proportions of seed lot rejections across all cultivars. However, rejections of PVY-resistant cultivars were uncommon.

A. Seed potato lots entering certification in Wisconsin during

B. Wisconsin summer inspection seed lot rejections by market

A. Seed potato lots entering certification in Wisconsin during 2010-2020, by market type.

C. Wisconsin winter inspection seed lot rejections by market

B. Wisconsin summer inspection seed lot rejections by market type during 2010-2020.

C. Wisconsin winter inspection seed lot rejections by market type during 2010-2020.

Taken together, research such as this highlights the need for continued monitoring and evaluation of PVY in the WSPCP by providing clean seed stock and accurately detecting PVY during field inspections.

To better understand contemporary PVY trends in Wisconsin seed potato production, we analyzed seed potato system outcomes across cultivars entered in the WSPCP during 20102020.

This research, headed up by Master of Science (MS) graduate student, John Hammel, provided Wisconsin seed potato producers and the WSPCP with practical, data-driven insight into PVY dynamics.

While Wisconsin seed potato growers continue to produce a wide variety of cultivars for diverse markets, production is led by white and russet cultivars, which collectively accounted for nearly 70% of all seed lots entered in certification from 2010-2020.

Across all cultivars, seed lot rejection

remained relatively rare, with only nine rejections occurring in summer field inspections and 74 occurring in winter post-harvest inspections. Most rejections occurred in the middle years of data collection (20132016), which correlated to higher aphid pressure seen in those years. Across all years, the market types most often rejected from certification due to PVY were russet cultivars, followed by white chipping cultivars. Red and yellow cultivars, collectively accounting for 30% of total seed lots that were entering the WSPCP, experienced relatively fewer rejections.

Unsurprisingly, most seed lot downgrades and rejections occurred in PVY-susceptible cultivars. However, not all highly susceptible cultivars experienced seed lot rejections. For example, despite the heightened susceptibility to PVY typically observed in Yukon Gold, there were no seed lot rejections of this

cultivars, followed by white chipping cultivars.

popular yellow fresh market cultivar, suggesting that the WSPCP and potato producers are successfully managing viral disease levels and excluding PVY from stock.

Seed lots with higher levels of PVY during the growing season were more likely to be classed down or rejected during post-harvest testing.

Across all years and cultivars, summer field and harvest visual inspections almost always identified

less PVY within a given seed lot than corresponding winter post-harvest inspections, which highlights the utility of serological and other testing. Taken together, these results support the need for precise and ongoing PVY detection and diagnosis.

Crop inspectors must be proficiently trained to visually identify foliar symptoms in the field. However, as this research underscores, summer field and harvest visual inspections

Thomas German Passes Away

He served as administrative director of the Wisconsin Seed Potato Certification Program

By Amanda Gevens

With a heavy heart, I wish to share the very sad news of the unexpected passing of Emeritus Professor Thomas Lotel German, on August 27, 2023, due to a cardiac event.

Tom was born on August 23, 1941, in Aurora, Illinois, to Kempton Lotel and Winnifred Lillian (Bray) German. His father was in the U.S. Army Medical Corps during World War II, and the family spent time in Washington State while he was in the service.

The family eventually settled in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, where he grew up and graduated from high school in 1959. Tom went on to earn a bachelor’s degree from UW-Madison, in 1963, and a master’s degree at Michigan State University.

He earned his Ph.D. in Plant Pathology at UW-Madison, in 1974, and eventually became a virology professor at the University of Hawaii until 1990.

At that time, he was recruited as an assistant professor by the UW-Madison Department of Plant Pathology and became the administrative director of the Wisconsin Seed Potato Certification Program.

Tom was deeply engaged in virology research with substantial impact in both empirical science and its applied domains. This is what made Tom

exceptional in his career—his brilliant scientific interest, capacity and desire to communicate and utilize science for practical and paradigm-shifting outcomes.

CHAIR OF PLANT PATHOLOGY

Tom worked tirelessly toward understanding difficult problems, including Tospoviruses. In 1995, he advanced to full professor and was elected as chair of the Plant Pathology Department (1995-’98).

In recognition of his cross-disciplinary understanding and leadership in plant virus/insect interactions, Tom was appointed, in 2000, as a faculty member in the Department of Entomology at UW-Madison. He served as Chair of Entomology from 2002-2005, becoming the first person in the UW College of Agricultural & Life Sciences to be elected to a chair position in two different departments.

In 2010, he was appointed professor emeritus and he continued to conduct impactful research and serve as an exemplary mentor to scientists until his unexpected passing.

Personally, Tom loved dogs, the Badgers and the Packers. He was a great fan of the Grateful Dead, and many forms of music. He enjoyed engaging with young people, especially scientists whom

alone are not an effective means of detecting PVY.

Instead, the seed potato industry should continue to focus on utilizing robust winter grow-outs and post-harvest serological testing to accurately detect PVY, especially as late-season and latent, asymptomatic in-field infections can easily go unnoticed during summer inspections.

Thomas Lotel German

August 23, 1941 – August 27, 2023

he enthusiastically mentored and kept in touch with over their career successes.

Tom is survived by his wife, Mary Diezel, of rural Hollandale, Wisconsin; a sister, Ann (Dean) German-Schultz, of Eau Claire; a niece, grand niece and nephew; and many, many friends and colleagues.

He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother.

Memorial services will be held at a future date. Saether Funeral Services, of Blanchardville, is assisting the family. Online memories and condolences can be shared with the family at https://www. saetherfuneralservice.com.

Dr. Russ Groves, Chair of Entomology, and Dr. Amanda Gevens, Chair of Plant Pathology, will be coordinating a scholarship fund to support graduate students in both departments in honor of Emeritus Professor Tom German. Please contact us with interest.

People

CALS Adds Outreach Program Manager

Heather Gayton is eager to make a difference in rural communities

Heather Gayton recently started a position in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences at the University of Wisconsin (UW)-Madison created to serve rural communities and businesses through continuing education and research programs.

Gayton is the first outreach program manager in the college’s Office of Extension and Outreach. She is responsible for launching new educational offerings targeting farmers and agribusinesses through short courses, as well as coordinating research efforts through the U.S. Department of Agriculture-funded Rural Partnership Institute at UWMadison.

“I see this position as a way to be a part of the solution in addressing opportunity gaps in rural communities,” Gayton says. “I am excited to align talented, professional instructors at UW-Madison with farmers and other rural businesses to amplify learning outcomes that will ripple through thriving communities.”

Gayton grew up in Batavia, Wisconsin, in Sheboygan County, majored in education at UW-Stevens Point and earned a master’s degree

in education at UW-Whitewater.

In 2019, she started ZanBria Artisan Farms, a niche market farm in Friendship, while working as a public schoolteacher.

“I just completed my 10th year in the K-12 public education sector before making the full transition to adult education,” she says. “The last three years, I have been building the foundation for statewide conservation networking initiatives around various agricultural and conservation topics.”

FARMER ADVOCATE

This includes work as a Farmer Advocate for Conservation through the Nature Conservancy and the lead farmer in the “Farmers of the RocheCri” producer-led watershed group. Doug Reinemann, associate dean for extension and outreach, says, “Heather brings energy, enthusiasm and important perspectives gathered from her strong agricultural network to this new role.”

“We believe there are many ways UW-Madison instructors can assist our rural businesses,” Reinemann adds, “from organic practices to managing electrical systems, and

we look forward to serving rural Wisconsin with these new offerings.”

Gayton has an office on the UWMadison campus and expects to develop and offer educational programs throughout the state. This fall, two ongoing UW-Madison Farm & Industry Short Course training classes will be offered, Spanish for Dairy and the Turfgrass Apprenticeship Program. Gayton can be reached at heather. gayton@wisc.edu.

Potato LEAF Awards Scholarship

Jacob Meeuwsen focuses on intelligent potato water-use efficiency

The Potato Leadership, Education, and Advancement Foundation (Potato LEAF) is pleased to announce Jacob Meeuwsen, a Ph.D. student at Washington State University (WSU), as the recipient of the organization’s 2023-’24 Academic Scholarship.

The $10,000 scholarship award is provided annually to one graduate student with a strong interest in research that can directly benefit the U.S. potato industry.

A Kennewick, Washington, native, Meeuwsen is focused on intelligent potato water-use efficiency, land-use management practices, and reducing water loss via evaporation and runoff. He is currently working to optimize predictive evapotranspiration (ET) and suggested irrigation amounts as they relate to changes in plant spatial arrangement and population, and to utilize both to mitigate heat and water stress.

He is also testing a novel irrigation method to maximize water use efficiency in potatoes, along with other aspects of irrigation.

Meeuwsen plans to use information collected from his research to build a predictive ET and irrigation app for potatoes, with the help of the Information Technology Services and the AgWeatherNet teams at Washington State University.

MEANS SOMETHING

“Receiving the Potato LEAF Scholarship is a great honor for me. It shows that the research I do means something to the potato industry,” he says.

“Receiving this scholarship will help me achieve my goals by inspiring me to think of new and innovative ways to help the potato industry become more sustainable and efficient,” Meeuwsen adds. “Thank you again for the recognition and awarding me this scholarship.”

“Potato LEAF is dedicated to securing the long-term health of the U.S.

potato industry by investing in the leaders of tomorrow. Jacob is the next bright piece of our future,” says foundation chair Gregg Halverson.

“We are excited to aid Jacob as he furthers his education and continues his research that will advance the industry to a better, more sustainable future,” Halverson adds.

Prior to attending WSU, Meeuwsen received a Bachelor of Science degree in crop science from the University of Idaho, in May 2022.

He previously worked for ProGene Plant Research as a pulse breeder

intern and greenhouse manager from 2020-’22 during each academic year. In the summers, he worked for Syngenta Crop Protection, in Hermiston, Oregon, as a general assistant conducting experimental pesticide field trials.

PH.D. RESEARCH

Meeuwsen began his Ph.D. research at WSU, in May 2022, under the direction of Dr. Mark J. Pavek, a professor and state potato extension

People. . . continued from pg. 57

specialist located in Pullman, Washington.

Meeuwsen is a member of the Potato Association of America and secretary of the Tri-State Potato Research and Breeding Program, where he will transition to the committee chair in 2025, and he is currently assisting Dr. Pavek and the WSU Potato Research Group with public outreach and variety development.

“Jacob has assisted with many WSU research and extension activities. He is an intelligent team player with

great work ethic, routinely exceeding my expectations,” wrote Dr. Pavek in his letter of recommendation. “After he graduates, he is interested in continuing his career within Pacific Northwest agriculture, focusing on potato production.”

“If successful, my research will aid potato growers on a daily basis and during extreme heat and water stress events by optimizing plant water use efficiency, and thus maximizing production and economic return,” Meeuwsen said in his application.

Jaclyn Schroeder Passes Away

She saw a vision for the home she grew up in and pursued it

Jaclyn M. “Jackie” Schroeder of Antigo, age 85, a lifelong area resident, died Tuesday, August 29, 2023, at her home surrounded by family.

Jackie was born on November 25, 1937, in Antigo to the Late John and Evelyn (Kasson) Cousineau. She was a graduate of Antigo High School class of 1955. She attended nursing school in Madison.

On November 16, 1957, Jackie was united in marriage to John H. Schroeder in Madison. The couple resided in Madison for a few short years and then returned to Antigo where Jackie owned and operated the Blackjack Steakhouse, a familyowned supper club that was a gathering place for over 50 years. She later opened Schroeder’s Gifts, a boutique and gift store that is owned and managed by second and third generations of the Schroeder family today. Seeing a vision for the home she grew up in and along with her love of art, Jackie opened the Jaclyn M Gallery.

Along with her hard work and long days, Jackie took time to establish strong relationships with those who worked with her and her family.

Jackie was a member of Peace Lutheran Church. She was a dedicated sports fan, keeping up on the Badgers, Brewers, Bucks, and Packers, and all the sports her children and grandchildren participated in over the years.

FAMILY & FRIENDS

Jackie and John enjoyed winters in St. Augustine, Florida, and summers in Antigo and at Greater Bass Lake. Above all, her family and friends were a true joy to her.

Survivors include a daughter, Jennifer (Jim) Horton; sons, John T. (Judy) Schroeder, Peter (Gina) Schroeder, and Robert (Susie) Schroeder; and grandchildren, John D. “J.D.” (Hannah) Schroeder, Jason (Amy) Schroeder, Jenna (Peter) Walker, Alyssa Horton, Jaimie Horton, Alec (Karlie) Horton, Eric (Theresa) Schroeder, Andrew (Erin) Schroeder, Lexie (fiancé, Jackson Charlesworth) Schroeder, Luke Schroeder, and Sophie Schroeder.

Further survivors include great grandchildren, Parker, Henry, John Winston, Jax, Peyton, Isla, Eloise, Ren, Emersyn, Olivia, Sloane, and Raegan; sister-in-law, Judy Cousineau; and her nieces and nephews.

“By improving irrigation and wateruse efficiency,” he added, “benefits will expand beyond the field and into American homes, preserving our water and livelihood.”

Potato LEAF, a 501(c)3 organization, works to provide tools, training, and support necessary to develop growers and industry members as leaders. As part of its mission to encourage and train future leaders, the organization seeks to support graduate-level researchers driving innovation within the potato industry. To learn more, visit https://pleaf.org.

In addition to her husband, John, Jackie was preceded in death by a sister, Jeanine, and her husband, Donald Rosenberg; brothers, William “Bill” Cousineau, and John Cousineau; sisters-in-law, Colleen and husband, Ed Schweitzer, and Janice and husband, Al Jesse; and brother-in-law, Tom, and wife, Caroline Schroeder.

Visitation and a funeral service were held on Friday, September 1, 2023, at Peace Lutheran Church. Reverend David Karolus officiated. Interment was in Elmwood Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorials in Jackie’s name can be directed to Peace Lutheran Ministries. StrasserRoller Funeral Home has been in care of arrangements.

Jaclyn M. “Jackie” Schroeder November 25, 1937 – August 29, 2023

Eyes on Associates

By WPVGA Associate Div. President Matt Selenske, Allied Coop’s Pest Pros Division

Hello, everyone. I hope at this point everyone has had a great harvest and either wrapped it up or is getting down to the last couple of acres. It’s always nice to see the fruits of our labors and the satisfaction of another season completed.

The WPVGA Associate Division is sponsoring the 4th annual Sporting Clays Shoot, on October 19, at the Wausau Skeet & Trap Club, in Brokaw, Wisconsin. I know it’s only a few days away, but I’m sure I’ll see many of you there. It’s always a lot of fun.

In the last few Associate Division Board meetings, we have been working on a project with Russ Groves, Amanda Gevens, Mike Copas, Niles Franc and Randy Fleishauer to essentially use some time and resources from the WPVGA Grower Education Conference & Industry Show to recruit university and technical college students statewide to look at careers in our industry.

Specifically, the group will be contacting area universities and tech schools requesting suggestions for a limited number of students from each institution to attend the Grower Education Conference & Industry Show free of charge.

The Grower Education Conference & Industry Show is, in my opinion, one of the finest of its kind in the country. There is a consensus among the group that if we can highlight the energy and excitement of the show, we may be able to attract students who otherwise might not have been exposed to the industry.

And what a great place to do it. Practically every ag business that

works directly with growers, at all levels, is represented at the Industry Show.

Although we still have some details to work out, don’t be surprised to see some younger people in attendance next February.

With that, good luck if you are shooting those orange clays in a few days, and with wrapping up harvest, managing storage, maintaining and/or winterizing machinery, and everything else.

Until next time,

Matt Selenske

WPVGA Associate Division President

The WPVGA Associate Division Board has been working with a select group to contact area universities and tech schools requesting suggestions for a limited number of students to attend the Grower Education Conference & Industry Show free of charge. Practically every ag business (some implements shown as examples in this photo) that works directly with growers, at all levels, is represented at the Industry Show. There is a consensus among the group that, by highlighting the energy and excitement of the show, it may attract students who would not otherwise be exposed to the industry.

Jacob Meister has a bead on an orange target at the 2021 Sporting Clays Shoot. The WPVGA Associate Division is sponsoring the 4th annual Sporting Clays Shoot, on October 19, at the Wausau Skeet & Trap Club, in Brokaw, Wisconsin.

Steps to Updating a Business Name in Wisconsin

with the name you initially chose for it

By Attorney Jocelyn Donahue-Renfert, Anderson O’Brien, LLP

Maybe your business has changed or maybe your tastes have, but the good news is that your business is not stuck with the first name you chose. The steps below describe how to legally change the name of a Wisconsin corporation. When changing your business’s name, it’s always a good idea to meet with an attorney who can answer your questions and make sure you have taken all the right steps.

1. Choose a New Name. After you have a few ideas for your new business name, you will need to do some research to make sure the name you want is available.

A basic internet search can be conducted to see what similarly named businesses already exist. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s trademark database should also be searched.

The new name should avoid creating confusion with another live trademark and should not be too similar to an existing trademark that is used for products or services that are similar to your own.

Though not required, it is also prudent to check the availability of related domain names for a business website if your business uses one.

According to Wisconsin Statues §180.0401, 181.0401, and 183.0112 (2019-20), all business names need

to be distinguishable from existing Wisconsin business names. You can check to see if your name is taken by searching the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) Corporate Records.

Additionally, your new name must contain one of the following words or similar words that accurately describes it: corporation, incorporated, company, or limited. Alternatively, you may use the abbreviation of one of the words, such as LLC, Inc., or Co.

2. Change the Business Name with the DFI. Legally change the business name by filing Articles of Amendment with the Wisconsin DFI. The DFI

has a form available to file your name change consistent with your business’s organizing documents. Depending on a business’s operating agreement or bylaws, it may be necessary for shareholders, members, directors, or managers to pass resolutions consenting to the change.

It should be noted that it is also possible for a business to use another name without legally changing the name of the business by using a trade name, sometimes known as a “DBA” or “doing business as …” name.

Using a new trade name can change the branding of a business but does not change the legal name of the company.

In Wisconsin, you can register your trade name with the DFI to protect your trademark. The name will be protected for 10 years and can be renewed.

Your corporation is not stuck

Much like with a legal name change, it is necessary to search the database to ensure your intended name is not already in use by others.

3. Notify the IRS. If a corporation is filing a tax return for the current year, there is a box on the return to notify the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) of a name change.

If a corporation changes its name after filing a tax return, a notice can be sent to the IRS separately. Usually, a business that has only changed its name will not need a new Employer Identification Number (EIN). The IRS provides information on EINs after name changes in this publication: https://www.irs.gov/ pub/irs-pdf/p1635.pdf.

4. Communicate with Your Bank. Your bank may allow for the name on the business’s account to change or may require opening a new account.

5. Notify the Wisconsin Department of Revenue (DOR). Whether a business changes its legal name

or adopts a DBA, the Wisconsin Department of Revenue (DOR) should be notified.

If adopting a DBA, the DOR may be notified by calling or emailing its office and providing the current name of the business, the EIN of the business, the new name of the business, and the date the name change is to take effect.

If a business has changed its legal name, the above information should be faxed, emailed, or mailed to the DOR along with a copy of the Articles of Amendment that were filed with the DFI in Step 2 above.

Any other business licenses and permits should also be updated.

6. Update Your Branding. Customers and the business community need to know the name has changed. Update websites, signs, and branded materials to be consistent with the new name.

If you are ready to change your business name, please make an appointment with an Anderson O’Brien business attorney by calling 800-281-3643, or emailing info@ andlaw.com, https://www.andlaw. com. The business attorneys can guide you through the process.

Potatoes:

“The

in North America.”

“It’s

growers

“Update websites, signs, and branded materials to be consistent with the new name.”

– Attorney Jocelyn Donahue-Renfert, Anderson O’Brien, LLP

Dr. Walt Stevenson is a member of the Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association Hall of Fame. He was named an Honorary Life Member of the Potato Association of America and has received numerous national and state Researcher of the Year Awards.

stringent standards used by the Wisconsin Seed Potato used throughout most of the industry. And the seed potatoes produced by Wisconsin growers are consistently among the best seed tubers produced

NPC News

NPC Comments on Completion of Potato Wart Sampling

P.E.I. growers must stop planting potatoes in known wart-infested fields

In August, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) announced it has completed its investigation related to the 2021 detections of potato wart in Prince Edward Island (PEI), Canada.

National Potato Council Chief Executive Officer Kam Quarles issued the following statement on the update:

“The U.S. potato industry welcomes reports that CFIA has fulfilled its initial soil sampling commitment for potato wart in PEI. We believe this to be an important step in an ongoing obligation to enhance surveillance of this destructive disease via soil sampling.

“As the positive soil tests indicate, potatoes [potato wart host material] continue to be planted in known wart-infested fields. This practice needs to end as it perpetuates the

disease and makes it likely to spread to other fields and farms through normal farming, transportation, processing, and waste disposal activities.

“CFIA and USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service [APHIS] must urgently address this vulnerability and the others identified in the APHIS October 2022 report regarding potato wart in PEI.

“Ten months have passed since APHIS released that comprehensive report. Nine months have passed since CFIA first announced its intention to provide enhanced phytosanitary security for potato wart and modernize its Potato Wart Long-Term Management Plan. During this time, potatoes from PEI continue to be shipped to the U.S.”

“Without additional mitigation measures in place, that October 2022

WPIB Focus

USDA APHIS report states that it is a question of ‘when’ not ‘if’ PEI potato wart will spread to the United States. The consequences of continued inaction increase the likelihood that dire phytosanitary and economic hardships will be felt by the entire North American potato value chain.”

Wisconsin Potato Assessment Collections: Two-Year Comparison

Potatoes USA News

Chef R.J. Harvey Vies for Spud Superiority

Potatoes USA director of culinary appears on Food Network’s “Alex vs. America”

Chef R.J. Harvey, director of culinary at Potatoes USA, recently appeared on the hit Food Network show “Alex vs. America.” In the show, talented chefs attempt to take down Iron Chef Alex Guarnaschelli, described as “the most accomplished competition cook in America.”

The stakes were high:

• The episode was “Alex vs. Potatoes,” and spud superiority was on the line.

• Chef Alex has never placed last in a single episode.

But it was Chef R.J.’s birthday, and he took the top spot in “Alex vs. Potatoes.”

The episode, which happened to take place on R.J.’s birthday, featured judges Simon Majumdar, a celebrated food critic, and world-renowned Peruvian chef Ricardo Zarate.

Over the course of two rounds, chefs were first asked to create a dish based on classic potato chip flavors, followed by a “meat and potatoes” dish.

Chef R.J. unanimously won the competition due to his delicious creations, which included a smoky barbecue potato burnt ends dish, a potato chip-crusted chicken-fried steak, and Russian banana potato mash.

Each dish earned rave reviews, with a special shout out to his magnificent potato mash. If you want to try the smoky potato burnt ends for yourself,

The lucky team at Potatoes USA celebrated Chef R.J.’ Harvey’s appearance on the Food Network show “Alex vs. America” with a watch party where they got to try out some of his winning culinary creations.

visit https://potatogoodness.com/ recipes/smoky-potato-burnt-ends/.

“Chicken-fried steak and mashed potatoes is a childhood favorite of people all across the country, so I wanted to recreate this to showcase how potatoes can be the star of a dish where beef has traditionally been the star,” R.J. explains.

During the high-intensity competition, contestants discussed the versatility of America’s favorite vegetable, and Chef R.J. even found time to educate the audience about potato nutrition.

U.S. Potato Exports Reach Record Volume

U.S. potato exports reached record value and volume in the 12-month period from July 2022-June 2023. Export values increased 19.05% to $2.2 billion, and export volume increased 3.85% to 3.3 million metric tons (fresh weight equivalent).

U.S. potato export values increased across all categories (frozen, fresh, dehydrated, seed, and chips), with double-digit rises in all but seed potatoes.

The increase in export volume was led by dehydrated potatoes and chips, which rose by 25.63% and 11.19%, respectively. Overall, approximately 20% of U.S. potatoes are exported.

In the period July 2022-June 2023, Mexico became the United States’ largest potato export market for the first time, followed by Canada and Japan. The entire Mexican market opened to U.S. fresh potato exports in May 2022.

The value of U.S. frozen potato exports rose by 20.43%, reaching

$1.4 billion despite a 4.54% decrease in volume compared to the previous 12 months.

For U.S. frozen potatoes, the top export markets were Japan, Mexico, and South Korea. Frozen export values increased in all three countries, with a significant 25.93% growth in export volume to Japan.

The value of exported dehydrated potatoes increased by 24% to reach $257 million, and volume increased by 25.63% to reach 965,523 metric tons. The top destinations for U.S. dehydrated potatoes were Canada, Japan, and Mexico, and exports increased in value and volume for each of these countries.

FRESH POTATO SALES

The value of fresh potato sales rose 15.57% from the previous 12 months to $310.4 million, though the volume of U.S. fresh potato shipments decreased slightly by 3.07%.

Canada, Mexico, and Japan were the top export markets for U.S. fresh potatoes, with both value and

volume increasing to Mexico. Although representing smaller portions of U.S. potato exports, potato chips increased in value by 11.34% and in volume by 11.19%. Seed potato exports also increased in value by 3.68%, though volume decreased by 5.82%. The export value of U.S. potato chips and seed potatoes amounted to $219 million and $15.1 million, respectively.

Trade Data Monitor compiles the data from the United States Department of Commerce, Foreign Trade Division, using the Harmonized Coding System, Schedule B.

Potatoes USA accepts no liability for the content of these reports, or the consequences of any actions taken based on any information contained herein.

Questions on the trade figures, international trade leads, and Potatoes USA international marketing programs should be directed to Media@PotatoesUSA.com.

Chef R.J. Harvey unanimously won the competition due to his delicious creations, which included a smoky barbecue potato burnt ends dish.

Ali's Kitchen

Ali Wants

Your Favorite Potato Recipe

Share a tried-and-true, treasured family dish and it will likely be featured in this column

By Ali Carter, Wisconsin Potato Growers Auxiliary

Calling all home cooks and potato lovers. Let’s share the love!

I know many of you are fabulously talented in the kitchen and have your own tried-and-true recipes—dishes that never fail, ones that your families treasure.

Whether traditional comfort food or adventurous eating, what is your favorite potato dish?

Please choose one. Share the details, and we’ll likely feature your recipe here in a future Ali’s Kitchen column.

Send the recipe and the story behind why it’s a favorite to aKrallCarter@gmail.com.

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