08.2015 \\ PORTAGE COUNTY, WISCONSIN
Ag Tour 2015 is set for Tuesday, September 15th
upcoming EVENTS \\
from 11:45am to 4:30pm. Planned by the Agri-Business Committee of the Portage County Business Council, you and your business associates are invited to attend. The event includes 3 tour stops, bus transportation, a picnic lunch, guest speaker, socializing, and education.
SMALL BUSINESS X-CHANGE Wednesday, August 12, 2015 \\ 7:30 - 8:30 A.M. Portage County Business Council | Foundation Room 5501 Vern Holmes Dr | Stevens Point, WI 54482
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BUSINESS AFTER HOURS Monday, August 17, 2015 \\ 5:00 P.M. - 7:00 P.M. Thrivent Financial 3233B Business Park Drive | Stevens Point, WI 54482
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NEW BUSINESS TAX SEMINAR Tuesday, August 18, 2015 \\ 8:00 A.M. -11:00 A.M. Portage County Business Council | Foundation Room 5501 Vern Holmes Dr | Stevens Point, WI 54482
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The theme for this year’s event is “You Say Potato…”. The event begins with a picnic lunch featuring grilled hamburgers, brats, potato salad, calico beans, chips, dessert, and more. During lunch we will hear from Guest Speaker – Dick Okray, President of Okray Family Farms. Dick’s presentation is entitled “History of Potato Farming in Portage County”. After lunch, we will head to Hamerski Farms, Plover, WI, where owner Don Hamerski will lead the group. The farm raises 1,000 acres of potatoes for the fresh market, along with 1,300 acres of sweet corn, snap beans and field corn. Don readily embraces change, and is constantly looking to improve his farming operation with the latest, state-of-the-art technology and equipment. His irrigation systems are all operated remotely with control panels at the farm’s headquarters. His packaging shed utilizes a Lectro-Tek automatic sizer and an x-ray machine for hollow heart detection. Hamerski Farms was the first farm in the Midwest to use the Fuji Ace robotic palletizer, which can handle as much as 20 bags per minute and can lift up to 400 pounds. They also became the first potato farm in the US to use an electronic grader for russet potatoes, and the farm added the country’s first ozone generator with a water injection system. Attendees at our Ag Tour event will see this high-speed, technologically advanced robot, the many automated advancements to the farm including balers, baggers, graders, sizers, and view their process of potatoes from trucking, to packaging, and to the end result of shipping to the store. Another part of the event will be touring Great Northern Distilling. Great Northern Distilling is central Wisconsin’s first and only craft distillery making spirits from raw ingredients sourced from within 150 miles of their location in Plover. The tour will feature all aspects of production including recipes, mash cooking, fermentation, distilling, barrel aging and bottling. Products include their Potato Vodka, Herbalist Gin, Vanguard Whiskey and Opportunity Rum. Attendees will have the opportunity to take a seat at their mixology bar after the tour to enjoy one of their signature craft cocktails (NA is also available). Additional tour details to come. Registration is now open. Register soon as space is limited. Casual attire please! Cost is only $21 person. Click here to register and for further details about the event. For questions contact Karen Schanock at 715-344-1940 or kschanoc@portagecountybiz.com.
Tuesday, September 15, 2015 Agenda 11:45 am: Bus pickup at Great Northern Distilling, 1740 Park Avenue, Plover (PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL VEHICLES MUST PARK AT GREAT NORTHERN DISTILLING) 12:00 pm: 1:15 pm: 2:15 pm: 3:15 pm: 4:30 pm:
Picnic lunch and guest speaker at WPS Corporation Arrive at Hamerski Farms Arrive at TBA Arrive at Great Northern Distilling Event ends
Special thanks to our Presenting Sponsors: Guest Speaker - Dick Okray President, Okray Family Farms