THE VOICE OF WISCONSIN'S POTATO & VEGETABLE INDUSTRY
STORAGE/MARKETING ISSUE
Wisconsin Central Farms
THE IMPORTANCE OF Proper Potato Storage
THEY CIRCLED THEIR Wagons for Field Days WILL YOUR NEXT POTATO Sorter Be an AI Avatar?
STAR TREK OF POTATOES: McCain “Farm of the Future”
Sam Ourada of Wisconsin Central Farms proudly displays a McCain experimental potato variety that uses less fumigation.
On the Cover: “I think it might be the first time this variety has been grown in the United States on the commercial side,” says Sam Ourada, this issue’s interviewee, about the McCain experimental variety of potatoes he's holding on the front cover. For McCain Foods, Ourada, of Wisconsin Central Farms, grows 600-650 acres of potatoes and 150-300 acres of sweet potatoes.
EYES ON ASSOCIATES
Golfers
8 BADGER COMMON’TATER INTERVIEW:
One of only a few sweet potato growers in the state, when asked why he decided to take them on, Sam Ourada of Wisconsin Central Farms, Inc., explained that he is partnering with Shawn Bula of Signature Farms. “We saw an opportunity, and I kind of like the challenge of doing something new,” Ourada says. “He had contracts and access to labor. Labor is a big part of growing sweet potatoes, as they’re all transplanted, so each plant is touched by hand.”
NEW PRODUCTS
Tong Stinger Hopper eases the task of unloading livebottom trucks and semis
WPVGA Board of Directors:
PreSideNT: Charlie MaTT ek
Vice PreSideNT: JohN BuSTama NT e
Secre Tary: Alex Okray
Trea Surer: WeNdy Dyk ST ra
Direc Tor S: Mike BagiNSki, Ra Ndy FleiShauer, JohN HopfeNSperger, JoSh KNighTS & J.D. Schroeder
Wisconsin Potato Industry Board:
PreSideNT: Heidi Al Sum-Ra Ndall
Vice PreSideNT: ANdy Dierck S
Secre Tary: Nicola Carey
Trea Surer: KeiT h WolT er
Direc Tor S: JohN FeNSke, Rod Gumz, Jim Okray, Eric Schroeder & Tom Wild
WPVGA Associate Division Board of Directors:
PreSideNT: MaTT SeleNSke
Vice Pre SideNT: ET ha N Ol SoN
Secre Tary: Morga N Smolarek
Trea Surer: Paul Salm
Direc Tor S: MeliSS a HeiSe, Brady PaToka, ScoTT Scheer, Sally SupriSe & Bra NdoN Taylor
Wisconsin Seed Potato Improvement
Association Board of Directors:
PreSideNT: Jeff SuchoN
Vice PreSideNT: Charlie HuSNick
Secre Tary/Trea Surer: MiTch MaTT ek
Direc Tor S: ANdy Schroeder & CloVer Spacek
Wisconsin Potato Growers
Auxiliary Board of Directors:
PreSideNT: Heidi Schleicher
Vice PreSideNT: DakoTah Smiley
Secre Tary/Trea Surer: Sama NT ha Cypher
Direc Tor S: Jody BagiNSki, MiST i KiNNiSoN, JeNN a Kuka Nich & EriN MeiST er
Mission Statement of the WPVGA: To serve the potato and vegetable industry of Wisconsin through education, research, promotion, governmental action and sustainability leadership.
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 providing technology and information resources.
Badger Common’Tater is published monthly at 700 Fifth Avenue, Antigo, Wisconsin 54409
WPVGA Staff
Execu T iVe Direc Tor: Tama S Houliha N
Ma N agiNg Edi Tor: Joe KerT zma N
Direc Tor of PromoTioNS & CoNSumer
EducaTioN: Da N a Rady
FiN a Ncial Officer: KareN Ra SmuSSeN
Execu T iVe A SSiSTa NT: Julie BrauN
Program A SSiSTa NT: Ja Ne GuilleN SpudmoBile EducaT ioN a Nd Ou T reach
AdmiNiST raTor: George NeuBer
WPVGA Office (715) 623-7683 • FAX: (715) 623-3176
E-mail: wpvga@wisconsinpotatoes.com
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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
SEPTEMBER
10-14 POTATO BOWL USA
Grand Forks-East Grand Forks, ND & MN
27-29 HARVEST FAIR 2024
Wisconsin State Fair Grounds West Allis, WI
5 38TH ANNUAL SPUD BOWL
Community Stadium at Goerke Park Stevens Point, WI 17 5TH
Wausau Skeet and Trap Club Wausau/Brokaw, WI
Georgia
West Madison Research Station and virtual 1 p.m. on Mon., and 8 a.m. on Tues. Verona, WI
Planting Ideas
I was convinced the above image, a copy of a historic 1922 photograph, wouldn’t look good in the glossy, four-color magazine, and I even told Bob Guenthner that when he emailed it to me. But, alas, the story is too good, and the image really does speak to a time and a place, so I’m pivoting and admitting I was wrong.
Guenthner, of GP Ventures LLC, in Antigo, emailed the image and some others along with the story below, saying, “My neighbor showed me the pictures in the attachment. The writeup is part of her family history. That was a lot of people at a potato show back when traveling was difficult.”
WI
Experimental
McCormick Place Chicago, IL
Clinton Farms Bear Creek, WI
Here’s the story behind the image: “Jennie Sabina Blomberg and Gustaf Martinius Donaldson were married on Thanksgiving Day, November 30, 1911, following a courtship of about three years. Because of distance and a lack of transportation, courtship was sometimes quite lengthy in those days. They lived at least 12 miles from each other and, if they were to see one another, Gust had to either walk the distance or go by horse. Gust was a farmer at heart and soon became the largest certified seed potato grower in the state of Wisconsin …
“The county farm agent from Phillips, Mr. Ramlow, invited the state potato growers [in 1922] for a tour of the Donaldson farm [in Ogema, Wisconsin.] State dignitaries from the capitol in Madison also attended. The Prentice High School band opened the day with several selections to call the meeting to order. At noon, dinner was served to 100 dignitaries of the potato industry in the house, seated at tables. The lawn was the dining area for 500 other guests.
“Jennie had prepared 25 heavy Rhode Island Red chickens they had fattened and then dressed out the evening before. The dignitaries inside dined on southern fried chicken with cream gravy and all the trimmings. The guests on the lawn were served buffet style from an assortment of hot dishes, salads, and fresh homemade biscuits. Jennie did a great job of organizing and planning the entire production, including using the teenage girls from the area as waitresses.
Following the meal, the band took the lead, marching and playing down to the lakeshore with the 600 visitors following. They found seating room under the trees on the hillside while the speakers talked about the potato industry from a hastily erected podium right at the lakeshore.”
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
N1435 Cty Rd D
Antigo, WI (715) 623-2689 farm@sbfi.biz johnt@sbfi.biz
Interview SAM OURADA,
partner, Wisconsin Central Farms, Inc.
By Joe Kertzman, managing editor, Badger Common’Tater
NAME: Sam Ourada
TITLE: Partner
COMPANY: Wisconsin Central Farms, Inc.
LOCATION: Nekoosa, WI
HOMETOWN: Antigo, WI
YEARS IN PRESENT POSITION: Farm manager for 42 years, different farms
PREVIOUS EMPLOYMENT: Anthony Farms in Scandinavia, Wisconsin, and Stan Thomas Farms of Hancock
SCHOOLING: Antigo High School and Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Wisconsin (UW)-Stevens Point in soil science and chemistry
ACTIVITIES/ORGANIZATIONS: Grower member of the Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association (WPVGA) and various ATV (All-Terrain Vehicle) clubs
AWARDS/HONORS: WPVGA Young Grower of the Year and various McCain grower awards
FAMILY: Wife, Liz, married 40 years, and daughter, Courtney, 38 years old
HOBBIES: Fishing and UTV (Utility Terrain Vehicle) riding
Raised on a potato farm in Antigo, Wisconsin, Sam Ourada had his sights set on something else—he was going to be a soil scientist or chemist. As Scottish poet Robert Burns wrote in his 1786 poem “To a Mouse,” “The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry.”
Sam’s plans didn’t really go awry when he left his father’s farm to attend college at UW-Stevens Point. First, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in soil science and chemistry with a minor in resource management, and then business opportunities presented themselves.
Sam’s father and brother, Ken Ourada Sr. and Ken Jr., owned Lucky Devil Farms in Antigo. “I really wasn’t into farming when I was a kid. I was going to college to get a real job,” Sam says. “I liked grading potatoes and helping ship them with my father and brother, Ken Jr., but other than that, I would have rather been fishing.”
Now, as a partner in Wisconsin Central Farms, Inc. of Nekoosa, and owner of a vacation home on Petenwell Lake, Sam can do both— grow potatoes and go fishing.
I know you worked for Stan Thomas Farms in Hancock and as a farm manager for Anthony Farms in Scandinavia. What made you branch out and start your own farming operation? I worked with Stan Thomas from 1981-1987, and at Anthony Farms from 1988-1992 before moving to B& D Farms.
Above: Sam Ourada of Wisconsin Central Farms, Inc., in Nekoosa, Wisconsin, grows potatoes, sweet potatoes and vegetables for processing. Wisconsin Central Farms has storage capacity for approximately 285,000 cwt. (hundredweight) of potatoes and another 80,000 cwt. of sweet potatoes raised for McCain Foods.
Left: Sweet potato slips are transplanted on Wisconsin Central Farms. With each plant touched by hand, a transplanter has 12 seats for workers, each of whom places the plant slips on the fingers of the planter. The farm runs six-to-eight transplanters at a time, so has close to 100 people working at once.
B&D had a manager who was nearing retirement, and I could work into ownership in an affiliated company called Wisconsin Central Farms.
B&D Farms was owned by Dar (Darwin) Blanke and Pat Daly, two bankers who had hired Chuck Von Einem as their farm manager. I knew Chuck, a great guy, and I knew how he ran a farm. To me, his way of running a business was philosophically smart.
So how did you end up as a partner in the affiliated company, Wisconsin Central Farms, Inc.? I became a shareholder in Wisconsin Central Farms when I started working there, in 1992, and gained more ownership over time.
Dar passed away in 2012, and in 2021, the B&D Farms partners wanted to exit active farming. Liz and I found a couple other partners and bought out B&D Farms’ shares or ownership in Wisconsin Central Farms.
We purchased their equipment and, for the most part, assumed their production contracts and were able to retain the employees, so it was relatively seamless. I could have retired. I was 62 years old, but I had a halfway decent standard of living and wasn’t ready for full retirement yet.
How many acres of potatoes and vegetables are you growing and on what rotation? We raise 8501,000 acres of potatoes, depending on contracts, including 600-650 for McCain Foods, 65-150 acres in other
processing varieties, and 200-300 acres of chipping potatoes.
We plant 400-700 acres of snapbeans, 200-400 in peas, and 600-900 acres of sweet corn, all depending on contracts.
Potatoes are mostly on a four-year rotation, probably 3.75 years on average.
What other crops does your farm incorporate? We plant 400-600 acres of soybeans to fill in the blanks, sort of as a glorified cover crop, and 150-300 acres of sweet potatoes for McCain Foods.
We rent out 400-500 acres for pickles and another 150 for field corn.
Left: Alternately saying he doesn’t like new equipment and admitting he’s a little too frugal to buy brand new machinery and implements, Sam Ourada refers to his trucks as “the rainbow coalition.”
Right: This view from the tractor during sweet potato harvest on Wisconsin Central Farms is drop-dead gorgeous.
So, your potatoes and vegetables are mostly going to the processing market? It’s all processing for potatoes and vegetables.
What varieties of potatoes do you grow? We raise about 500 acres of Umatilla, 50-100 acres of Russet Burbank, 80 acres of McCain experimental varieties, 65-150 acres of Goldrush, 130 of Atlantic, and 100-
Johnson, Jim Halvorsen, 715-344-4984
150 acres of chip varieties for storage.
As far as the McCain experimental varieties, I’m trying them primarily because I want to find one that’s less expensive in chemical and fertility aspects. They supposedly have a variety that uses less fumigation, chemicals and fertility, less nitrogen primarily. I have a sustainability mindset.
We’ve been experimenting with bio-fumigation and seeing mixed results. We’re starting to figure it out, though, that piece of the puzzle, especially through longer rotation.
Like I say, we’re primarily in a fouryear rotation for potatoes, but it’s closer to three-to-four now with prices for rotational crops being in the dumpster. It’s hard to do, but you need to subsidize rotational crops with potatoes.
I don’t have any Goldrush potatoes this year, which we usually grow for Northern Star, but they had so many
left in storage, we didn’t plant any this year.
We had a lot of rain this year—how was the growing season and how did you deal with the elements? Potatoes held up pretty good. The rain makes it difficult to get stuff done on a timely basis.
It appears that the potatoes are set higher in the hill due to being saturated deep for such a long time. This will probably lead to more greening and an added risk for field frost.
The low areas are gone—washed out early in the season—so storage issues may not be as bad as some growers thought they would be.
We’ll see what August brings (with this interview conducted in late July), but if it’s relatively dry and not too hot, I think we have the potential for a decent crop.
It was extremely hard to maintain
Above and Below: Sam Ourada is in familiar surroundings at his office in Nekoosa, Wisconsin, having worked on potato farms most of his life, currently growing processing potatoes for the frozen and chip markets, and being surrounded by potato chip tins he’s collected over the years. “My daughter, Courtney, always knew she could get me a tin for my birthday or Father’s Day, but then I told her I ran out of room, and now she doesn’t know what to do,” he jokes.
fertility. If you missed a spot through fertigation, a wedge or something, it showed up. Most years, you might not even notice if you missed a spot, but this year, you saw it.
What can you do to ensure a good crop come August and September? Try not to overwater or over-fertilize. That’s easier said than done. We need cooperation from Mother Nature.
When do you start storing potatoes and how long can you store them? We usually start storage the last
week of September on potatoes, and September 15-20 for sweet potatoes. We store 100 percent of our sweet potatoes, generally until June, and most of our potato storages are empty by June.
We store about half of the potato crop with the other half shipped directly off the field to various plants, so that lightens our storage load but also puts us in a bind because of equipment and manpower limitations of trying to store and ship at the same time. We only have field trucks, and all end shipments are via customer trucks.
Harvest starts in early August and goes straight through until the 10th of October. The potatoes tell me when it’s time. I forecast, looking at the level of senescence and the condition of the crop.
Chipping potatoes are probably the most sensitive ones I store. I’m lucky—I can pick my harvest window—so our experience with storing chippers is pretty good. We might pull some equipment and manpower off sweet potatoes to harvest potatoes, and then go back to the sweet potatoes.
You’re one of only a few sweet potato growers in the state. Why did you decide to take them on?
I’m partnering with Shawn Bula. He was growing them, we saw an opportunity, and I kind of like the challenge of doing something new.
He had contracts and access to labor. Labor is a big part of growing sweet potatoes, as they’re all transplanted, so each plant is touched by hand. I had the land and some storage, and we bought our own equipment. I have two transplanters, and Shawn has five or six. Our harvest equipment is separate.
We take our transplanters out by him, and he brings his out to help with planting. A transplanter has 12 seats for workers, each of whom places the plant slips on the fingers
“When
of the planter. We run six-to-eight transplanters at a time, so we’ll have close to 100 people working at once. For the most part, sweet potatoes are also hand weeded.
What are the biggest lessons that you’ve learned over the years? When I was in my 20’s, I knew everything. Now at 64 years old, I realize how little I know. Growing crops, especially potatoes, is so dynamic. Everything can be rolling along and looking good, and then a weather event or something that can’t be explained happens and the wheels fall off. Don’t ever get too excited until the check clears.
When everything looks bad, it generally turns out better than you initially feared, and when everything looks great, it often turns out worse.
You’re in the middle of the Central Sands growing region. What do you like about working every day within
one of the largest potato-growing regions? I’m on the west side of Lake Petenwell at the edge of the Central Sands, somewhat in my own little world. Neighboring farms are owned
by the Wysocki’s and Okray’s, and they’re good neighbors.
We have a great relationship with the Wysocki’s, and they have always stepped up to help us when needed. We’ve tried to reciprocate. We trade stuff back and forth.
What are your biggest challenges growing potatoes and vegetables today? Contract availability. Vegetable processors have reduced acreage significantly because
Above: Of the many tools and machines in the Wisconsin Central Farms packing and washing shed, where most of the chipping potato varieties are washed, is a goldcolored Double L eliminator/grader that potatoes are run through before going into the red even flow hopper.
of excess inventory from large crops over the last couple of years.
Also, grain prices have dropped, so it’s difficult to show a profit with rotational crops. When you extend the potato rotation from three to four years, potatoes need to subsidize the rotational crops.
That makes it appealing to plant more potatoes, but access to profitable potato contracts is difficult, especially when you have storage capacity limitations. I’ve never been excited about the risk of growing open market potatoes.
Has technology helped you in those respects? When I started in this business 40 years ago, we would have never dreamed about how technology has changed farming—GPS Autosteer, irrigation with telemetry, remote handheld moisture sensing, cell phones, yield monitoring, and variable spreading.
These are just a few of the advancements that have increased efficiency and reduced manpower needs.
I don’t do a lot of variable spreading, but I have, and though I don’t have yield monitoring on our harvesters, a guy who I partner with has it on his combine.
Above: Sam Ourada says the McCain Foods experimental potato varieties he’s growing require a little less fumigation. “I think this is the first time the Royal potatoes I’m shown digging are grown in the United States on commercial side,” he says. “They get processed.” The stand-alone image of potatoes is another McCain experimental variety.
I partner with everyone that I can, Dan Trzebiatowski, Shawn Bula, and Steve Kloos, a Pioneer Seeds dealer continued on pg. 14
who grows grain. How difficult is the wait for harvest, especially with all the rain, inspecting crops, and applying crop protection products? We’ve never had to wait for harvest. Most years, we start at the end of July and harvest on and off for two-and-a-half months. We’ve always pushed to get harvest equipment ready in time. I usually say we have everything ready the day we finish.
My favorite time of year is harvest. There’s always stuff happening, and it’s a lot of fun. Some days, we’ll dig 25-30 truckloads on three fields for three different plants, and our guys say we’ll never get it done. But we always do.
We have seven full-time farmworkers, and then during harvest season, we take on another 10-15 employees. Growing potatoes is fun.
What kind of storage season do you foresee, and how does the rain affect the storage quality potential for potatoes? It’s hard to predict
Above: Sam Ourada and his crew have taken home a couple McCain grower awards over the years for producing quality processing varieties, with these two trophies garnered when working under the name B&D Farms. Sam is shown accepting the McCain Foods Class AA Champion CY 2021 and Class AA Reserved Champ 2020 Awards, in February 2023, at the McCain Awards Banquet.
Potatoes are bio-fumigated at Wisconsin Central Farms. Sam Ourada says the farm has been experimenting with bio fumigation and seeing mixed results, but it’s coming together, especially through longer crop rotation.
because we don’t know what we’ll get in August. If it’s relatively benign, not too hot or wet, we can have a decent storage season. Our low spots are already gone. We don’t have to worry about digging them.
Do you have help from experts who specialize in certain areas of crop production and storage? Well, we lean on Ron’s Refrigeration, Dale Nelson of Nelson’s Vegetable Storage
Systems, and Pest Pros for scouting. I think Dale is very knowledgeable in process potato storage.
What is your favorite part of being a potato and vegetable grower in Central Wisconsin? I like harvesting and shipping potatoes. That’s the thing I enjoy the most. I could do that year-round, and I do nearly ship year-round on and off. It’s challenging and dynamic, and there’s always
Above: Partnering with Shawn Bula on the sweet potato side (helping each other during the planting season), Sam Ourada says he likes the challenge of growing the laborintensive crop.
something different. It’s true that no two years have been the same. I cannot compare this year or last year to any other year.
The main reason I do this is to harvest and ship.
Plainfield, WI: 715-335-6368 • 800-755-0268 Beloit, WI: 608-362-0706 • 800-924-0321 www.valleynci.com
They Circled the Wagons for Field Days
Researchers shared trial results at Hancock and Langlade County agricultural research stations
By Joe Kertzman, managing editor, Badger Common’Tater
Held exactly one week apart, the Hancock Agricultural Research Station (HARS) and Antigo/Langlade County Agricultural Research Station (LARS) field days drew nice crowds, July 11 and 18, respectively.
With the University of Wisconsin (UW) potato and vegetable research program highly respected across the country, the field days provide an excellent opportunity to share findings and results from ongoing
trials occurring at the stations.
The HARS Field Day kicked off with a welcome and introductions from two UW-Extension specialists, Guolong Liang and Natasha Paris, the latter of whom says her job is to help farmers increase sustainability and profitability. Liang is a water quality specialist.
They introduced Steven Hall, a new UW-Madison assistant professor and Extension specialist whose work in
the Central Sands is related to farmscale nitrate leaching, capturing nitrates, scaling up measurements, and tying up extra nitrogen. Hall wore a T-Shirt reading “Stop Treating the Soil Like Dirt.”
UW Storage Research Facility Manager Amber Walker gave an update on recent hires and infrastructure overhauls before sending wagonloads of field day attendees off to the research
Above: The 2024 Hancock Agricultural Research Station Field Day, July 11, was well attended, with two wagonloads of visitors taken to fields to see firsthand the results of potato trials.
Left: Kicking off the HARS Field Day, UW-Extension specialists Guolong Liang (left) and Natasha Paris (center) introduced Steven Hall, a new UW-Madison assistant professor and extension specialist whose work in the Central Sands is related to farm-scale nitrate leaching, capturing nitrates, scaling up measurements, and tying up extra nitrogen. Hall wore a T-Shirt reading “Stop Treating the Soil Like Dirt.”
plots for presentations.
UW-Madison Associate Professor Yi Wang, Department of Plant and Agroecosystem Sciences, provided a fascinating presentation on “Using Precision Agriculture Techniques in Vegetable Crop Production,” particularly in the areas of artificial intelligence, and hyper- and multispectral imaging.
Attendees enjoyed seeing a 100-pound robot that Wang’s team acquired this year that is the perfect size for scouting snap bean and green pea fields. She outfitted the droid with orange Crocs™ so its lower
Left and Above: After Wisconsin Seed Potato Certification Program (WSPCP) Associate Director Brooke Babler presented updates on planting, inspections and direct tuber testing, Antigo Field Day attendees were transported via wagon to the research plots.
appendages would’t damage the soil, and even while wearing shoes, it can hop and turn.
Wang also set up a tent at the research station so people could see a live demonstration on the newest in drone operation and imaging, including three-dimensional imaging of underground crops like beets, potatoes and sweet potatoes.
NITROGEN OPTIMIZATION
Monica Schauer, a researcher in Dr. Matt Ruark’s UW-Madison Nutrient Cycling and Agroecosystems Lab, presented preliminary results from continued on pg. 18
HARS Field Day attendees enjoyed seeing a 100-pound robot that Yi Wang (right) and her team acquired this year and is the perfect size for scouting snap bean and green pea fields. She outfitted the droid with orange Crocs™ so its lower appendages won’t damage the soil. Even wearing Crocs, it hops and turns.
They Circled
the Nitrogen Optimization Pilot Program (NOPP).
Launched a year ago, the grant program is funded by the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection and encourages growers to conduct onfarm research pertaining to the use of commercial nitrogen fertilizer.
Over 100 partners are working to update and improve nitrogen recommendations on 77 fields using three nitrogen rates and fertigation timings, and one plot with no nitrogen applied for each trial. The McCain Foods NOPP has two sites in Coloma and Plover.
Maria Caraza-Harter, a scientist and drone operator working with Dr. Jeff Endelman in the UW-Madison Department of Potato Breeding & Genetics, gave an update on the 177 breeding lines being trialed in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan.
Of those, a yellow-skinned variety, purple potato and fingerling are ready for commercialization.
Dr. Russ Groves, UW-Madison Department of Entomology, provided information on insect management in potato and processing vegetables,
explaining that the pest population arrived early in 2024 and took hold.
“Some aphid species that are migrant have now overwintered here,” Dr. Groves said. “It was a mild winter with one week of below-zero temperatures and 10 inches of snow on the ground. There was no frost in the ground.”
“We’ve seen the green peach aphid colonizing in the southern half of the state since June,” he added, “and we’re between the first and second generations of Colorado potato beetles.”
Above: At the Antigo Field Day, UW Storage Research Facility Manager Amber Walker discussed her fresh market potato variety trial and an R-Leaf trial that pulls nitrogen from the air.
Below: During the HARS Field Day, Monica Schauer, a researcher in Dr. Matt Ruark’s UW-Madison Nutrient Cycling and Agroecosystems Lab, presented preliminary results from a Nitrogen Optimization Pilot Program.
UW-Madison Soil Extension Specialist Francisco Arriaga and Ph.D. student Carl Betz gave a rundown on “Challenges and Opportunities for Measuring Neonicotinoid and Nitrate
Load Losses from Potato Production in Sandy Soil.”
CHEMICAL LEACHING
The object of their study is to track water and neonicotinoid and other chemical leaching and movement through the sandy soil profile.
Jed Colquhoun, professor, UW-Madison Department of Horticulture, is an outreach specialist and Wisconsin Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program director. His presentation at the HARS Field Day entailed water quality and weed management research updates.
Regarding the wet 2024 growing season, Colquhoun remarked, “If you want to learn about herbicide solubility, this is the year. Some diluted, leached herbicides didn’t provide weed control.”
“We have a lot of huge potatoes sitting high in the hills,” he added, “and weeds pushing through. Growers might have to desiccate twice.”
Dr. Amanda Gevens, chair, professor and Extension specialist in the UW-Madison Department of Plant Pathology, provided disease and research updates in potatoes and vegetables.
“This season has been generally hot
and wet. Visiting fields this last week, there are a lot of bacterial diseases happening,” Dr. Gevens noted. “Heat and humidity push disease risk.”
“We’ve seen pectobacterium in potato, and copper is the only true
• ATLANTIC • LAMOKA MANISTEE • LADY LIBERTY MACKINAW • PETOSKEY • BLISS
At the Antigo Field Day, LARS Station Manager Kevin Gallenberg said, “This year was a little challenging as far as rain goes and low spots in the field. Nutrient runoff is a little bit of an issue.”
SNOWDEN
They Circled the Wagons for Field Days . . . continued from pg. 19
bactericide. We’re taking a lot of calls and photos,” she said. “So far, we’re not aware of any late blight of potato or tomato in Wisconsin.”
The HARS Field Day concluded with a social hour at the outdoor pavilion and a grilled chicken dinner with sweet corn, potato salad, and refreshments provided by the Associate Division of the Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association (WPVGA).
UW-Madison Soil Extension Specialist Francisco Arriaga (right) and Ph.D. student Carl Betz gave HARS Field Day visitors a rundown on “Challenges and Opportunities for Measuring Neonicotinoid and Nitrate Load Losses from Potato Production in Sandy Soil.” Arriaga and Betz hold up a trap that they position 24 inches deep in the soil to capture leaching neonics and other chemicals carried by water.
GRILLED CHICKEN & SWEET CORN
Brady Patoka, who works for JayMar, Inc. and sits on the Associate Division Board, volunteered to grill the chicken and sweet corn.
LARS Station Manager Kevin Gallenberg welcomed visitors to the Antigo Field Day, thanking the Wisconsin Potato Industry Board, WPVGA Associate Division, Wisconsin Seed Potato Improvement Association, Insight FS, Quinlan’s
Left: Maria Caraza-Harter, a scientist and drone operator working with Dr. Jeff Endelman in the UW-Madison Department of Potato Breeding & Genetics, provided HARS Field Day attendees with an update on the 177 breeding lines being trialed in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan.
Right: Rob Jarek from Timac Agro discussed the company’s next generation agronomy tools at the Antigo Field Day.
Equipment, Riesterer & Schnell, and Langlade County for continued
During his LARS Field Day presentation, Dr. Russ Groves, UW-Madison Department of Entomology, said it’s been an interesting year with the absence of winter and that, “We’ve had 40-50% more beetles in the Central Sands, volunteers like nobody’s business.”
donations and support.
“This year was a little challenging as far as rain goes and low spots in the field,” he said. “Nutrient runoff is a little bit of an issue.”
James Spychalla of Kohm & Spychalla, LLC addressed field day attendees, telling them about a coordinated effort to form a producer-led watershed group in Antigo.
Wisconsin Seed Potato Certification Program (WSPCP) Associate Director Brooke Babler announced Gallenberg as having joined the program and gave an update on planting and inspections.
“It’s no surprise that we’re seeing PVY,” she stated, “leading to some down-classifications. Like last year, about 9,500 acres of seed potatoes have been submitted for certification.”
Babler said the WSPCP is working with other states to get them up to speed and collaborate direct tuber testing, with no other states at this time allowed to use direct tuber testing as their post-harvest test.
Walker also attended the Antigo Field Day and discussed her variety trial at LARS.
FRESH MARKET POTATOES
“The WPVGA freed up funding for us to look at fresh market material generated in partnership with Dr. Endelman on potato varieties that will work for growers up here,” she
said. “We have purples and yellows that did well at Hancock last year. We’re also doing an R-Leaf trial that pulls nitrogen from the air.”
Rob Jarek from Timac Agro discussed the company’s next generation
continued on pg. 22
Left: UW-Madison Department of Horticulture Professor Jed Colquhoun’s presentation at the HARS Field Day entailed water quality and weed management research updates.
Right: UW Extension Regional Crops & Soils Educator Scott Reuss led a weed identification session for Antigo Field Day attendees.
Dr. Amanda Gevens, chair, professor and Extension specialist in the UW-Madison Department of Plant Pathology, gave disease and research updates in potatoes and vegetables at the HARS Field Day.
agronomy tools such as DUO MAXX® that bonds to fertilizer and holds nutrients, not allowing them to leach. Another Timac Agro product, FERTILEADER GOLD®, was trialed on potatoes that showed no symptoms of PVY in grow-out.
Dr. Gevens gave disease updates, saying 2024 saw an earlier startup in spore production for early blight, in mid-June, and that she was anticipating lesions on the field.
“When moving sprays up earlier,
we’re seeing better control,” Gevens noted. “When you manage early, you’re doing yourself a favor.”
She gave an overview of a pink rot study at HARS, white mold studies, and variety trials with industry partners.
“We do have a common scab nursery here on this farm, and will be taking advantage of that next year,” Dr. Gevens stated.
During his LARS Field Day presentation, Dr. Groves said it’s been
Above: Antigo Field day attendees walked through a Potato Virus Y (PVY) Initiative field where treated and untreated varieties of potatoes showed varying symptoms of the virus. The PVY plots are set up as part of a Specialty Crop Research Initiative through the National institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), and the trials have been conducted at LARS for a few years.
an interesting year with the absence of winter and that, “We’ve had 4050% more beetles in the Central Sands, volunteers like nobody’s business. A mass of adult beetles moved from corn fields to potato fields.”
“Another insect I fear has done well this year is the green peach aphid,” Groves remarked, and then, pointing to a suction trap at LARS, continued, “We captured our first green peach aphid in that trap on May 25. It could have been from elsewhere, but I don’t think so. I think they overwintered here.”
COLONIZING SPECIES
“If you have colonizing species in the field, you should do something about it now,” he added.
Groves also discussed figuring out a way to manage without neonicotinoids (if they someday become regulated), which he estimates provide half to two-thirds
UW Extension Regional Crops & Soils Educator Scott Reuss led a weed identification session for field day attendees.
“Knowing what you’re dealing with or killing is important,” Reuss said. “Is the weed an annual, biannual or perennial?” He then held up examples of each from a variety of weeds he had gathered and brought with him to LARS.
“Identification—that’s where scouting comes into play,” he said, “preventing weeds from taking root.”
Field day attendees then exited the wagons to walk a Potato Virus Y Initiative field where treated and untreated varieties of potatoes show varying symptoms of the virus. Recombinant strains don’t show as many symptoms, making it difficult to see PVY in potato.
The PVY plots were set up as part of a Specialty Crop Research Initiative through the National institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), and the trials have been conducted at LARS for a few years.
Following the presentations, food and refreshments were provided by Insight FS and the WPVGA Associate Division at East City Park in Antigo.
UW-Madison Associate Professor Yi Wang set up a tent at HARS so people could see a live demonstration on the newest in drone operation and imaging.
Importance of Proper Potato Storage
Don’t take the time and effort to grow a near-perfect crop only to lose it in a day
By Joe Kertzman, managing editor, Badger Common’Tater
Consultation with one of the industry’s stewards of potato storage could be the key to overcoming any obstacles brought on by Mother Nature, thus ensuring a healthy, attractive, stable, and sellable crop.
No one needs to tell growers,
shippers, packers, or brokers there was a lot of rain in Wisconsin this year or mention that the heat of summer and fall could factor into storage quality of the 2024 potato crop.
You certainly don’t have to tell Dale Nelson, co-owner of Nelson’s Vegetable Storage Systems, in
Above & Left: Dale Nelson of Nelson’s Vegetable Storage Systems stands next to one of two built-in BTU control panels in his laboratory that are outfitted with iPads and remote connection so he can monitor his customers’ 300 storage buildings from his iPhone and immediately tell them when something is amiss. “It’s a godsend,” he says. “Every morning, I can look to see who’s down and give customers a courtesy call, or I just go take care of it myself.”
Plainfield, your concerns about trying to maintain a healthy potato crop after a steamy season.
Nelson’s name came up during a recent visit to the Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Storage Research Facility in Hancock, Wisconsin, where Amber Walker, facility manager, thanked him specifically for the volunteer work in maintenance and storage-bin research he’s conducted there over the years.
His name was also mentioned by this issue’s main interviewee, Sam Ourada, as someone whose advice and consultation the grower seeks out when it comes to maintaining potatoes in storage.
With decades of experience in the
ventilation and refrigeration business, Nelson was involved in the planning stages of the Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Storage Research Facility and awarded the contract to design and install its air system.
“I have a good working relationship with the staff. When the Storage Research Facility was initially built, there really was no one to manage it. I wasn’t going to let it fail, so for the first two or three years, I lived down there,” Nelson relates.
“They struggled getting managers until Mary LaMere came aboard, and I think she brought Amber into the fold,” he says. “Now, my time is only on an as-needed basis to fix things. Their maintenance budget is not big, but Amber and her team do a good job of maintaining the facility on a minimum budget.”
“We do donate CIPC applications to them, equating to about $6,0008,000 a year,” he remarks.
continued on pg. 26
Above: Dale Nelson invested in two $30,000 machines that calibrate humidity sensors so that customers who store potatoes and vegetables can bring their equipment to him to have it calibrated. Nelson’s Vegetable Storage Systems designs and assembles their own humidifiers, insulated doors, HDPE cell tanks, galvanized fans, and has a custombuilt cooler that holds 30 buckets for testing different sprout inhibitors and disinfectants.
GOOD FOR THE INDUSTRY
Nelson appreciates the Storage Research Facility being in Hancock.
“It’s good for the industry,” he says, “and for a lot of reasons, like variety development, and researchers having all those lockers where they can conduct multiple experiments. There might be 10-15 or more experiments going on in one locker.”
“I think it’s a valuable tool,” Nelson says, “and good for the Wisconsin
industry. It gives us a leg up.”
Nelson specializes in agri-ventilation sales and service, potato sprout inhibiting, humidification, computerized controls, custom designs and consulting.
There are two things he would like growers to remember about minimizing stress before potatoes go into storage: 1. Harvest temperature—Only harvest potatoes at 65 degrees Fahrenheit or below
for process potatoes, and 60 degrees or below for fresh potatoes, to 50 degrees Fahrenheit; and 2. Hydration in the field—Keep potatoes hydrated even after vine kill.
“Care must be taken not to overwater. All we are trying to do is keep moisture from leaving the potato and losing it into the soil,” Nelson says. “A dehydrated potato is very susceptible to black spot bruising, even if proper handling procedures are followed.”
Pressure bruising is more of a field problem than a storage problem, although proper storage practices need to be followed.
KEEP POTATOES HYDRATED
“To avoid pressure bruising, keep potatoes hydrated and don’t harvest them hot,” Nelson imparts. “For the first 20 years or so that I was in this industry, the top temperature
Left: Nelson’s Vegetable Storage Systems specializes in agri-ventilation sales and service, potato sprout inhibiting, humidification, computerized controls, custom designs and consulting.
RIght: Dale Nelson was involved in the planning stages of the Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Storage Research Facility and awarded the contract to design and install its air system.
consultants said you should harvest potatoes was 60 degrees down to 50 degrees. Somewhere along the line, the gauge moved up to 65 degrees down to 50 degrees.”
“A fresh market potato should not be harvested above 60 degrees,” he stresses. “The respiration curve once it gets to 60 degrees goes straight up, and after that weight loss and dehydration are significant.”
This adds to pressure flattening/ bruising. This is probably unrealistic but needs to be added to the overall management, as potatoes harvested warm should probably not be those designated as long-term storage potatoes.
For the most part, Nelson says growers are conscious about not bruising potatoes in the field or shed by using the correct conveyor belts, liners and implements, and not allowing tubers to drop long distances or at high heights from one implement to the next along the line.
“They spend all this time and money growing the near perfect crop, and come harvest, forget all about sticking to temperature parameters for harvest,” he says.
“I realize some of the largest farms don’t have the luxury of harvesting every field at the ideal temperature,” Nelson allows, “but we have to realize the consequences of the action.”
CARE & PASSION
The same care expressed in a conversation with him reemerges when taking a quick tour of Nelson’s Vegetable Storage Systems. His passion manifests itself within the offices, shop, lab, and storage facilities he’s built and added onto over the years in Plainfield.
There are the two $30,000 machines that calibrate humidity sensors so that customers who store potatoes and vegetables can bring their relative humidity sensors to Nelson’s to have them calibrated.
“To avoid pressure bruising, keep potatoes hydrated and don’t harvest them hot.”
– Dale Nelson, Nelson’s Vegetable Storage Systems
Biocatalyst for Nutrient Release
BENEFITS
• Maximizes nutrient release from crop residues and the soil
• Extends existing nutrient availability later into the season
• Supports easier plantability in the spring
• Promotes more even crop emergence
• Optimizes yield potential for the next crop
Importance of Proper Potato Storage. . . continued from pg. 27
He walks through a sterile lab where he developed systems to clean and calibrate the humidity sensors.
“The remote computerized controls are a godsend,” Nelson says. “Every morning, I can look to see who’s down and give customers a courtesy call, or we just go take care of it. Sometimes, they call us for service as the service guys are pulling into their driveway.”
Other customers who want to do as much as they can themselves download the app, troubleshoot, and it tells them what sensors they need to replace and will even send them a text or email.
“Computerized controls have gotten a lot more dependable,” Nelson states. “If we didn’t have computerized controls right now, I’d have to hire one or two more service guys.”
“The equipment in general has become more reliable,” he adds. “Using underground floor systems also allows a little increase in air volume. We’ve advanced to going away from aboveground culverts to underground culverts or below-
ground floor systems.”
“The underground floor systems are a lot more expensive,” Nelson admits, “but you don’t need people onsite to move pipes around.”
DESIGN & ASSEMBLY
Nelson’s Vegetable Storage Systems designs and assembles their own humidifiers, insulated doors, HDPE cell tanks, galvanized fans, and has a custom-built cooler that holds 30 buckets for testing different sprout
inhibitors and disinfectants.
The company carries a large inventory of parts and machines to include 10 different kinds of refrigeration compressors, and shelves filled with 7 ½- to 25-horsepower fan motors.
“We cannot expect our customers to wait on our suppliers,” he says.
“When something stops working, you can’t tell them you’ll check into ordering the parts or units they need. The customer has a very valuable crop and Nelson’s tries to get them running as quickly as possible.
“We are 100% agriculture related,” Nelson stresses, “and probably 80% of that is in potatoes. While we were concentrating on ventilation, refrigeration and sprout control, we started getting involved with products to help minimize potato disease in storage that took us into a whole new area that has been good for us and the industry.”
Nelson says there is no substitute for CIPC when it comes to sprout
Above: Playing for the Nelson’s Vegetable Storage Systems team at the 2022 Putt-Tato Open golf outing and fundraiser are, from left to right, Dale Nelson, Gary Preboski, Tim Goodwin, and Rich Dunn.
inhibitors for potatoes. “For many years, our main goal was to cut back on the amount of CIPC I was using. I don’t believe it’s a harmful chemistry,” he notes, “but we need to be stewards of our own industry.”
“So, we started blending CIPC with surfactants and found it was very beneficial to sprout control and reducing the amount of CIPC. Finding the correct surfactants was a challenge,” Nelson says.
“One hundred percent of our applications have a surfactant blended with the CIPC,” he stresses. “Probably 50 percent of applications blend some sort of green chemical with CIPC to get a synergistic affect that aids in sprout control and lowers the amount of CIPC used.”
Green blending agents include clove oil, mint oil, essential oils, and Smart Block. Each of these and 1,4-dimethylanphthalene can be used as a standalone product for sprout control.
LIMITING STRESS ON POTATOES
“The amount of chemicals needed to treat potatoes and control sprouting is directly related to the
and more chemical application is necessary to keep sprouting under control.
When asked if he thinks CIPC will be regulated or outright banned in the United States like it has been in Europe, Nelson replies, “I hope not.”
“Last year was a perfect example of a much-stressed crop,” Nelson points out, “including a hot growing season, and a hot, dry harvest. We did have some quality issues in storage, but if we tried to control the sprouts without CIPC, it would have been a disaster.”
“Here’s the difference,” he says. “We’re a big country. In Europe, using fresh market potatoes as an example, they take them out of storage, put them on store shelves, and in a very short time, maybe even three to four days, they’re throwing them away because they have such a short shelf life.”
“There’s no way we could survive like that,” Nelson states. “It may take potatoes in the U.S. three weeks or more before they reach the shelf.”
VALUABLE TOOLS
alternatives,” he says, “blending them with CIPC, or in certain circumstances, using them as standalone tools. But it’s going to cost the growers. The cost of each comparable product is prohibitive and could be 5-10 times the price compared to CIPC.”
“If we’d be forced someday to live without CIPC, the grower cost would be very high, and quality of the product for the most part would not be what we’d consider acceptable,” Nelson imparts.
There is more to storing potatoes and minimizing stress than what is talked about in this article, but it is a start and hopefully gives some growers something to think about, and if they want, ask more questions.
In the meantime, being in such a small industry, Nelson says people who need help or consultation with potato storage know who he is and how to find him.
“We’re a one-stop shop and follow
Now News
Zander Solutions Partners with Butch Fencil
As revealed at the 2024 Grower Education Conference & Industry Show, Buch Fencil, formerly of Fencil Urethane Systems, is partnering with Zander Solutions, introducing the company to Central and Northcentral Wisconsin potato and vegetable growers and associated businesses.
Zander Solutions, which has 50 years of experience in the spray foam industry, expanded its operations to include the location in Wisconsin Rapids where Fencil Urethane Systems operated for many years. Butch is the former owner of Fencil Urethane Systems.
“We purchased our first urethane spray foam machine in 2022 and felt that it was part of what we needed to insulate full wall cavities for air barriers,” explains Frank Acker, president of Zander Solutions.
“The spray foam acts as an air barrier on the outside of buildings.”
“We were into the waterproofing of entire buildings, from the foundations on up, coming up out of ground and doing air barriers on
walls. That’s primarily why we got into urethane spray foam insulation,” Acker explains.
Through one of his vendors, Acker heard there was equipment for sale in Wisconsin Rapids from Fencil Urethane Systems, which was closing its business. Nick Laudenbach wanted to sell all the equipment, so Zander Solutions purchased everything (not the business, but the assets), including the trucks, some scissors lifts, and scaffolding.
“After talking to Butch, we decided to keep the business and clientele intact up there, operating as our business, not Fencil Urethane Systems. There was a market in the Wisconsin Rapids and Central Sands area that needed to be filled,” Acker says. “Butch was
Above: With 50 years of experience in the spray foam industry, Zander Solutions has expanded its operations to include the old Fencil Urethane Systems location in Wisconsin Rapids, partnering with Butch Fencil as a semi-retired liaison. Standing from left to right in the Zander Solutions booth at the 2024 Industry Show, in Stevens Point, are Frank Acker, president of Zander Solutions, Butch, and then Shawn Klingforth and Jason Pavloski of Zander Solutions.
the catalyst who got us up there and interested in the urethane spray foam end of the business.”
With operations in Verona and Waukesha, Wisconsin, Zander Solutions made the decision to expand its operations, which now include the central part of the state all the way to the peninsula of Green Bay in the east, and La Crosse to the west.
“I had no idea the potato and onion operations were as big as they are in Central Wisconsin,” Acker admits. “I knew it was an area where they grew a lot of produce, but I didn’t have any idea about the sizes of their storage buildings and equipment sheds. They insulate the heck out of those buildings for climate control and storability.”
A SPRAY FOAM ICON
“Butch is an icon up there when it comes to spray foam,” Acker continues. “I looked at retaining Butch as maintaining contacts and a certain level of experience. The knowledge he has in the industry is a real asset to us up there.”
“When this all came about, I realized quickly that Butch’s way of doing business and how I operate are weirdly identical, a great fit,” Acker says. “He’s a semi-retired liaison for me, my eyes and ears up there, looking at jobs and issues as they arise.”
Though Zander Solutions offers drain tile services, foundation crack repairs, basement waterproofing, structural building repairs, subpumps and exterior waterproofing, plus more, most of those services are not available through the Wisconsin Rapids location.
“My plan is to offer a lot of those services there,” Acker says. “We work with Findorff and Scherrer Construction, each of which has a lot of guys up in that area. Having crews up in that area allows us to serve people quicker and easier. Over time,
we will develop more of what we do down here in the Rapids area.”
“In this industry, it’s a challenge making sure we keep up on schedules. No matter what you do, schedules are tight,” Acker says. “The next crew can’t come in and put catwalks up in the barn or finish electrical until we’re done spray foaming. It’s like 911, we’ve got to go.”
Acker says the keys are to offer a product that performs well, stay on time, back it up with service and knowledge gained from years of experience, offer low costs and efficiencies, build relationships, and maintain schedules.
“We stand behind our work no matter what it is; it’s pretty simple,” Acker states. “Price your job fairly and stand behind your work. It’s a lost art in business now. Being passionate about you do—it bleeds through the company and determines what is acceptable and what is not. Be fair and good things will happen.”
“I’m hooking my horses to Butch’s wagon,” he concludes. “He will help us open doors through his knowledge and relationships.”
Above: Golfing for the Zander Solutions and Prevail Bank team at the 2024 Putt-Tato Open are, from left to right, Dale Sankey, Wayne Solinsky, Butch Fencil and Frank Acker.
Central Wisconsin Farmers Collaborative Hosts Field Day
Producer-Led Field Day includes stops at Plover River Farms and Isherwood Farms
The Central Wisconsin Farmers Collaborative, a group of eight WPVGA-member farms in the Little Plover River/Wisconsin River Watershed, hosted a Producer-Led Field Day on July 30, in conjunction
with Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) specialists.
The field day included stops at Plover River Farms and Isherwood Farms to
view on-farm practices designed to protect the watershed. Dan Walsch, agronomist at Plover River Farms, described several initiatives including potato and sweet corn inter-seeding, planting green into living rye with sweet corn, companion cropping clover and sweet corn, and the use of pollinator plantings.
The field day also included a stop at Isherwood Farms in Plover to view their Nitrogen Optimization Pilot Project, which involves using humic acid to prevent leaching.
Above: Dan Walsch (left), agronomist at Plover River Farms Alliance, Stevens Point, describes inter-seeding practices in a corn field as part of a Producer-Led Watershed Protection Grant program tour of the farm, on July 30.
Left: Isaac Isherwood (third from right) of Isherwood Farms, Plover, discusses the farm’s Nitrogen Optimization Pilot Project aimed at preventing the leaching of nitrogen into groundwater. There was an excellent turnout at the Producer-Led Field Day, with over 25 individuals attending.
Eqraft Opens North American Service Center
Dutch machine builder is reliable partner for any agricultural entrepreneur
After decades of working together with North American clients, Dutch machine builder Eqraft now opens a branch on American soil. Operating from Tri-Cities, Washington, Eqraft Inc. is a reliable partner for any agricultural entrepreneur looking to future-proof their business.
Eqraft focuses on future-proofing agricultural business, offering stateof-the-art machinery and software, as well as consultancy based on extensive technical and practical knowledge built up since the 1980s.
The Dutch tech company designs and builds processing lines and factories for onions and potatoes worldwide. Many of those clients are in North America.
For instance, Eqraft has longstanding
collaborations with Target Ag, Bybee Produce, Hartley Produce, Blue Sky Management, and Sunset Produce, all in Washington; Northwest Onion of Oregon; Baker & Murakami and Treasure Valley Farms of Idaho; Onions Etc. in California; Onions 52
Yellows: Colomba Whites: Superior Reds: Red Norland Modoc
continued from pg. 33
(Utah); Torrey Farms (New York); and Nova Agri (Nova Scotia).
Eqraft started out as a repair and construction company for agricultural machines. The company made a name for itself with the closed onion topper, which turned out to be a great success and is still part of the portfolio.
Later, weighing and packing machines were added to the mix. Now, one of Eqraft’s most important machines is the Eqrader. It sorts produce automatically and at a high rate of speed by quality, size, weight, shape, and color, separating each into a dozen or more different boxes.
INFRARED CAMERAS
Thanks to the cameras and infrared technology, rot on the inside of produce can be detected easily.
To design and build efficient and reliable agri-factories, Eqraft works
together with dust extraction expert Modesta and palletizing specialist Symach. Together, they form the Onion Tech Alliance to guarantee an integrated approach, from reception, grading, dust extraction, internal logistics and storage to packing, palletizing and the handling of
residual flows.
In recent years, Eqraft has grown rapidly, both in the number of projects and new employees. This continuous growth led to a brand new headquarters, which opened earlier this year in Emmeloord, the Netherlands.
Founding Eqraft Inc. and having permanent representation in the United States was a logical next step. The new facility in Tri-Cities, Washington, is within one of the country’s prime agricultural regions, allowing Eqraft to better serve the North American market.
Eqraft Inc.’s service center is operational and features a warehouse, workshop, office space, service truck, and a diverse blend of American and Dutch employees. Most common spare parts are in stock to make sure installation and maintenance can be done quickly and efficiently.
We can’t wait to welcome existing and new North American partners at Eqraft Inc.
Contact Eqraft, Inc. for service or parts at (509) 420-4472, or email support.na@eqraft. com / parts.na@eqraft.com. For sales or other inquiries, call +31-527-256-130, or email info@eqraft.com. Eqraft: 2513 Logan St., Unit 101, Richland, WA 99354, https://www.eqraft.com.
Tolsma-Grisnich and the Invaro Group Join Forces
Joint venture focuses on optical sorting technology for potatoes and onions
As of May 1, 2024, Tolsma-Grisnich and the Invaro Group (Schouten) will be joining forces in the field of optical sorting of potatoes and onions.
The partnership means that TolsmaGrisnich and the Invaro Group are embarking on an intensive collaboration. As part of this collaboration, Tolsma-Grisnich will take on all commercial and service activities of the Schouten Optica Q and Optica CS globally. The Invaro Group will continue to focus on the development and production of Optica technology and machinery.
As leaders in the agricultural and horticultural sector, both companies
Together, they will offer innovative solutions that simplify the work of
The Schouten Optica Q and Optica CS are a valuable addition to Tolsma-
Marketplace
By Dana Rady, WPVGA Director of Promotions and Consumer Education
Sustainability is Main Focus of TV Show
Wisconsin potatoes and Healthy Grown program highlighted in episode
Sustainability: Years ago, that term didn’t mean much and certainly didn’t resonate with most of the population. As time has passed, however, so have consumers’, and specifically younger consumers’, perceptions and understanding of that word, especially as they search for and become more educated about the origins of their food and how it’s produced.
In fact, while many agree to the core components of sustainability and what it encompasses, the term itself
is often synonymous with phrases like “regenerative agriculture,” “conservation practices,” etc.
Regardless of the way you refer to sustainability, the fact remains that Wisconsin potato and vegetable farmers take it seriously and practice it regularly in all aspects of their organizations.
This is why sustainability and Wisconsin’s Healthy Grown program were featured in the latest Mad Dog and Merrill television episode.
Mad Dog and Merrill are a grilling duo who take Wisconsin potatoes to a new culinary level. Now if you already grill Wisconsin potatoes on a regular basis, then you might be one step ahead of the game. Or you might watch their show and get inspired!
Mad Dog and Merrill have made appetizers, main dishes and even desserts using Wisconsin potatoes, and all on the grill.
During this episode, while grilling, Mad Dog and Merrill learned from Conservation Agronomist Seth Olson,
Above and Left: These pictures show various prescribed burns as they took place on land owned by Alsum Farms & Produce in Friesland, Wisconsin, in spring 2024.
of Alsum Farms & Produce, about sustainability and conservation efforts on the farm, which are practices other potato and vegetable growers across the state implement as well.
PRESCRIBED BURN
The episode was filmed directly in front of a field that experienced a prescribed burn in the spring and is now showing beautiful signs of
regrowth and beneficial habitats for native plants, animals and insects.
Left: A compass plant blooms on a restored prairie at Alsum Farms & Produce following a Spring 2024 prescribed burn.
Prompted by Mad Dog’s inquiries, Olson discussed things such as the significance of biodiversity in prairies and the fact that the term includes grass and wildflowers. He also mentioned the importance of prairies when it comes to flora like the compass plant, animals such as birds, reptiles, amphibians and mammals, and insects like the rusty patched bumble bee.
Right: Mad Dog flips Wisconsin potatoes on the grill in preparation for making a delicious and hearty potato soup during the July 23 “Midwest Grill’n” episode shoot at one of the fields, in Arena, owned by Alsum Farms & Produce.
continued on pg. 38
Olson also touched on the importance of prescribed burns in promoting the vitality of a prairie, noting that “all native prairie plants are adapted to withstand fire.”
Most prescribed burns in the Wisconsin potato and vegetable industry occur through participation in the state’s Healthy Grown program, with some growers conducting a burn
While Olson was helping to educate the audience about sustainability efforts in Wisconsin, Mad Dog and Merrill kept busy making potato soup, which they thickened with a separate serving of mashed potatoes, and open-faced tuna melts using Wisconsin potato “planks” instead of bread.
It was the perfect way to include all the nutritional benefits Wisconsin potatoes naturally provide while also indulging in the full flavors of comfort food.
The episode began airing the week of August 11 and will repeat throughout the months ahead. Visit https://www.maddogandmerrill.com/ midwest-grilln-tv-show.html for a list of stations and times based on your area.
Left: Silky-smooth Wisconsin potato soup was featured on the Mad Dog and Merrill episode filmed on a restored prairie owned by Alsum Farms & Produce.
Right: Fast Freddie, piano player for Mad Dog and Merrill’s “Midwest Grill’n” television series, gives his hands a break as Alsum Farms & Produce Conservation Agronomist Seth Olson (shown) surprises the group and takes over, sharing his talent at the July 23 episode shoot.
Potato packers from across North America exceed their expectations with Ellips grading technology
Do you want to increase your grading capacity? Are you facing challenges related to labor issues and inconsistent product quality? The world of potato packers is challenging. Batch qualities vary, but customer demands remain consistently high. With our industry leading grading technology, you can optimize your operational performance while better addressing your customers’ needs.
Get the most value from every potato After a season of hard work, you want to be rewarded with maximum harvest value. Regardless of weather conditions or batch quality, you can always deliver consistent quality with the Elisam Potato Grading Machine (powered by Ellips grading technology).
What are the main powerful benefits of grading technology?
4 Meet any demand;
4 Powerful defect detection;
4 Maximize throughput;
4 Consistent quality;
4 Less labor requirements.
Already dozens of U.S. potato packers use the Ellips-Elisam grading machine daily. What challenges did they face? What results have they achieved?
Discover the customer stories from Wada Farms, Folson Farms, Pioneer Potatoes and O.C. Schulz & Sons in this article.
1. Wada Farms surpasses its ROI in the very first year using optical grading technology
“This project exceeded our expectations from the initial planning phase through the final production results, including surpassing our return-on-investment objectives in the very first year. All our objectives related to capacity, efficiency, quality and cost reductions were achieved. In fact, within the first 30 days of operation, we hit our first production milestone, reaching the throughput rate (i.e., pounds per hour) that we had established for year end. The early successes boosted our confidence and enabled us to rely on the system to meet expanded production and quality goals.”
Kip Yeates - Wada Farms
Main challenges Wada Farms:
1. Enhance production efficiency considering labor and costs.
2. Deliver consistently sized and graded quality products.
3. Improve grading accuracy to avoid false positives and increase returns.
4. Hand sorting is prone to human error and oversight.
5. Mechanical sizing and manual sorting struggle with grading, handling, capacity, and market demands.
Achievements Wada Farms:
4 Labor related to manual sizing and sorting was reduced by 75%.
4 Improved quality consistency and operational flexibility to respond to customer demands
4 Increased grading capacity by over 20%.
2. This is how Folson Farms guarantees superior potato quality
“Folson Farms works to produce quality potatoes in the rich soils of the Red River Valley. Our focus is to provide customers with a consistently quality product. Ellips-Elisam stood out for its gentle potato handling, unmatched quality consistency and throughput. Our operations are now more efficient with fewer labor requirements and higher capacities.”
Casey Folson – Folson Farms
Main challenges Folson Farms:
1. You sometimes have difficult batches.
2. The type of defects that affect potato quality vary from year to year.
3. With hand grading it’s difficult to achieve the quality you want.
4. Labor is hard to find.
5. The throughput per hour was not sufficient to handle the potential volumes.
Achievements Folson Farms:
4 Increased quality consistency
4 Improved production capacity to expand business potential.
4 Created a reliable, efficient operation that is less dependent on labor.
3. Smaller-scale grower Pioneer Potatoes achieves big results with grading technology
“Pioneer Potatoes understands the fundamentals of effectiveness and efficiency in grading and provisioning potatoes. Despite smaller acreage, we prioritize delivering topquality potatoes. We maximize our harvest, producing a high percentage of A-size, premium potatoes. I am happy and proud that we, as a relatively small family farm, have been able to effectively deploy and utilize Ellips-Elisam’s potato grading and packing technology. I know that I am the customer, but I am grateful that I can use this grading technology every day.”
Wylie
Thulen – Pioneer Potatoes
Main challenges Pioneer Potatoes:
1. Difficulty in finding and retaining workers year-round.
2. Rising labor costs and competitors investing in automation.
3. Manual grading can’t compete with advanced grading technology.
4. Inconsistent defect detection with manual sorting.
5. Difficulty in quickly changing grading standards with manual processes.
Achievements Pioneer Potatoes:
4 Monumental cost savings by reducing our workforce by 50%.
4 Improved product quality through powerful defect detection and consistent grading.
4 Accurate classification across all grades optimizes crop value and minimizes waste.
4. This is how O.C. Schulz & Sons takes customer satisfaction to perfection
“The customer is always right” is our motto at O.C. Schulz & Sons. We understand the importance of customer satisfaction and strive daily to exceed expectations. We ensure consistent quality and on-time delivery. Our high-quality red and yellow potatoes are renowned for their clear skin and outstanding taste. In the past, we faced limitations in meeting all customer needs. It’s hard to put the transition in words since the installation of the Ellips solution has changed our operation so significantly. Everything is much easier now. We have a peace of mind because we can respond to any customer demand - we never have to say no anymore”
Dave and Andy Moquist - O.C. Schulz & Sons
Main challenges O.C. Schulz & Sons:
1. Labor shortages occasionally disrupt operations.
2. Seasonal weather variations make consistent quality delivery challenging.
3. Manual sorting is inconsistent and tiresome.
4. Hand sorting leads to misclassification of potatoes.
5. Labor shortages and quality issues limit potato processing and packing capacity.
Achievements O.C. Schulz & Son:
4 Reduce dependency on labor by eliminating virtually all manual grading.
4 Improved quality consistency to increase customer satisfaction.
4 Increased production capacity to improve on-time deliveries and expand business opportunities.
Are you looking into optical grading technology and machinery?
Your potato business is unique. It’s why every partnership we have with customers is different. With complex individual needs, business pressures, harvest characteristics and more. Our aim is to work closely with you to focus on what will work for your specific packhouse and maximize your return on investment.
Eyes on Associates
Golfers Got Their Game On at the 2024 Putt-Tato Open
Anticipated annual Associate Division tournament raises funds for research, scholarships and industry priorities
By Joe Kertzman, managing editor, Badger Common’Tater
The ag industry was just glad it wasn’t raining, something they’ve had enough of this growing season, during the 2024 Putt-Tato Open at Lake Arrowhead golf course in Nekoosa, Wisconsin. The day of the tournament, July 10, dawned with blue skies and comfortable temperatures.
Forty-two teams of four players each (some with three) hit the course for the annual four-person scramble tournament, the biggest fundraiser of the year for the Associate Division of the Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association.
Thanks to their support and that of sponsors and donors, the 2024 PuttTato Open reached its fundraising goals, with proceeds going toward agricultural research, college scholarships and other industry causes to be determined by the Associate Division throughout the coming year.
A perfect mid-season opportunity for
Above: It was such a beautiful day at Lake Arrowhead golf course for the 2024 PuttTato Open, July 10, even the deer were playing through.
Below: Playing for the T.I.P., Inc. team, Mark Nichols smashes one off the tee.
the Wisconsin potato and vegetable growing community to gather before harvest for camaraderie, networking, and fun, the annual tournament is a favorite among industry players.
This year, via sponsorships, donations and raffle ticket and mulligan sales, the event raised more than $23,000 to go toward several worthy causes. The total includes $1,130 in mulligan sales and $2,180 in raffle ticket sales to golfers.
The golf outing is a major undertaking, with Associate Division board members gathering outside the clubhouse the morning of the event to check in groups and sell mulligans to golfers who always prove generous in their support of the industry.
WPVGA Executive Assistant Julie Braun and Financial Officer Karen Rasmussen once again coordinated the golf outing, setting up a booth at the fourth hole to sell raffle tickets and engage golfers throughout the day.
Progressive Ag, Rural Mutual
Insurance—the Zinda Insurance Group of Plover, and Jim Wehinger, Adams—and Volm Companies, Inc. sponsored lunch hot off the grill outside the clubhouse.
GENEROUS SPONSORS
McCain Foods donated appetizers for the awards banquet, while AgCountry Farm Credit Services, and Sand County Equipment/ Lemken/Lockwood were Gold Dinner Sponsors, helping provide a delicious supper at the course.
Nichino America stepped up as the Premier Event Sponsor this year, and Silver Sponsors included Big Iron Equipment/Spudnik and Compeer Financial. See the Putt-Tato Open
“Thank You” ad in this issue for a full rundown of all the generous companies helping make the event a success.
Associate Division Board President Matt Selenske announced the tournament winners after dinner
during the awards banquet, and, with the help of WPVGA staff, awarded prizes to individual hole winners, and drew names and gave out raffle and door prizes.
Prize money was given for top scores and some impressive, donated items went to those whose names were
COME SEE!
drawn for raffle and door prizes. The industry support was impressive
Left: With a score of 56, the Visita Financial Strategies team took 1st Place in the fourperson scramble, represented by, from left to right, Matt Bush, Chris Hietpas, Marcus Moreau, and Todd Williamson.
as always, and everyone who participated in the Putt-Tato Open contributed to a good cause and walked away winners.
Nearly all segments of the potato and vegetable growing industry contributed, including growers, researchers, potato brokerages, processors, insurance companies, banks and lending offices, real estate agents, fertilizer and chemical plants, implement and equipment dealers,
and irrigation, refrigeration, trucking, storage and construction companies.
Hole sponsors hosted games and contests, and gave out prizes, gifts, and refreshments on the course, providing fun at each stop along the way.
In addition to raffle and door prizes each year, the Putt-Tato Open includes hole awards for longest drives and putts and being closest to
the pins, as well as monetary prizes up for grabs to golfers with the best shots.
In addition to providing a muchneeded break during the growing season, the Putt-Tato Open generates significant funds that are put right
Above: Taking part in the Putt-Tato Open, Okray Family Farms was well represented by, from left to right, Brian Lee, Javier Cipriano, Mike Barker and Alex Okray.
Above: Playing for Mortenson Bros. Farms, Inc., Caden Gerzmehle exhibits a nice, relaxed putting form in the shadows of a fountain at Lake Arrowhead golf course.
Left: Lucky raffle prize winner Matt Knowles of Nicolet National Bank took home not one, but two R'TIC coolers donated by BMO Bank as part of the Putt-Tato Open fundraising event.
Above: Nick Hayes of Roberts Irrigation chips one out of the rough at Lake Arrowhead golf course in Nekoosa.
Above Right: Nabbing Second Place at the Putt-Tato Open with a score of 58 was one of two Sand County Equipment teams, here represented by, from left to right, Jay Halbert, Joe Dahlen, Jeff Lauritzen, and Pauly Cieslewicz.
Bottom: Jeff Sommers of Wysocki Family of Companies tees off at the 2024 Putt-Tato Open.
continued on pg. 44
Eyes on Associates . . .
continued from pg. 43
back into the industry.
2024’s sold-out tournament is a testament to the dedication and generosity of the Wisconsin potato and vegetable industry. Look for the 2025 Putt-Tato Open to be at The Ridges Golf Course, in Wisconsin Rapids, and in the surrounding area for years to come.
Mark Rice of McGowan Rice Construction keeps his arms straight and head down as he tees off at the Putt-Tato Open.
Playing for the Ascendance Truck Centers team and looking cool and confident are, from left to right, Scott Worzella, Trent Hamerski, Jay Weidman and Tia Leonhard.
The Spectra Print team brought home 3rd Place with a score of 59 at the Putt-Tato Open, including, from left to right, Nate Hofmeister, Noah Hofmeister, Jake Hofmeister, and Charlie Okray.
Playing for The Little Potato Company, Eric Klein hits a tee shot in the serene setting of Lake Arrowhead golf course.
Above: Chad Heath of Family Insurance Center won a Blackstone griddle door prize donated by Pest Pros, a Division of Allied Cooperative.
Left: The good group of guys making up the BMO Bank team includes, from left to right, Paul Salm, Jason Blenker, Nate Knutson, and Lucas Wysocki.
Above: Frank Acker of Zander Solutions chips a marshmallow toward a hula hoop at the Vista Financial Strategies sponsored hole as his teammate, Dale Sankey, Prevail Bank, looks on in amusement. If a player landed a marshmallow in the hoop, their name was entered into a drawing for a chance to win both a bottle of Polish vodka and one of potato vodka.
Top Left: Kelsi Mueller of Nichino America, Inc. had the support of her teammates Austin Headlee (left) and Brayden Montgomery (right) when attempting a long putt.
Bottom Left: All smiles, the Wysocki Family Farm team includes, from left to right, A.J. Bussan, Keith Glodowski, Andrew Pribramsky, and Dakotah Smiley.
THANK YOU to the 2024 Putt-Tato Open Golf Sponsors
PREMIER EVENT SPONSOR
Nichino America, Inc.
GOLD DINNER SPONSOR
AgCountry Farm Credit Services
Sand County Equipment | Lemken | Lockwood
SILVER SPONSORS
Big Iron Equipment/Spudnik
Compeer Financial
LUNCH CO-SPONSORS
Progressive Ag
Rural Mutual Insurance:
Zinda Insurance Group, Plover, WI & Jim Wehinger, Adams, WI
Volm Companies, Inc.
APPETIZER SPONSOR
McCain Foods USA
GOLF BALL SPONSOR
Sand County Equipment
RAFFLE PRIZE SPONSORS
• Blackstone 28” Griddle
– Pest Pros & Allied Co-op
• Pedal Tractor
– Swiderski Equipment
• Decorative “HOME” Sign
– Jay-Mar, Inc.
• RTIC Cooler with Beverages
– BMO Bank
• Fishing Gift Basket & Beverage Gift
Basket – EXIT Realty CW
• Gift Certificate for Rounds of Golf
– Lake Arrowhead
• Custom Bean Bag Toss Set
– Vista Financial Strategies, LLC
• Kayak & Paddle
– C & D Professional Insurance
Services & Adventure Outfitters
• Cooler with Beverages
– Green Bay Packaging
• Variety Gift Basket
– Food + Farm Exploration Center
HOLE SPONSORS
Adams-Columbia Electric Cooperative
Allen Supply Company, Inc.
Anderson O’Brien, LLP
Ascendance Truck Centers
Bayer
Blenker Construction
Compeer Financial
EXIT Realty CW
Express Employment Professionals
Food + Farm Exploration Center
Gowan USA
Green Bay Packaging, Inc.
Jay-Mar, Inc.
Keller, Inc.
McCain Foods USA
MetLife Agricultural Finance
Modern Produce Equipment
Nelson’s Vegetable Storage Systems
Phospholutions
Portage County Bank
Prevail Bank
Progressive Ag
Riesterer & Schnell
Roberts Irrigation Company
Soiltech Wireless
T H Agri-Chemicals, Inc.
T I P, Inc.
The Little Potato Company
Thorpack LLC
Trace Genomics
TriEst Ag Group
Vista Financial Strategies, LLC
Warner & Warner, Inc.
Could Your Next Potato Sorter Be an AI Avatar?
It’s a fascinating concept quickly becoming a reality in potato sheds worldwide
By Scott A. Parrott, business development, Smart Vision Works
Imagine an assistant who can understand 70 languages, manage dockside grading and payout, continuously monitor production performance, adjust as needed, and perform all quality control functions and shipping.
Moreover, this employee could provide you with production status reports and sales information 24/7 upon request.
Technologies like the SiftAI™ Artificial Intelligence (AI) Platform from Smart Vision Works (a KPM brand) continuously monitor a sizer’s infeed and adjust sizer kickers to keep them in time.
Technologies such as these incorporate human-defined AI models to rapidly assess potatoes for product size and defects with impressive accuracy and efficiency.
Sheds relying completely on manual potato sorters have a typical recycling rate of 20-40%. Sheds with active lane monitoring have a recycling rate of about 4%. This difference translates to hundreds of additional
Above: Multiple AI (Artificial Intelligence) camera systems are positioned over sorting lines at a potato facility.
Below: An AI model automatically calculates the “old bruise” defect percentage on a potato moving at full-line speed.
sacks produced per shift without additional labor costs.
An AI model can also identify mechanical issues with kickers and instantly communicate with the maintenance team for needed repairs.
With today’s AI technology, foreign material (FM) detection is another possibility. AI can detect such FM as plastics of all colors, glass, rocks that look like potatoes, golf balls, walnuts, plant material, and much more, at a rate of 80,000 pounds of potatoes an hour.
KEEP CONTAMINANTS OUT
Coupled with an ejection system, AI can keep these contaminants out of food processing equipment and, thus, the food supply, avoiding costly consequences.
AI systems can monitor FMcritical environments by providing information on foreign material types and prevalence found during any requested timeframe.
A highly accurate inspection system is being developed for use within sheds. This machine will precisely size and grade a potato accurately and consistently with a capacity of thousands of pounds per hour.
Sample sizes will no longer be an issue. Simply enter the customer specifications, and the AI will sample the production flow to determine compliance. If the sample is not compliant, the AI can automatically adjust the optical sorting or notify the operator for guidance. No more rejected loads.
– Scott A. Parrott, business development, Smart Vision Works
Humans have long sought ways to become more efficient, and AI represents the cutting edge of this continuum. In the coming years, AI
As AI technology advances, it may not be too long until Avatars become a real way to interface with advanced technology in all production processes,
Rhinelander Field Day Showcases Small Plot Research
Research station plays host to presentations on potato breeding program, remote sensing, and insect management
By Joe Kertzman, managing editor, Badger Common’Tater
The hard work of Rhinelander Agricultural Research Station (RARS) Superintendent Becky Eddy and her team was recognized by Mike Peters, director of ARS, University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS), during opening remarks at the Rhinelander Field Day, July 31.
“Becky and the Rhinelander staff are breeding a better potato and driving the ag industry for the state,” he said. “Welcome and enjoy the field day.”
RARS is one of a dozen agricultural research stations across the state that support research efforts, solve problems for growers and ag workers,
and manage natural resources.
“Innovative research in potato breeding and varietal development has been conducted at RARS since the 1940’s,” Eddy explained. “We’re producing novel varieties for increased yield, quality, and nitrogen efficiency through the support of CALS, the WPVGA, Potatoes USA, Swiderski Equipment, Big Iron, Insight FS and others.”
One of the top potato breeding facilities in the country, over the past three years, Eddy said, all the station’s advanced potato clones submitted for evaluation were 100 percent disease free and received certified foundation status.
Above: Mike Peters, director of Agricultural Research Stations (ARS), University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS), recognized the hard work over this past year by Rhinelander ARS Superintendent Becky Eddy and her staff who he said are “breeding a better potato” for the industry.
“We represent 50 potato varieties, most recently Portage Russet, to 30 distributors in the United States and Canada,” Eddy remarked. “As part of outreach, we’re educating, bringing the community together, communicating and involved in such activities as distributing potatoes to food pantries.”
U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service Plant Geneticist Ryan Vinhal explained the practice of phytofiltering the disinfectant wastewater at RARS, using trees to take up contamination from the soil and water.
“We planted poplar and willow trees in 2018,” Vinhal said, “after looking at what varieties grow well here and have the best remedial properties. Willows and poplars are fast-growing trees with extensive root biomass systems to remediate chemicals. The have elevated hydraulic control potential—they can drink, and drink, and drink.”
Wisconsin Seed Potato Certification Program (WSPCP) Associate Director Brooke Babler introduced Kevin Gallenberg as the newest member of the team who has been out
inspecting fields and splitting his time there and as manager of the Langlade Agricultural Research Station (LARS).
POTATO VIRUS Y
“The first inspection wasn’t a surprise to us this year,” Babler said. “Some seed lots have been down classified with Potato Virus Y (PVY).”
continued on pg. 52
Above: Dr. Jeff Endelman of the UWMadison Department of Breeding and Genetics introduced field day attendees to the newest varieties showing promise for commercial production and investment. Among the promising varieties are a purpleskin potato, those showing Potato Virus Y resistance, and three round white chipping potatoes in the most advanced stages of chip trials, including two that were accepted into the SNAC International Chip Variety Trials.
Research projects, Babler noted, include a comparison study on tuber testing methods, comparing visual, ELIZA, direct tuber and ITTR; PVY strain testing; and using aeroponics in the greenhouses and comparing yields and production of tubers.
Gallenberg, who grew up on a seed potato farm near Antigo, provided a LARS update, where three PVY trials are being conducted by Dr. Russ Groves, and Dr. Jeff Endelman
you’re
is conducting a scab-resistance potato variety trial, Amber Walker has another variety trial, and two companies are testing their products on potato pests and diseases. There are also PVY varietal demonstration
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fields set up at LARS.
The field wagon tours included a stop at a pollinator habitat where Hatch intern Olivia Gillen answered the question, “Why Are Pollinator Plots Vital?” In short, she said pollinator plots reflect ecosystem health, aid in plant production, and attract and support pollinators.
“Be the change—contribute to a healthier, more sustainable earth,” she advised, before saying that anyone interested in developing pollinator plots can apply through
Left: Rhinelander Agricultural Research Station (RARS) Superintendent Becky Eddy said that innovative research in potato breeding and varietal development has been conducted at RARS since the 1940’s.
Right: UW scientist and potato breeder Maria Caraza-Harter discussed remote sensing in potato breeding, saying that, in Dr. Endelman’s Potato Breeding & Genetics program, they trial thousands of potato varieties and need a better way of evaluating them.
The Bee & Butterfly Habitat Fund, https://www.beeandbutterflyfund. org.
UW scientist and potato breeder Maria Caraza-Harter discussed
remote sensing in potato breeding, noting that, in Dr. Endelman’s Potato Breeding & Genetics program, they trial thousands of potato varieties and need a better way of evaluating
Above: Standing in front of a field of native plants at RARS, Hatch intern Olivia Gillen answered the question, “Why Are Pollinator Plots Vital?”
continued on pg. 54
them. Using a drone to monitor fields and capture data and photos accelerates the process of breeding new varieties.
Dr. Endelman gave an update on scientific methods to improve potato breeding and introduced field day attendees to the newest varieties showing promise for commercial production and investment.
Among the promising varieties are a purple-skin potato, those showing PVY resistance, and three round white chipping potatoes in the most advanced stages of chip trials, including two that were accepted into the SNAC International Chip Variety Trials.
“Becky Eddy tested the plants in fields here, and retested them a few weeks later, and we have zero percent PVY detection. Kudos to the team here at RARS,” Endelman said. “It’s incredible considering last year, and the fields look great with very few skips.”
GREEN PEACH APHIDS
UW Entomologist Russ Groves provided potato insect management and plant pathology updates. Groves discussed green peach aphids, saying they don’t usually winter north of Interstates 70 and 80. “We caught our very first green peach aphid in
a suction trap on May 25,” he noted, “and they’ve been around for most of the growing season.”
“I’m literally getting texts today about exploding populations in the Central Sands,” Groves said. “Once they start getting overcrowded, then they grow wings and get moving.”
“Most years, I tell you to apply oil to protect against non-colonizing species moving through your fields,” he said. “We don’t usually have a lot of colonizing species, but this year we do.”
With that, the wagons moved to a field where attendees witnessed a LifeLink III helicopter circle above the wagons and land. There, Partner Engagement Member Lucas Stoflet
and his emergency crew exited the copter and discussed typical agriculture-related emergency calls that they receive, as well as response procedures, and injury prevention.
LifeLink III is a non-profit air medical transport service covering central and northcentral Wisconsin and Minnesota.
“Ag calls are more common than most people might think,” Stoflet said. “We’re ready to go at any moment and can fit one patient aboard. If you or someone you work with has sustained an injury, call 911, and if it might be a life-threatening injury, ask if a helicopter is needed.”
LifeLInk III works with insurance agencies so that patients don’t receive $65,000-$70,000 bills, and the emergency medical team handles major traumas, heat exhaustion and heat stroke cases, allergic reactions, cardiac arrests, and more.
Wrapping up the field day, Insight FS sponsored lunch and refreshments at the Rhinelander Agricultural Research Station.
Above: LifeLink III Partner Engagement Member Lucas Stoflet discussed typical agriculture-related emergency calls that they receive, as well as response procedures and injury prevention.
Left: UW Entomologist Russ Groves provided potato insect management and plant pathology updates.
People Grant Recipients Awarded
Two $5,000 appreciation grants extended to
An anonymous donor extended two $5,000 Appreciation Grants to small family farms that applied for the grants, are raising children on the farm, and passing on a passion for agriculture and land stewardship to the next generation.
While the donor recognizes the value of farms of all sizes, there is no doubt that smaller farms have been fading
qualifying family farms
fast in recent years. It’s that segment of the industry to which the donor extended the gesture.
Qualifying farms encompass 1,500 acres (rented or owned) or less and have minor children being raised on the farm who are included in the dayto-day operations (at an appropriate age level, of course!).
The grant recipients are Mike, Alycia,
Marshall and Abby Firkus of Firkus Farms, in Stevens Point, and Evelyn, Robert and R.J. Parilek of Parilek Farms, Antigo. The grants are a way of saying “Thank You, Farmers!” for their tireless efforts.
The Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association (WPVGA) was pleased to help facilitate these grants.
SUPPORT YOUR FELLOW WPVGA MEMBERS
When you need goods or services, please consider asking our Associate Division Members for quotes or explore what they have to offer. Together, we make a strong organization and appreciate how wonderful we are as a group.
Left: Receiving one of two $5,000 Appreciation Grants are, from left to right, Evelyn, Robert and R.J. Parilek of Parilek Farms in Antigo, Wisconsin.
Above: A second $5,000 Appreciation Grant has been awarded to, from left to right, Abby, Alycia, Mike and Marshall Firkus.
Leo Walsh Passes Away
Former CALS dean and professor emeritus of soil science dies at 93
By UW-Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences
Leo Walsh, an emeritus professor of soil science at the University of Wisconsin (UW)-Madison who served as dean of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS) from 19791991, passed away on June 27, 2024. He was 93 years old.
Born and raised on his family’s farm in Moorland, Iowa, Walsh earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural education from Iowa State University. He received his master’s and doctoral degrees in soil science from UWMadison and joined the faculty in 1959.
He served as chair of the Department of Soil Science (now the Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences) from 1973-1979 before stepping into
the role of CALS dean. He served as dean until his retirement in 1991.
“Almost 30 years after he left the CALS deanship, Leo was among the first to welcome me to UWMadison,” says Glenda Gillaspy, the current dean of CALS. “The fact that he remained so engaged with the college, even after retirement, shows his deep connection to our mission and to UW students.”
“We continue to benefit from the innovative leadership decisions he made as dean, and we will miss his wisdom,” Gillaspy adds.
Walsh successfully led the college through tumultuous times. During his tenure as dean, U.S. agriculture
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underwent its worst financial stretch since the 1930s, and the college was sometimes a target of farmers’ frustrations.
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Leo Walsh January 16, 1931 – June 27, 2024
The period was also marked by heightened public and political concern for environmental protection, genetic engineering and the survival of rural communities. While facing major fiscal pressures and diminishing budgetary flexibility, Walsh navigated the college through these various challenges and kept it at the top of its game.
Walsh ushered in several new programs to help address the needs of the times, including the Center for Dairy Research, the Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems, the Farm Financial Analysis Program and the Wisconsin Rural Leadership Program.
Walsh also played a key role in the establishment and initial funding of the UW Biotechnology Center.
UNIVERSITY’S CROWN JEWEL
“He led the college through a very difficult period, yet the college remain[ed] one of the crown jewels of the university and Wisconsin,” said former UW-Madison Chancellor Donna E. Shalala, at the time of Walsh’s retirement. “That’s a testimony to his ability as a leader.”
With a deep commitment to agriculture at all levels, Walsh’s own research and extension work focused on soil fertility and management. He worked to improve soil testing methods, develop more accurate soil test recommendations for lime and fertilizer, and improve the utilization of manure and municipal wastes on cropland.
He conducted research on soil and water conservation efforts, evaluating conservation tillage systems in relation to fertilizer requirements.
Early in his career, Walsh got involved in international agricultural development work, serving as a consultant on projects in Egypt and Brazil.
While dean, he appointed the college’s first associate dean for international studies and nurtured the college’s international efforts on trips to China, France, Germany, Indonesia and Peru. Walsh was active in numerous
professional organizations and received many honors over the years. He was named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Society of Agronomy and the Soil Science Society of America. He received the Distinguished Service Award from the University of Wisconsin-Extension (now UWMadison Extension), and from the National Limestone Institute.
In his retirement, Walsh continued
CUSTOMIZED FINANCING
to advocate for the college, his discipline, and agriculture. In 2007, he received the college’s Distinguished Service Award, which recognizes meritorious service by faculty and staff members and is among the highest honors bestowed by CALS.
Walsh’s obituary is posted at https://www.ryanfuneralservice.com/ obituaries/leo-walsh/. His funeral was held on July 5, 2024, in Madison.
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Potatoes USA News
SpudLab Holds Steak & Potato Innovation Session
Potatoes USA team works with national restaurant group on four delicious dishes
The SpudLab team was active in July, preparing for a steak and potato innovation session with the head of culinary for a national restaurant group.
The team worked with culinary staff members to execute four dishes that helped provide ideas for shared appetizers and center-of-the-plate entrees that appealed to the brand’s core demographics.
These recipes look like they deserve a spot on the menu!
Shaking Beef Tacos on Potato
Scallion Pancakes
Flakey Potato-Scallion Pancakes, shown top left, are topped with garlic and chili stir-fried shaved beef, pickled daikon, carrots, and cucumber with umami mayonnaise, herb salad, and crispy potato straws.
Crispy Hash Brown Cakes with Saucy Umami Mami Beef
Crispy shredded potato cakes, shown top right, come topped with seared steak tossed in umami mayo, green onions, and Fresno chilies.
Saucy Fries
A loaded fry, shown bottom left, concept consists of beautifully golden and crispy French fries, brown gravy, tangy peri-peri sauce, cheese curds, spicy Toum garlic sauce, green onions, and hot honey whiskeyglazed beef filet bites.
The Big Black & Blue Potato Pizza
A golden mashed potato pizza concept, shown bottom right, showcases crumbly blue cheese, blackened beef filet slices, peppery arugula, and balsamic glaze.
New Products
Damu Improves Tuber Size
Cell Power® Damu™ from OMEX® helps potato plants use energy to bulk up the crop
Direction of carbohydrate flow is the strongest factor on potato tuber bulking late in the season. If plant leaves have too much nitrate (N) in them, bulking of tubers slows down, resulting in smaller potatoes and loss of yield.
Cell Power® Damu™ from OMEX® works by directing the flow of photosynthates in leaves towards roots, fruit and tubers. This helps the plant use its energy to bulk up the crop rather than force late season leaf growth.
The approach both safeguards quality and improves crop size
ahead of harvest.
A unique formulation of boron and molybdenum, Damu helps the plant focus on pushing carbohydrates from the leaves, forming complexes with boron to move sugars to increase bulking and yield.
Key Benefits:
• Better quality
• Improved bulking of root crops
• Higher marketable yield
• Increased fruit, pod and tuber size
Damu can be used at a low rate during the bulking period to maintain proper tuber development for
periods of rapid growth or at a higher rate ahead of harvest to bulk tubers. Damu is manufactured by Levity Crop Science. Find your local sales representative and learn more at https://omexusa.com/product/cellpower-damu/, or call 559-661-6138.
Tong Unveils Stinger Hopper
Tong Engineering, leading U.K. manufacturer of advanced vegetable handling equipment, is excited to introduce a new Stinger Hopper specifically engineered to meet the demands of the U.S. and Canadian markets.
This innovative new even flow hopper solution is designed to streamline the unloading of live-bottom trucks and semis for maximum efficiency and reliability.
“With our dedicated Tong USA division in Michigan, we’ve worked with many customers throughout the United States and Canada unloading crop with Stinger elevator solutions that feed our even flow hoppers,” says Charlie Rich, sales director at Tong Engineering.
“What we have developed now,” he adds, “is the ultimate Stinger Hopper, one fully integrated even flow machine with a built-in elevator,
resulting in a complete unloading solution that can receive crop direct from trucks.”
The new Stinger Hopper features a deep-flighted 6-foot-wide Stinger elevator at the infeed, which is hydraulically adjustable to suit the height of the unloading trailers for ultimate versatility.
“We’ve fitted the Stinger elevator with what we call a Droop Snoop. Like our popular box fillers, the end of the elevator lowers into to the hopper for the gentlest handling,” Rich explains.
“Both the Stinger and the hopper are fitted with sensors that automatically detect the level of crop in the hopper,” he continues, “keeping the Droop Snoop in optimum position as well as controlling the hopper speed according to the level of crop. This ensures there is always a constant flow of product onto the handling line.”
STINGER ELEVATOR
The new built-in Stinger elevator can be specified on any Tong even flow hopper, whether it’s unloading onto a static handling line or a mobile grading and sizing solution.
When added to a mobile even flow hopper, the Stinger elevator can be moved hydraulically into a transport position within seconds, making the machine quickly and easily transportable to its next destination.
Engineered to the highest manufacturing standards, the Tong Stinger Hopper is built on a heavyduty chassis for reliable performance and longevity in the most demanding environments.
Tong’s reinforced rubber hopper belts span the width of the hopper floor, giving more complete movement of the load, which keeps crop tumbling and scuffing to a minimum.
“The new Stinger Hopper from Tong really does transform our proven even flow hopper systems into the perfect, single machine for unloading live-bottom trucks and semis,” Rich says. “It brings significant time and labor savings; there’s no unnecessary set-up time getting separate elevators aligned with the hopper.”
“It’s one fine-tuned machine that delivers streamlined and gentle unloading while providing maximized throughput of up to 150 tons per hour,” he adds.
Initial sales of Tong’s new Stinger Hopper are scheduled for delivery to customers in the United States and Canada, but it will appeal worldwide to all vegetable producers using live-bottom trucks and semis for unloading crop onto handling lines.
For more information, contact Carole Metcalfe, marketing manager at Tong Engineering via phone 01790-752-771, or email carole@ tongengineering.com.
Hello,
WPVGA
Auxiliary News
By Dakotah Smiley, Vice President, WPGA
and
supporters. I’m thrilled to introduce the two newest members of the Wisconsin Potato Growers Auxiliary Board of Directors, Samantha Cypher and Jenna Suchon. Both Samantha and Jenna are beginning their first three-year terms on the Board, and they come with impressive histories of supporting our industry in various impactful ways.
Rather than detailing their numerous contributions and passionate backgrounds in agriculture, I’ll let them share their stories with you. Without further ado, here’s more about Samantha and Jenna.
SAMANTHA CYPHER
“Hello, team! My name is Samantha Cypher, and as of the June meeting, I am happy to serve as secretary and treasurer on the Auxiliary Board this next year. For those of you who have not met me, I am originally from Idaho Falls, Idaho, and attended the University of Idaho. There, I studied public relations and
international business.
“In 2013, I moved to Wisconsin and worked in communications for DAAR Engineering and for the Department of Transportation until 2015. In July 2015, I moved to Stevens Point and began my career with RPE, Inc. as an editorial and publicity specialist. Over the course of my nine years with RPE, I have gained valuable experience and now serve as an account manager for national retail accounts.
“I’ve had the privilege of participating in several Auxiliary events, such as with the Kids Dig Wisconsin Potatoes program and
in the baked potato and French fry booth at the State Fair, so I am looking forward to getting more involved and being an active member of the Board.”
JENNA SUCHON
“Hey there! I am Jenna Suchon, another brand-new member of the Auxiliary. Many of you may find my face familiar from Eagle River Seed Farm, Bushman’s Riverside Ranch, or various industry events, but for those who don’t know me, here is my formal introduction!
“I grew up in Eagle River. My parents worked for the seed farm there during my childhood, and our family bred and raised Hereford beef cattle and meat chickens at Grandma and Grandpa’s farm.
“Many of my favorite memories take place on that farm surrounded by animals, as well as at Eagle River Seed Farm where my mom would take me for photo shoots in the potato blossoms or plop my car seat down in the tractor cab to let me ride along.
Samantha Cypher
“In high school, I started my employment with Eagle River Seed Farm and was there intermittently throughout high school, college, and the time after college. Now, I live in Crivitz with my husband, Jared, and we both work with his family for Bushman’s Riverside Ranch.
“I’ve always been on the more laborintensive side of agriculture, working as a general laborer everywhere I’ve been employed. I enjoy everything from grading potatoes to operating equipment.
“In between college and my most recent employment with Eagle River Seed Farm, I’ve worked for a few different equine operations where I did everything from shoveling manure to riding and training. My favorite job in the equine field was working for Rafter D Mules, who, as the name suggests, only dealt with mules [which are the superior equine animal if you ask me].
“Working outside of the potato industry really broadened my knowledge of other agricultural careers. Now that I’ve settled back into the ‘home’ that is potato farming, Jared and I have quenched my thirst for animal husbandry with a small hobby farm consisting of a cat, dog, a few exotic pets, laying hens, and goats.
“Serving on the Auxiliary Board is my first board seat for any organization. It is an honor, and I’m excited to see where it takes me.”
Welcome aboard, Samantha and Jenna.
All for now,
Dakotah
Here for Growing Your Farm or Agribusiness
Jenna Suchon
Star Trek of Potatoes
Can
a
high-tech farm help French fries
“live long and prosper?”
By Dominic Rushe,
reprinted from The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com
Photos by Adetona Omakanye, The Guardian
Against a backdrop of blue skies and autumn leaves that would make an Instagram filter blush, a group of agricultural postgraduate students at a New Brunswick farm are tinkering with technology they hope will one day help solve an existential crisis: how to save the world’s potatoes.
The Canadian farm in Florenceville is owned by the McCain family, heirs to a 65-year-old frozen food business that is now the largest manufacturer of frozen potato products in the world and supplies restaurant giants, including McDonald’s. The company claims one in every four French fries
in the world is a McCain fry.
But like an increasing number of people in the food and agricultural sector, McCain Foods executives worry what the changing of the world’s weather means for their business and the future of the planet.
Max Koeune, a multilingual Luxembourger who is McCain’s chief executive officer (CEO) and president, has a global view of just how quickly climate change is affecting the world. McCain sources its potatoes from about 3,500 farmers worldwide, from smallholders to giant corporate farms, and is updated daily on how the climate is changing.
“When I joined, we had a bad crop every 10 years that was ‘historical’— you wouldn’t know when it was coming. For the last 10 years, there’s been a bad crop somewhere every year,” Koeune says.
Above: Workers sort potatoes at a McCain Foods “Farm of the Future” in Florenceville, Canada. Image courtesy of Adetona Omokanye, The Guardian Left: A machine separates rock and debris from potatoes.
The New Brunswick “Farm of the Future” is one of a series of laboratories the company plans to roll out across the world as it tests what practices are best suited to saving potatoes, while cutting the company’s carbon emissions.
McCain has committed to implementing regenerative agricultural practices across all its potato acreage worldwide by the end of 2030.
The varying geographies will allow McCain to assess different environments. New Brunswick has a short growing season and frigid winters.
In South Africa, where another farm is being set up, potatoes grow yearround, but water scarcity is more of an issue than in (historically) rainy Canada.
WATER ISSUES
Not that water isn’t a problem in Canada, too. Crops there were
“Potatoes like a temperate climate. They shiver when they are too cold, and they sweat when they’re too hot. That’s all energy needed for them to grow.”
– Max Koeune, McCain Foods CEO and president
hit by floods in 2018 and 2019. A heat dome brought record high temperatures to Canada and large parts of the United States in 2021.
Droughts in Europe and the United Kingdom have also hurt potato yields, driving them down by double digits.
“We can no longer use the past to work out what’s going to happen with our business,” Koeune states.
With populations growing and
temperatures rising, shifting to a more sustainable future in agriculture is essential.
According to a 2018 analysis of the food system’s impact on the environment published in Nature, if the systems we use now don’t change, the environmental effects of the food system could increase by 50-90% by 2050.
Star Trek of Potatoes . . .
continued from pg. 65
You should think of the potato as if it’s a human being, says Koeune.
“Potatoes like a temperate climate. They shiver when they are too cold, and they sweat when they’re too hot. That’s all energy needed for them to grow,” he notes.
“What’s happening impacts us as growers, as people, and as a company. We need to think about this differently,” Koeune says.
The model farm feels a little like Star Trek for potatoes: an international, multicultural crew armed with laptops, sensors and drones boldly going where no potato farmer has gone before.
A team of postgrads from Dalhousie University is working on a cropspraying rig that uses artificial intelligence to identify bugs and weeds that can harm the crop. Instead of spraying the whole field, pattern-recognition systems spot unwanted invaders and direct nozzles to target them. It takes just 200 milliseconds to identify a beetle and spray it.
CUTTING INSECTICIDE USE
Humphrey Maambo, a Ph.D. student, excitedly waves a small blue flag representing a bug under a nozzle
to show how it works. Spritz! The flag is dead. He calculates the spray rig could cut insecticide use by 50-80% and says it could easily be retrofitted to existing machines.
On a potato sorter, or the “autonomous vision tuber grading machine,” sensors scan potatoes as they enter a storage shed. Red, green and blue lumps appear on a screen.
The machine scans for gravity and density, important for fry quality and problems like hollow heart, when cavities form in a tuber.
Traditionally, farmers have manually sampled a small number of potatoes from a field to ascertain quality. This
new system, though, assesses seven out of every 200 potatoes, giving much more data to identify problems and even trace them back to where they arose.
Another unit reads gamma rays to draw up a physical and chemical map of the field. McCain scientists are also using DNA sampling to quantify the biodiversity of their plots, drones to see how the crop is growing close-up, and satellite imagery to capture the bigger picture.
Not all the initiatives are hi-tech, and Yves Leclerc, McCain Foods director of agronomy, North America, thinks we are too obsessed with the toys. “It’s all about the soil. It’s the soil that matters,” he says earnestly, scampering off into the field to pull out plants and handfuls of soil.
The farm is trialing initiatives to reduce tilling, which enables the soil to retain more organic matter. Cover crops have been planted to protect the field once the potatoes have been harvested. Last year, the team planted 28 different varieties.
It is an old practice in which plants provide nutrients for the soil and protect against pests. Millet, for
Above: Max Koeune is the president and chief executive officer of McCain Foods.
Left: Potatoes are harvested at the Florenceville farm.
example, helps to protect against nematode worms.
This year, Leclerc worries they have planted too much buckwheat and orchard grass. “We are dealing with a complex system. It’s not a simple recipe,” he says. “All things evolve.”
The cover crops also help the soil
retain water. “Holding water in the soil is the best way to overcome increasing temperatures,” says Dr. Manphool Fageria, senior scientist and manager of the Farm of the Future. “In 2020, growers lost 35% of their yields here because it was so dry.”
COVER CROPS
Cover crops cost more, in terms of labor as well as seeds. But they are cheaper than the long-term alternative, soil erosion, says Fageria. And in a neat synthesis of old and new, all the data farmers are now able to collect can pinpoint which
Your family. Your future. Your legacy & livelihood. They matter to us, too.
For nearly a century, it’s been our mission to protect and rebuild families, farms and businesses across Wisconsin. We’re here for you.
Left: Research student Rachel Lewis collects soil samples.
RIght: This is the screen of the autonomous vision tuber grading machine.
Star Trek of Potatoes . . .
continued from pg. 67
cover crops best help them increase their yields.
McCain Foods is hoping its experiments will encourage others to follow suit. Almost all of the world’s food is grown in the uppermost layer of soil, but half of the planet’s most productive soil has disappeared in the last 150 years.
In another field, an older method of farming is being tested. A herd of cows, borrowed from a neighboring farm, graze and lazily moo, crop the vegetation and unload manure.
Fageria shows how the herd is moved around the field with remotecontrolled mobile fencing. Fences are expensive and Fageria is considering switching to electronic collars that would keep the cows within defined GPS coordinates.
The cows seem very comfortable with Fageria, perhaps because he is a vegan or perhaps because he grew up on a farm in Rajasthan, India, herding camels, goats and sheep.
“We have decoupled the animals from plant production. In that system, manure becomes a problem. In this one, it’s a solution,” he says.
The enthusiasm is palpable, but how might this come across to farmers
struggling with soaring inflation and climate change?
This project will not matter if farmers don’t buy into the change, Koeune admits. “Farmers are not interested in concepts. It needs to be tangible. We need to do it, show that it works and prove that it’s economically viable,” he says. “Farmers believe what they see.”
It’s only year two, but yields at the New Brunswick farm appear to be rising. And the rising power and falling costs of computers mean the
technology that the McCain team is experimenting with could be within reach of many farmers.
SUSTAINABLE AG
Koeune says McCain alone cannot change the world. McCain and other big companies, including Mars and PepsiCo, released a report arguing that the amount of sustainable agriculture needs to triple in size by 2030.
Above: Workers separate potatoes from rocks and other debris.
Cows are being used to test whether they can restore and maintain soil health.
Dr. Manphool Fageria, senior scientist at the farm, says a diverse variety of crops, grasses, brassicas and legumes are used to improve soil health.
In France, McCain has partnered with Crédit Agricole to extend loans to farmers who invest in sustainable agriculture. McCain picks up the interest charges while the farmers repay the capital.
It is a deal that might make publicly owned ag companies wince, but “as a family-owned company, McCain thinks in generations,” Koeune says. “There’s no good business for us if there isn’t a healthy agricultural community.”
McCain’s measures look promising, says Andrew Challinor, professor of climate impacts and a crop modeler at the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom. “Trialing new approaches and measuring success is a sensible first step before going to scale.”
“There is going to be a lot of skepticism,” Koeune admits. Mindful of the greenwashing that has undone so many other “sustainable”
initiatives, McCain says it will regularly publish its findings and be as transparent as possible as it tries to win people over.
Above: McCain hopes to encourage other farmers to adopt more sustainable agricultural practices.
People shouldn’t underestimate the reluctance of the agricultural sector to change, Koeune says. "But the cost of not changing is being demonstrated on a daily basis. It’s relentless.”
WISCONSIN CERTIFIED SEED POTATOES
WISCONSIN CERTIFIED SEED POTATOES
WISCONSIN CERTIFIED SEED POTATOES
Badger Beat
PVY Resistance in Potato Varieties
Breeders have access to three different “extreme” resistance genes for Potato Virus Y
By Jeff Endelman, professor, University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Plant & Agroecosystem Science
Potato virus Y (PVY) is one of the most prevalent and impactful viral diseases in potato. It can reduce yields and cause post-harvest losses due to tuber necrosis and reduced storage quality.
PVY is transmitted by several aphid species, and 2023 was a particularly difficult year in Wisconsin due to the resurgence of green peach aphid, a colonizing species that spreads the disease quickly.
Fifteen percent of the Wisconsin seed lots were downgraded from foundation to certified seed because
they exceeded the 0.5% threshold for mosaic virus, and 5% of the seed lots did not meet the 5% threshold for certified seed.
Given the prevalence of PVY, multiple strategies are needed to reduce its impact on the potato industry, and breeding is part of the solution. Potato breeders have access to three
W17AF6670-1 is one of two UW-Madison chip varieties with the Ryadg gene selected to compete in the 2024 SNAC trial, which is the most elite public trial for the chip market. Photo courtesy of Becky Eddy, UW-Madison
different “extreme” resistance genes for PVY (Table 1), which appear to be effective against all known strains of the virus.
The first gene in Table 1, Rysto, derives from the wild species S. stoloniferum. This gene has been widely used by potato breeders in Central and Eastern Europe and can be found in Ciklamen, which was originally bred in Hungary and is now the second most widely grown red-skin variety in the United States.
Among U.S. breeding programs, the Tri-State Program has made great strides at incorporating Rysto into elite russet potatoes, such as the Payette and Castle Russet varieties. At UW-Madison, Rysto has been used in both the russet and red potato breeding programs.
One new potato variety containing Rysto, W6511-1R, was just registered in Canada (Figure 1). Its mother is the Hungarian variety Kankan, which is a sibling of Ciklamen.
Genetic markers for Rysto have existed since 2008, and in 2020 the gene was isolated and sequenced. A major limitation of Rysto for breeders is that when the gene was introduced from S. stoloniferum to cultivated potato, a mitochondrial gene causing male sterility was also introduced. The more breeders select for Rysto, the fewer options there are for male parents, so it is not a long-term solution.
The second gene in Table 1, Ryadg, derives from the Andigenum group of S. tuberosum, which has been cultivated in modern-day Bolivia and Peru for millennia. Beginning in the 1960’s, the Cornell breeding program made a concerted effort to introduce new traits from Andigenum varieties, including PVY resistance.
In 2001, Ryadg protection became commercially available with the release of Eva, a chip processing variety. Cornell germplasm has been heavily used by other breeding programs as a source of Ryadg and for its resistance to cold-induced sweetening.
W6511-1R is a UW-Madison red variety with the Rysto gene. Photo courtesy of Antoine Bédard, UW-Madison
TWO UW VARIETIES
Two UW varieties with Ryadg were selected to compete in the 2024 SNAC trial, which is the most elite public trial for the chip market. Genetic markers for Ryadg have been available since 2000, but the exact gene remains unknown.
The third PVY resistance gene in Table 1, Rychc, derives from the wild species S. chacoense, which has been used by several breeding programs to introduce novel traits. The presence of the gene was first inferred in Japan in 2001, and genetic markers were developed soon thereafter.
During an exploratory screening of russet germplasm by the TriState Breeding Program, in 2019, several clones tested positive for the Rychc genetic marker. The common ancestor and inferred donor of Rychc was a Polish clone (DG91-32) obtained in 1997 to breed for late blight resistance.
A descendant of this lineage, named
Name Origin
Chromosome Varieties
Rysto S. stoloniferum 12 Ciklamen, Payette Russet, Castle Russet, W6511-1R
Ryadg S. tuberosum Group Andigenum 11 Eva, Lady Liberty, Mackinaw
Rychc S. chacoense 9
Table 1: PVY Extreme Resistance Genes
AW07791-2rus, made its way to UWMadison in 2010 as an unselected seedling tuber and advanced as far as the National Fry Processing Trial before it was discarded due to purple pigmentation in the tuber vasculature in some environments.
AW07791-2rus produced abundant pollen and was heavily used in our crossing program for several years, without knowledge that it carried Rychc. As a result, the Rychc gene is common in the current UW russet germplasm. In 2022, the Rychc gene was isolated and sequenced, which allowed us to develop and apply a new genetic marker in 2023.
CONCLUSION
I was recently asked at a field day when growers will have access to more PVY resistant varieties. This is a top priority for breeding programs across the country, but progress has been slow because of the tetraploid genetics of potato and the large number of traits required for commercial success.
Recent advances in genetic marker technologies should accelerate breeding progress at the tetraploid level. We are also making great strides with a new breeding system based on diploid potato, which I will discuss more in a future column.
NPC News
Potato LEAF Accepting Leadership Institute Applications
2025 program will begin in Wisconsin and conclude in Washington, D.C.
The Potato Leadership, Education, and Advancement Foundation (Potato LEAF) is currently accepting applications for the 2025 Leadership Institute, February 19-28, 2025. The Leadership Institute provides tools to help growers and industry members develop as leaders and motivate them to commit their time and energy to the betterment of the U.S. potato industry.
The 10-day program provides an overview of the U.S. potato industry, challenges and issues beyond the production sector, and roles of the industry’s state and national organizations in maintaining a positive business climate for potato growers.
The 2025 program will begin in Wisconsin with leadership training and industry tours and conclude in Washington, D.C., where the class will participate in the National Potato Council’s Washington Summit.
Beyond the 10-day program in Wisconsin and Washington, D.C.,
the Leadership Institute has been expanded to include a capstone project. The capstone will require classmates to participate in a virtual session (June 2025) and complete a team project to be presented virtually to the Potato LEAF Board of Directors (August 2025).
The top project team(s) will be invited to present their project(s) during the Potato Expo 2026 at the Gaylord Texan in January 2026.
Tyler Maughan with Hardy Farms in Oakley, Idaho, and a 2024 participant summarized his experience by stating, “The Leadership Institute is a great aid in helping all generations
in the potato industry, young and old, to obtain some of the tools needed to become strong advocates for the industry. Everyone in our industry would benefit from the program no matter their status within it.”
The participant application and additional information can be found by visiting https://pleaf.org/ leadership-institute-1.
All applications must be submitted electronically by Friday, October 18, 2024. Participants will be selected and notified by November 15, 2024.
Wisconsin Potato Assessment Collections: Two-Year Comparison
DISHING IT UP WITH DANA
Potato Muffins & Parfaits
Make for Sweet Treats
Unconventional recipes incorporating Wisconsin potatoes are both healthy and delicious
Column and photos by Dana Rady, Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association
Why try to blend in when you were born to stand out? Unconventional— a unique word in and of itself that is defined as “not based on or conforming to what is generally done or believed.” “Unconventional” can leave you uncomfortable or scrunching up your nose in disbelief. It can also make you raise your eyebrows in curiosity or even give you goosebumps.
I took on the curiosity perspective when deciding which dish(es) to feature this month. And I’m pleased to say that my intuition was right on in giving these two beautiful recipes a try.
This month, I’ll take you on a journey from a healthy snack to an indulgent treat, all using the versatile yet quite humble Wisconsin potato. Because life is all about balance.
I have wanted to try “Carrot Cake Potato Performance Muffins” for quite some time. I mean, do “sweet carrot cake” and “potatoes” even make sense together? One word: unconventional, and the answer is absolutely!
Two hearty vegetables combined with plump raisins, crunchy nuts, spices and subtle sweetness from coconut sugar and bananas makes this the
perfect snack or breakfast on the go. And especially as your kids go back to school like mine, this is a great healthy option to keep in your freezer for whenever you need it. Give it a try! This may become your new “go to.”
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Put potato, carrots, banana and eggs into a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth.
Pour into a bowl and mix in the remaining ingredients until just combined. Fold in nuts and raisins if desired.
Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners and evenly pour batter into nine of the cups.
continued on pg. 74
INGREDIENTS:
Carrot Cake Potato Performance Muffins
• 1 cup baked russet potato with skin, cooled
• ½ cup cooked carrots sliced
• 1 banana peeled
• 3 eggs
• ¼ cup coconut flour
• ¼ cup coconut sugar
• 2 Tbsp. coconut oil melted
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• ½ tsp. nutmeg
• ¼ tsp. cloves
• 1 pinch sea salt
• ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
• ½ cup golden raisins (optional)
Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Let the muffins cool completely before eating. Extra muffins can be stored in the refrigerator for up to five days or in a freezer for up to three months. Thaw frozen muffins in fridge for a few hours before eating.
CRISPY POTATO PARFAIT
Now, if there was ever a doubt about the versatility of Wisconsin potatoes, it would certainly be put to rest in an instant after this next recipe.
The Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association consumer site, www.eatwisconsinpotatoes.com, has a new feature using Artificial Intelligence (AI) on the recipe page. It’s called “AI Recipe Generator” under the “recipes” tab and can generate a lot of fun!
One day, I thought I’d try it out. So, I typed in “potato dessert with less than 10 ingredients.” The next thing I know, I was looking at a recipe for a “Crispy Potato Parfait.”
I mean, seriously. Potatoes and homemade whipped cream? One word: unconventional. But I was so intrigued that I thought I’d give it a try. Then I really went out on a limb and decided to feature it on one of my TV spots.
I always leave any featured dish with the TV station staff, and I can honestly say that the breakroom has never been as full as it was after serving up this parfait. So many employees came in and said, “Everyone’s asking what’s going on in the breakroom and saying we have to come check it out!”
The remaining parfaits I was dishing up to leave behind were disappearing faster than I could prepare them. The best thing about this recipe, too, outside of its deliciousness, is that you can do so much with it. Don’t like whipped cream? Use Greek vanilla yogurt. Want something cool on a hot summer day? Replace the whipped cream with vanilla ice cream. Don’t have time to make the
homemade “potato chips?” Crunch up some chips from a bag in your pantry. They’ll offer a salty crunch whereas the homemade “potato chips” may offer a chewier texture.
Indulgent and sweet? Yes! Crazy unique? Absolutely! Thinking about all the amazing ways you can use Wisconsin potatoes outside of a side dish? I sure hope so!
Whichever way you choose to make this recipe (and I hope you do take time to try it), I also hope you give the “AI Recipe Generator” a try. You just may find something “unconventional” to bring to your next cooking experience.
INGREDIENTS: Crispy Potato Parfait
• 2 large potatoes
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup Nutella
• 1/4 cup almond butter
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Thinly slice potatoes. Toss potatoes in sugar. Bake for 20 minutes until crispy. In a bowl, whip cream with vanilla extract until stiff
Repeat
Above: As evident by their faces, Griffin (left) and Easton (right) are ready and willing to indulge in a Crispy Potato Parfait.
BROUGHT TO YOU BY:
POTATO EXPO
JANUARY 9-10, 2025
ORLANDO
