MARK YOUR Calendar Planting Ideas

AUGUST

12 ANTIGO TATER TROT

City Park, Aurora St., 8:30 a.m.

Antigo, WI

19 WAUPACA AREA TRIATHLON

South Park, 7 a.m. Waupaca, WI

30 AGRONOMY AND SOILS FIELD DAY

Arlington Agricultural Research Station 8 a.m.-noon Arlington, WI

31 ORGANIC AGRICULTURE RESEARCH FIELD DAY

Arlington Agricultural Research Station

9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Arlington, WI

SEPTEMBER

5-9 POTATO BOWL USA

Grand Forks-East Grand Forks, ND & MN

9 2023 SPUD BOWL

Community Stadium at Goerke Park, 1 p.m. Stevens Point, WI

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

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

23-26 12TH WORLD POTATO CONGRESS

Adelaide, South Australia

6 BC�T August

As the photo caption says, “For a brief but wondrous moment in time, you could get potatoes from a vending machine.” Randy Fleishauer, general manager of Plover River Farms Alliance, liked the classic image well enough to text it to me. On the one hand, it sure would be nice if there was still enough demand for 20-pound bags of fresh potatoes to justify a 24-hour vending machine that offered “Top Quality Washed, Graded & PrePacked Potatoes” for a few hard-earned coins. On the other hand, thank goodness for inflation.

With a feature herein recognizing the 75th Anniversary of the Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association and giving thanks to those who made it all possible, there are vintage photos sprinkled throughout the magazine. Penned by WPVGA Executive Director Tamas Houlihan, the article includes five lists of Association leaders. Recognized are the WPVGA Hall of Fame members; and past and current presidents of the WPVGA Board, Wisconsin Potato Industry Board, WPVGA Associate Division Board, and Wisconsin Potato Growers Auxiliary. Enjoy “75 Years in Progress: WPVGA Celebrates 75th Anniversary in 2023” herein.

This August “Research & Sustainable Ag” issue includes an interview with Deana Knuteson, University of Wisconsin (UW)-Madison researcher, outreach specialist and Healthy Grown coordinator. Through Healthy Grown, Knuteson works closely with the WPVGA Promotions & Consumer Education Committee to ensure continuity between the growers’ and suppliers’ needs and sales tools. See the interview on page 8.

There is also a one-page list of all 2023-’24 WPVGA-funded Research Projects in this issue, and feature articles on mitigating droughtrelated risk for potato and vegetable growers, and reusing phosphorus on farmland to save money, protect the environment and achieve sustainability goals.

Researcher Paul Mitchell, UW-Madison Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, and Ph.D. graduate student Nurlan Utesov explain how Wisconsin potato growers are investing in quality and achieving a high rate of return. See this month’s “Badger Beat” column for more.

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: Deana Knuteson

POSITION: Researcher, outreach specialist, and Healthy Grown coordinator

UNIVERSITY & DEPARTMENT:

UW-Madison, NPM program

LOCATION: Madison, WI

HOMETOWN: Wilmot, WI

YEARS IN PRESENT POSITION: 23

PREVIOUS EMPLOYMENT: UW-Extension

SCHOOLING: Ph.D. (2000) and Master of Science (1997) from UW-Madison Department of Entomology, and Bachelor of Science in Biology (1994), UW-Stevens Point

AWARDS/HONORS: American Studies Association (ASA) Outreach Awards’ Potato Association of America Outstanding Extension Project Award; International IPM Achievement Award; Wilmot Union High School Hall of Fame inductee; and U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Award for maintaining and enhancing the nation’s natural resources

FAMILY: Husband, David, and two daughters, Danika (16) and Danyelle (14)

HOBBIES: Family, travel, golf, and keeping up with the kids