1605

Badger Common’Tater

May 2016

THE VOICE OF WISCONSIN'S POTATO & VEGETABLE INDUSTRY

Vegetable

Crop Reports

Volume 68 Number 5 $18.00/year $1.50/copy

Main Feature: Horseradish ‘Kings of the World!”

BADGER BEAT Nitrogen Supply from Soil & Irrigation FARM SAFETY Dangers in the Agricultural World preplanning Avoid Retirement Crisis

Ken Traaseth, Vice President of Agribusiness, Huntsinger Farms, holding some horseradish roots.

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Badger Common'Tater

On the Front Cover: Ken Traaseth, Vice President of Agribusiness, Huntsinger Farms, holds up some horseradish roots, the operation's main crop.

8 ho rseradish 'kings of the world'

Silver Spring Foods & Huntsinger Farms.

Shown here, Ken Traaseth and his crew prepare to harvest some horseradish roots.

Departments: ALI’S KITCHEN................... 69 AUXILIARY NEWS.............. 68 EYES ON ASSOCIATES....... 64

22 VEGETABLE CROP REPORTS Wisconsin Ranked 2nd in Processing Vegetables!

18

32

BADGER BEAT

farm safety

Nitrogen supply from Soil & Irrigation in Central WI

Frank discussion on the dangers involved in working in the Agricultural industry.

GROUNDED ........................ 6 MARK YOUR CALENDAR..... 6 MARKETPLACE.................. 66 NEW PRODUCTS............... 52 NOW NEWS...................... 44 NPC NEWS........................ 58

Feature Articles:

34 WHY A SCIENTIST Chooses Conventional Over Organic Foods 38 PREPLAN & Avoid Retirement Crisis

42 WHAT THE HECK Is Propane Autogas?

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PEOPLE ............................ 50 POTATOES USA NEWS...... 49 SEED PIECE........................ 62 WPIB FOCUS .................... 61

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Antigo, WI • 715-627-4321 | Plover, WI • 715-341-3445 | 800-236-2436 | info@jay-mar.com WPVGA Board of Directors: President: Mark Finnessy Vice President: Eric Schroeder Secretary: Gary Wysocki Treasurer: Josh Mattek Directors: Steve Diercks, Rod Gumz,Ron Krueger, Wes Meddaugh & Andy Wallendal Wisconsin Potato Industry Board: President: Heidi Alsum-Randall Vice President: Richard Okray Secretary: Bill Wysocki Treasurer: Keith Wolter Directors: John Bobek, Cliff Gagas, John T. Schroeder, Tom Wild and Dennis Zeloski WPVGA Associate Division Board of Directors: President: Wayne Solinsky Vice President: Zach Mykisen

Secretary: Cathy Schommer Treasurer: Casey Kedrowski Directors: Dale Bowe, Nick Laudenbach, Sally Suprise & Joel Zalewski Wisconsin Seed Potato Improvement Association Board of Directors: President: Eric Schroeder Vice President: Bill Guenthner Secretary/Treasurer: Jeff Fassbender Directors: Dan Kakes & Charlie Mattek

WPVGA Staff Executive Director: Tamas Houlihan Managing Editor: Joe Kertzman Director of Promotions & Consumer Education: Dana Rady Financial Officer: Karen Rasmussen Executive Assistant: Julie Braun Program Assistant: Danielle Sorano Coordinator of Community Relations: Jim Zdroik

Wisconsin Potato Growers Auxiliary Board of Directors: President: Paula Houlihan Vice President: Lynn Isherwood Secretary/Treasurer: Gabrielle Okray Eck Directors: Kathy Bartsch, Deniell Bula, Patty Hafner & Sheila Rine

WPVGA Office (715) 623-7683 • FAX: (715) 623-3176 E-mail Address: wpvga@wisconsinpotatoes.com Website: www.wisconsinpotatoes.com Like Us On Facebook: www.facebook.com/WPVGA

Mission Statement of the WPVGA: “To assist WPVGA members to be successful through education, information, environmentally sound research, promotion, governmental action, and involvement.”

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

Badger Common’Tater is published monthly at 700 Fifth Avenue, Antigo, Wisconsin 54409 Subscription rates: $1.50/copy, $18.00/year; $30/2 years. Foreign; $30/year; $50/2 years.

Telephone: (715) 623-7683. Mailing address: P.O. Box 327, Antigo, Wisconsin 54409.

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

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July

9 PARDEEVILLE TRIATHLON

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Hyatt Centric Park City

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Hancock, WI 30 ALMOND TATER TOOT

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Photo by Jim Faivre

Science has always been a passion of mine. So, when I visited the

Silver Springs processing plant for my horseradish feature story this issue and donned the gear you have to wear inside the plant, I was in heaven. Surely, now I was a scientist!

All kidding aside, I really enjoyed writing about the world’s largest grower and processor of horseradish, right here in Wisconsin!

Our state is home to so many commercial crops, not just potatoes but vegetables like green beans and peas, sweet corn, carrots, onions, celery (yes, celery), beets, garlic, all kinds of fresh produce and more!

Over the last few years, through Faivre Implement’s Neighbors magazine, then my own Journey through Wisconsin and now Badger Common’Tater, I have written about many of these crops and other agricultural issues.

However, that glorious ride is now nearing an end as I set aside my journalistic passions and segue way into full-time retirement.

I could not have asked for a better vehicle than Badger Common’Tater for my last hurrah. I am so happy I had the opportunity to cover the unique world that WPVGA grower and associate members inhabit.

In this, my final column and last issue, I advise all of you to take the time to “smell the roses.”

Time flies by so fast and it seems like just yesterday that I was a staff writer interning for the Ames Tribune while still a college student at my alma mater, Iowa State University. Now, I am at the end of my career rather than the beginning, a life event no one can avoid.

The other thought I leave you with is that the Ag world is second to none. Do not let anyone convince you otherwise.

Growers need not apologize. You are indeed the ‘good stewards of the earth’. You have adapted time after time and gone the extra mile.

Best wishes to you all. I am sure you will triumph over whatever obstacles life throws you, just as the generations before you did.

Happy trails to you!

Ruth Faivre

Managing Editor rfaivre@wisconsinpotatoes.com

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HORSERADISH

KINGS OF THE WORLD Silver Spring Foods & Huntsinger Farms Article and Photos By Ruth Faivre, Managing Editor

8

BC�T May

Green Bay Packers’ games go hand in hand with beer and brats served up with horseradish and mustard but did you know those tasty condiments originate here in Wisconsin?

Right in the heart of our wonderful state, lies Silver Spring Foods, based in Eau Claire, WI, an 87-year-old company, which is the world’s largest grower and processor of horseradish and one of the nation’s fastest-growing specialty mustard brands.

DIVERSIFICATION Silver Spring Foods expertise in processing extends far beyond just their own branded horseradish and mustards.

The company’s exceptional facility and highly regarded processing skills attracted the attention of other condiment manufacturers who grew to depend on Silver Spring’s versatile, flexible co-packing capabilities and their proficiencies in producing excellent product quality and taste at affordable prices.

Silver Spring now creates awardwinning formulas for their own brands as well as other private label cooked and cold processed products that include refrigerated and shelf-stable horseradish, specialty mustards, dipping sauces, mayonnaise, aioli, salad dressings, marinades, Asian barbecue sauces and seafood sauces.

Horseradish is also used in dips, spreads, hummus, relishes, dressings and even as flavoring in many Wisconsin cheeses.

According to the company, the condiment category has been quickly evolving over the years.

As the demographic makeup of the U.S. changed and consumers developed increased awareness of the importance of healthy living, Silver Spring saw a large demand for more ethnic flavors and healthful flavor enhancers.

Some of their private label sauces include Parmesan Garlic Wing Sauce and Sweet Thai Chili Wing Sauce.

Another ‘hot’ growth segment for them is retail specialty mustards and sauces.

BACK TO THE “ROOTS” When Ellis Huntsinger lost his job as a salesperson in 1929, at the beginning of the depression, he decided to put in a half acre crop of horseradish on his small farm near Eau Claire, never dreaming that the company resulting from that half acre crop would become “the horseradish kings of the world.”

In the early days, Ellis prepared and bottled his horseradish crop by hand

Opposite Page: Ken Traaseth, Vice President of Agribusiness at Huntsinger Farms, holds up a horseradish plant he dug out of the ground.

Roots can reach up to 30 inches long. Photo

by Rick Hafner Top: A side view of the Gallenberg Potato harvester, specially modified by the Huntsinger operation, to harvest their horseradish. The average yield per acre is about three to four tons.

RIght: Planting horseradish is a labor-intensive job, feeding the sets one-by-one into feeder tubes, for each row. Photo by Ken Traaseth

in an old milk shed behind his house and sold it locally to help augment his income during Wisconsin’s long, cold, winter months.

From the beginning, Huntsinger was a pioneer in the development of the horseradish industry. According to historical articles, Huntsinger claimed, “So little is known of horseradish root that we serve as pioneers in everything we do.” continued on pg. 10 BC�T May

9

Horseradish. . . continued from pg. 9

Huntsinger worked closely with the University of Wisconsin College of Agriculture to develop roots and credited the UW scientists and researchers with much of his own achievements.

Because of their research, several new types of horseradish plants were developed. Huntsinger credits much of the quality of his horseradish to the Wisconsin climate. Wisconsin winters give the roots vigor and strength and impart to the plants the sharp taste that makes a better root and horseradish.

In 1937, wanting to expand, Huntsinger found the exact land he needed with the perfect deep, rich soil, ideal for growing horseradish, located on State Highway 37 near the famous “Silver Spring.”

to retain its sharp flavor.

Fortunately, Ellis discovered that the addition of fresh, sweet dairy cream helped further enhance the flavor, heat and longevity of prepared horseradish. This breakthrough helped him expand his horseradish sales to markets throughout the United States.

Ellis continued to acquire land, which he primarily planted to horseradish.

He then processed, bottled and sold the prepared horseradish to nearly every state in the nation. Eventually, Silver Spring bottled five kinds of horseradish: creamed style (biggest seller), mustard and horseradish relish for hot dogs, cocktail sauce, beet/horseradish mixture and plain horseradish.

The farm consisted of 300 acres of Chippewa River bottomland, a good house and farm buildings. He named his farm “Silver Spring Garden” after the spring.

Later, Ellis Huntsinger brought his son, Eugene and his son-in-law, Edwin (Ed) Bartusch, into the operation and formed the corporation that is today, the nation’s largest grower and processor of horseradish.

Prepared horseradish is traditionally ground and mixed with vinegar as a natural preservative since the fresh root, once washed and grated, would otherwise soon turn dark and lose its characteristic bite. Refrigeration is also necessary in order to keep prepared horseradish white and

The three family members developed test plots and worked with plant specialists to solve the problem of new growth and hybridization for growers. Together with their UW experts, they succeeded in getting fertile seed from plants, a project in which others failed. Some of the UW

10 BC�T May

Left: The horseradish roots travel up the conveyor belts, which help shake off the debris, and wind their way through the harvester and then over to the dump trailer.

RIght: The horseradish roots are being dumped into the trailer.

strains grew about four times the size of the original strain.

From their humble beginnings, the company has promoted not just top quality products, but also a safe, productive atmosphere for their employees arising from well-run operations from the farm to the manufacturing plant.

WEATHERING THE STORMS Fast-forward to the successful company Silver Spring Foods is today, and it is hard to imagine it ever suffered any woes, but hardship has visited its four generations of family owners.

In 1972, Ed Bartusch, who was then Company President, and his wife, Betty, died in a plane crash. Barbara, the younger of their two daughters, and her husband also perished in the crash, leaving the couple’s 23-year-old daughter Nancy to run the company.

“She was faced with the decision to sell the company, run the company herself or bring in outside help to do continued on pg. 12

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Horseradish. . . continued from pg. 10

it,” states Eric Rygg, Vice President of Sales & Marketing and a fourth generation company owner along with his mother, Nancy Bartusch, and brother, Ryan Rygg.

“She did a combination of the two.

She finished her MBA at Stanford and brought in some talented management to help her through the changes,” continues Eric.

Nancy enlisted the help of family friend Bill Nelson Sr., who resigned from Kraft Foods to run the company.

His son Bill Nelson Jr. took over a few years later and ran the company for 25 years.

Ten years ago, Silver Spring Foods suffered another setback when a major customer decided to move a large piece of business to a manufacturing site outside the country.

The company responded by diversifying its product mix and 12 BC�T May

jumping into the private-label business.

Then, in 2006, the company opened a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility. The new facility’s high-tech capabilities and automation enabled Silver Spring to add product lines, including organic products and sauces.

FACTS In the United States, an estimated 24 million pounds of horseradish roots are ground and processed annually to produce approximately six million gallons of prepared horseradish – generally sufficient to season enough sandwiches to wrap 12 times around the world.

Horseradish is a root vegetable, a member of the mustard family native to Eastern and Central Europe, grown for its very pungent roots, which contain an oil with a strong pungent odor and hot, biting taste.

Plants attain a height of two to three

Top: Visiting Silver Spring is definitely a sensory experience and the aroma will most certainly clear your sinuses.

Bottom: Shawn Kapanke (L) and Ken Traaseth (R) check out the horseradish sauce being bottled on one of the production lines.

feet when in flower.

A cold weather plant, horseradish grows hollow and flavorless in frostfree climates. The first cold nip ripens the roots and they achieve flavor based on the length of time they remain in the ground. Roots, which lie buried beneath winter snows, are apt to be zestier than those taken early in September.

Wisconsin’s winters make the roots firm and extra tasty but not the largest. Southern states’ roots are heavier and acre yields are larger.

Silver Spring roots rarely go over two pounds per root and average yield is three tons per acre.

Normally, the plants produce no seed

Left: Shawn Kapanke, Silver Spring’s Vice President of Manufacturing Operations, stands by one of the three-story bulk ingredient tanks.

Americans consume about 10,000 tons of horseradish annually, which is about 120 million bottles.

Middle: According to Shawn Kapanke, there are ten miles of piping throughout the plant.

Right: A Silver Spring quality technician does a quality check on one of the many products being processed.

and all new plants are obtained from the mother plant.

It is propagated by planting pieces of side roots, taken from the main root after it is harvested. The top of the plant consists of a rosette of large leaves, and a flower stalk; rarely producing seeds.

The roots develop entirely underground and the grown root is a gnarled and warty turnip shape, 6-19 inches long.

The instant the root is grated, it starts to lose its ‘nip’. Keeping it refrigerated slows the process.

300 acres of horseradish annually at its Minnesota farm for a yield of approximately 4 million pounds, and 400 acres of horseradish in the Eau Claire area for a similar yield.

Huntsinger Farms uses a seven-year crop rotation; horseradish is grown once every seven years on the same plot of ground to ensure crops remain disease-free. In between, the operation raises crops of field corn, soybeans and snap beans.

Crews harvest horseradish in the spring and fall after plants have been in the ground about 12 months.

SMOOTH OPERATIONS

Horseradish harvest generally does not begin until after October 1 because horseradish roots make their best growth during the first month of autumn. The harvest then continues until the ground is frozen.

Ken Traaseth, Vice President of Agribusiness at Huntsinger Farms, states that the company harvests

Before harvesting the roots, a stalk chopper travels down the rows and beats off all the horseradish tops.

The leaves grow two or three feet long and are used in flavoring pickles and other household preserves. Shoots form new sets for next year.

Then, just like potatoes, tractors windrow the roots into hilled rows, waiting to be harvested by the operation’s Gallenberg Potato Harvester, specially modified at Huntsinger Farms, to adapt to digging the long horseradish roots out of the ground, which can grow up to 30 inches long.

Usually, the fall digging accounts for two-thirds of the crop. The rest of the roots wait in the frozen ground until spring when harvest is finished.

The next year’s crop is planted as harvesting proceeds. Roots too small to grind for use in sauces are planted in rows. About half the roots will be planted before the ground freezes and the other half finished the next spring.

The plants are fertilized after planting by broadcasting ½ ton per acre of 0-060 plant food in the fall, followed by 18-46-0 in the spring. continued on pg. 14 BC�T May 13

Horseradish. . . continued from pg. 13

Above: Silver Spring maintains its own gourmet kitchen for research and development.

Bottom: Ken Traaseth stands in front of a display at Silver Spring’s headquarters and manufacturing plant, of several of the varieties of Silver Spring horseradish sauces. Huntsinger Companies is the parent company of Silver Spring Foods, which serves as the manufacturing and processing plant for the operation’s horseradish and also produces private label brands.

After harvesting, the roots are brought to a sorting facility, where employees remove foreign material, sort and separate different size roots and take seed stock for future plantings.

While smaller roots are saved for Huntsinger Farms’ planting needs, others are sold for sets to horseradish growers in the St. Louis area.

Bigger roots designated for processing, run through a water rinse cycle and are stored in coolers at 35 degrees Fahrenheit until needed by the manufacturing plant.

Product ships to the manufacturing plant weekly on an as-needed basis.

“Generally, we get an order for 100,000 to 120,000 pounds a week,” Traaseth says. “But during our busy time of year (the fall), we may ship up to 200,000 pounds a week.”

PLANT DETAILS Employees inspect roots for blemishes, which are cut out by hand, then the roots are rinsed, weighed and stored in a cooler until processed.

Horseradish must be kept cool to maintain its zestiness and Huntsinger 14 BC�T May

Farms has refrigerated storage space for five million pounds of roots.

We like to say, we need to ‘Keep it cold to keep it hot,” says Shawn Kapanke, Silver Spring’s Vice President of Manufacturing Operations. “Once we grind the root, we add additional ingredients and get it to bottling as fast as we can.”

Kapanke explains, "Quality is a process stressed throughout the entire organization. It is an integral part of our inherent culture.”

“Managing the raw product before it enters the processing line is extremely critical. From the moment, the horseradish is first sorted, cleaned continued on pg. 16

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Horseradish. . . continued from pg. 15

and stored in climate and humiditycontrolled storage bins, until it is bottled, sealed and distributed; whether it is straight up horseradish, horseradish mustard in a variety of flavors or used in chili or seafood sauces, it is subjected to stringent quality checks.”

IMPROVED TRACEABILITY Every bottle and box is automatically coded with complete lot, time and date designation stamps.

To be successful in today’s highly competitive food industry, it is critical that food manufacturers are capable of assuring current and potential customers of their commitment to food safety and quality. Silver Spring Foods achieved accreditation through the internationally recognized Global Food Safety Initiative Standards (GSFI).

The GSFI accreditation process requires verifiable total management commitment of resources and personnel necessary to meet the intent of the GSFI standards. Silver Spring Foods is also audited against the British Retail Consortium (BRC) standards. “A lot of big companies are requiring BRC or SQF certification,” Shawn Kapanke says.

TAKING CARE OF YOUR OWN Silver Spring prides itself on supporting, grooming and promoting its employees, considering them vital to the success of the company.

“We feel very strongly that if we 16 BC�T May

engage, empower and take care of our employees, our employees will take care of our customers, and our customers will take care of us,” says Eric Rygg.

The company emphasizes safety awareness and it is addressed at all meetings. Shawn Kapanke states that employees watch vigilantly for safety issues and work hard to prevent accidents.

“If you have a safe environment and a quality product, profits will follow. Safety plus quality equals profitability,” declares Shawn Kapanke.

EDUCATE THE CONSUMER The final piece in the company’s strategy to position itself for future growth is education. Horseradish is an acquired taste and often people do not know quite how to use it, Eric Rygg explains.

“But horseradish is not like wine; it doesn’t get better with age. The day we make it, it is the hottest and most flavorful it will be,” Eric Rygg says, noting the challenge is more than getting it to market and into people’s homes quickly. It lies in teaching people how the products can be used.

Silver Spring Foods entered the social media space, using entities like Facebook and YouTube to present this message.

The company puts recipes on Facebook and posts videos of chefs using its products on YouTube.

Above: Ken Traaseth scoops up some of the newly harvested horseradish root to place on the conveyor belt, which will carry it to the cleaning and grading areas. At right, Ken inspects new crop for size, flavor and quality.

The company’s bottle labels include serving suggestions, promote the company mission, highlight other Silver Spring products of interest and lists its Facebook and web addresses.

Eric Rygg predicts these efforts will produce positive results over time.

“It’s going to be a gradual increase that will help us expand our markets without spending millions of dollars on an advertising program,” he says.

With all this in place, it may not be long before horseradish and mustard are the first things that pop into everyone’s minds when they hear the phrase, Give It Zing®.

LIVEN UP YOUR FOOD People have enjoyed horseradish for its medicinal and gastronomic qualities since antiquity. Many people know it as a key ingredient of cocktail sauces and as one of the five bitter herbs served at a Passover Seder.

However, horseradish is vastly underappreciated and fewer people know how well it complements roasted meats, poultry and fish.

“We are in the condiments business; our job is to make food more flavorful,” declares Eric Rygg. He offers up a few of his favorite uses for some Silver Spring Foods’ products: -U se horseradish and mustard to liven

up traditional vinegar and oil salad dressings.

sauce to liven up this traditional holiday side dish.

- Mix horseradish or mustard with mashed potatoes to add a little extra flavor.

To relish the full flavor of processed horseradish, it must be fresh and of high quality. Color varies from white to creamy beige.

- Put horseradish in deviled eggs to spice them up.

- Mix horseradish with applesauce and spread it over a pork chop.

As processed horseradish ages, it browns and loses potency. Replace with a fresh jar for full flavor enjoyment.

- Add fresh horseradish to cranberry

To keep it ‘hot’, keep it cold in tightly

Above: Many of the Huntsinger Farms grading area employees return harvest after harvest such as the lady in blue, seated far left, who has been returning 92 seasons (that includes spring and fall harvest).

covered jar in the refrigerator and buy only the amount you will use in a reasonable time to protect freshness.

Finally, serve horseradish in a glass or ceramic bowl since it will tarnish a silver bowl.

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BC�T May 17

Badger Beat Nitrogen supply from Soil & Irrigation in Central WI

By Matt Ruark and Kate Ivancic Department of Soil Science, UW-Madison

When we think about how much nitrogen is needed for crop

Above: Electrogator II system irrigating a potato field. Photo by Reinke Manufacturing Company, Inc.

However, there are other sources of nitrogen for these systems: soil nitrogen mineralization and nitrogen supplied through irrigation.

of cover crop growth (2.6 ton/ac of dry matter) and a lot of nitrogen uptake in the oats above ground biomass (106 lb-N/ac).

production in the Central Sands region of Wisconsin, we primarily think about how much nitrogen we need to apply as fertilizer.

SOIL NITROGEN MINERALIZATION

nitrogen is not easy.

Understanding how much nitrogen your soil supplies can be important when assessing how well buffered your soil system is after leaching events or as a metric to assess improvements in the soil condition after adopting soil conservation or soil building management practices.

There are tests that can estimate the amount of nitrogen mineralized under laboratory conditions, but these are not well correlated with what occurs under field conditions, as your soil nitrogen mineralization will vary from year to year.

Nitrogen mineralization occurs when soil microorganisms convert soil organic matter (or other organic inputs such as manure, cover crops, or plant residue) from the organic form (which is not plant available) into ammonium.

Ammonium is a plant available form of nitrogen in soil, but it is usually converted quickly to nitrate (another plant available form). However, measuring soil mineralizable 18 BC�T May

In 2015, a research study was conducted at the Hancock Agricultural Experiment Station to quantify nitrogen mineralization during a sweet corn growing season.

This study also evaluated if the presence of a cover crop impacted nitrogen mineralization.

In late April of 2015, an oat cover crop was planted and then terminated on June 12 (Figure 1).

There was a tremendous amount

The oat was not fertilized and we attribute the growth to the fact that the previous crop was potato and not all of the potatoes were harvested from the field (thus supplying some N to the cover crop).

The in-season assessment of nitrogen supply was measured by using in-ground mineralization columns (large PVC pipes).

This method of determining soil nitrogen mineralization has been suggested as the most quantitative approach when attempting to measure actual nitrogen supply from the soil during the growing season.

These columns were installed and removed every 30 days and the nitrogen mineralization was determined by the change in plant available nitrogen in the columns.

No nitrogen fertilizer was applied to the plots.

In-season rates of nitrogen mineralization were low during the sweet corn growing season, ranging from three to 15 lb-N/ac for any 30-day interval (Figure 2).

Across sweet corn's 90-day growing season, the nitrogen supply from the soil was calculated as 22 lb-N/ac when not following a cover crop and 30 lb-N/ac when following a cover crop.

This 8-lb-N/ac difference in N supply would seem to have little effect on the production system.

However, these values were much lower than the total nitrogen uptake of the sweet corn plants grown in these plots.

Sweet corn following a cover crop had 101 lb-N/ac in the above ground biomass and sweet corn not following a cover crop had 58

lb-N/ac.

So, based on this study, does the soil supply 30 or 101-lb-N/ac following an oat cover crop?

The approach of letting the plant tell us how much nitrogen was supplied by the soil under nonfertilized conditions appears to be a more meaningful assessment, and thus indicate that there is some amount of N supply from the oat biomass.

For nitrogen mineralization without a cover crop, the values are nearly three-fold different (22 vs. 58 lb-N/ac).

It is likely that this in-field approach was not very quantitative and the plant itself is a better integrator of what is happening in the soil. In addition, the columns were only 10 inches deep and the corn roots will explore much continued on pg. 20

Figure 1: Oat biomass growth between April 27 and June 12, 2015. At termination, there was 2.6 ton/ac of dry matter, which had 106 lb-N/ac in the above ground biomass.

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In-season rates of nitrogen mineralization were low during the sweet corn growing season, ranging N/ac for any 30-day interval (Figure 2).

Badger Beat. . .

18

deeper soil depths.

16

Lastly, the columns may have been obscured by the sweet corn canopy later in the growing season and thus not receive as much irrigation water as the rest of the soil profile.

HOW MUCH NITROGEN IS APPLIED THROUGH IRRIGATION? The in-ground columns may not have captured all of the nitrogen applied through irrigation.

No fertilization was applied as part of this study, but groundwater nitrate concentrations at the Hancock station can be high (18 ppm) and thus supply a fair amount of nitrogen through the act of irrigation. In 2015, 11 in of irrigation were applied to the sweet corn crop.

Assuming a nitrate-N concentration of 18 ppm (or mg/L), 45 lb-N/ac was applied. The equation for determining the amount of nitrate-N applied in a growing season as lb-N/ac is:

Nitrogen mineralized (lb-N/ac)

continued from pg. 19

No cover crop Oat cover crop

14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 0-30

30-60

60-90

Day intervals in sweet corn growing season

Figure 2. Nitrogen mineralized from soil during sweet corn growing season (in 30-day intervals) following no cover crop or

Figure 2: Nitrogen mineralized from soil during sweet corn growing season (in 30-day intervals) following no

Across sweet 90-day cover crop or ancorn's oat cover crop. growing season, the nitrogen supply from the soil was calculated as 22 l following a cover crop and 30 lb-N/ac when following a cover crop.

rates for potato and processing crops.seem This 8-lb-N/ac difference in N supply would to haveinlittle effect on the production applied a consistent manner fromsystem. How were much lower than the total nitrogen uptakeyear of the plants to grown in these plots. to sweet year, itcorn is tough build

Over the last five growing seasons this into a nitrogen plan before the at Hancock, the total amount of 101 lb-N/ac in the above ground biomass and sweet corn no Sweet corn following a cover crop had season starts. nitrogen crop had 58applied lb-N/ac.to sweet corn Total irrigation (in) X groundwater The University of Minnesota suggests ranged from 39 to nitrate-N concentration (mg-NO3-N/L nitrate in groundwater So, based on this study,for does the soilwhen supply 30 crediting or 101-lb-N/ac following an oat cover crop?

47-lb-N/ac, except in 2012, or ppm) X 0.227, where 0.227 is when concentrations are greater than over 18 inches of irrigation was a conversion factor.

10 ppm.

This is because the The approach of letting the plant tell us how much nitrogen was supplied by theresearch soil under non-fert applied, applying 74 lb-N/ac. to build nitrogen guidelines wasamount of N sup appears to be a more meaningful assessment, and thus indicate that there is some The current difficulty in assessing developed under conditions where biomass.

This dramatically lowered the if the amount of N applied through nitrate in irrigation water was less optimum N rate in the sweet corn regular irrigation should be credited nitrogen without a cover crop, the10 values are nearly three-fold different (22 vs. 5 than ppm. against the total N applied is that the For study that mineralization year to 100 lb-N/ac. nitrate concentration in groundwater Atquantitative Hancock, our But again, how can we credit this? andgroundwater the plant itselfnitrate is a better integra was not always reported for previous It is likely that this in-field approach was not very concentrations are much happening in the soil. In addition, the columns were only 10 inches deep andgreater the corn roots will exp studies assessing optimum nitrogen Since irrigation is not necessarily than this. soil depths.

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Using the same approach, we can consider crediting nitrate in irrigation water when concentrations exceed 20 ppm or when you are exceeding your average irrigation amount by a certain percentage.

Any sort of guideline to credit nitrogen in irrigation water would still need to be tested and assessed against timing of the irrigation (i.e. a lot of irrigation late in the season will not supply N as effectively as irrigation mid-season).

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Vegetable Crop Reports

Wisconsin Ranked 2nd in Processing Vegetables

By Ruth Faivre, Managing Editor

Second only to California, in the

vegetables totaled 19.4 million tons, up one percent from last year.

STILL #1 IN SNAP BEANS!

2015 USDA estimated report on Wisconsin maintained its number one leading processing vegetable states ranking in production of snap beans, Area harvested is estimated at 1.08 covering stats for eight processed million acres, down two percent from processing 43 percent of the nation’s 2015 Processing Production of 8 Selected Vegetables 1 value Percent 2014 vegetables (lima beans, snap beans, crop, with 329,530 tons in 2015. a year ago.

ProcessingUp crop is from carrots, sweet corn, cucumbers for estimated at 2.25 billion dollars, Harvested rose from 64,100 Processing production of eightand selected vegetables estimated in 2014.

2015 totaled 19.4 million tons, acres up 1 percent from last year. pickles, green peas, spinach, three percent below acres in 2014 to 65,300 acres in at Area harvested is estimated at 1.08 million acres, down 2 percent from a year ago.

Processing crop value is estimated tomatoes), Wisconsin harvested 2015.

The yield climbed to 5.05 tons/ The three largest crops, in terms of 2.25 3 percent are tomatoes, sweet corn, and 16% billion of totaldollars, area, had 5.3% ofbelow total 2014. The three largest crops, in terms of production, acre in 2015, the highest on record. tomatoes, corncrops in terms of value were tomatoes, snap beans, and which accounted forproduction, 93 percent are of the total. Thesweet top three production 7%combined of total value.

Nationally, snapvalue bean when production rose and snap beans, which combined, sweet corn, and snap beans. These three processing vegetables accounted for 83 percent of the total combined.

12 percent to 764,900 tons.

For the eight processed vegetables accounted for 93 percent of the total. estimated in processed 2015, California For the eight vegetables estimated 2015, California theofnation the harvested acreage, SWEETofCORN Theintop three crops in lead terms value with#329INpercent remained number one state 75 percent the of the production, and 65 percent of the value. were tomatoes, sweet corn and Wisconsin remained in third place in all three categories. snap beans. These three processing for processing sweet corn in 2015, Overall, 2015 estimated processing vegetables accounted for 83 percent producing 490,230 tons. This is the production of these eight selected of the total value when combined. lowest production since 1966.

Leading Processing Vegetable States in 2015

[Lima beans, snap beans, carrots, sweet corn, cucumbers for pickles, green peas, spinach, and tomatoes] Area harvested Rank

State

Percent of total

Production State

Value Percent of total

State

1

California

29.1 California

2

Wisconsin

16.0 Wisconsin

5.3 Wisconsin

7.0

3

Minnesota

14.7 Washington

5.1 Washington

5.9

4

Washington

11.9 Minnesota

4.7 Minnesota

5.6

5

Oregon

(D)

(D)

(D) Withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual operations.

22 BC�T May

4.8 Michigan

75.0 California

Percent of total

Michigan

64.8

Above: Sweet corn is harvested on one of the Gagas Farms Inc.’s fields, Custer, WI. Photo by Ruth Faivre

Harvested acres decreased by 5,100 to 60,700 acres and yields were down two percent. U.S. processing sweet corn production was down three percent to 2.49 million tons. #3 IN GREEN PEAS In 2015, Wisconsin remained the third largest green pea processing state in the nation with green pea production totaling 81,120 tons, up 15 percent over the previous year.

Yields, at 2.37 tons per acre, were the highest on record.

Processing pea production in the U.S. rose 13 percent to 411,320 tons.

CUCUMBERS Wisconsin’s cucumbers for pickle production fell three percent in 2015. Harvested acreage, at 5,400, continued on pg. 24

Oxbo harvester harvesting snap beans in a Worzella & Sons, Inc. bean field.

Principal Processing Vegetable Area Planted, Harvested, Production, and Value by Crop – United States: 2013-2015 (Domestic Units)

[Only includes estimates for the selected crops in the NASS annual program. These crops are not estimated for all States that might produce them.

See the 2012 Census of Agriculture for a comprehensive tally of total vegetable acres by State] Crop

Area planted 2014

2015

2013

2014

2015

(acres)

(acres)

(acres)

(acres)

(acres)

(acres)

Beans, lima ....................

Beans, snap ...................

Carrots ...........................

Corn, sweet ....................

Cucumbers ....................

Peas, green ...................

Spinach ..........................

Tomatoes .......................

29,290 161,170 13,750 328,800 85,800 187,880 9,000 280,300

Total ..............................

1,095,990

Crop

Area harvested

2013

28,280 164,060 11,750 325,180 88,230 195,700 9,400 309,800

29,780 164,870 11,600 325,100 87,460 181,200 7,300 314,300

28,930 149,770 13,310 314,950 82,100 178,300 8,800 277,000

1,132,400

1,121,610

1,053,160

Production

27,760 159,070 11,430 312,280 84,430 187,600 9,100 306,100

29,200 158,920 11,020 307,500 85,110 166,200 7,200 310,600

1,097,770

1,075,750

Value of production

2013

2014

2015

2013

2014

2015

(1,000 dollars)

(1,000 dollars)

(1,000 dollars)

(tons)

(tons)

(tons)

Beans, lima ....................

Beans, snap ...................

Carrots ...........................

Corn, sweet ....................

Cucumbers ....................

Peas, green ...................

Spinach ..........................

Tomatoes .......................

48,620 666,780 351,950 2,551,830 473,140 356,050 88,710 12,631,500

50,400 681,240 321,820 2,567,820 536,910 362,860 90,310 14,637,300

50,255 764,900 294,000 2,488,110 533,460 411,320 75,200 14,754,350

28,312 213,250 43,008 357,804 148,101 151,928 11,451 1,138,462

29,236 170,066 37,443 289,573 202,705 133,261 11,312 1,452,823

29,955 178,578 36,095 255,480 172,715 131,568 10,394 1,430,783

Total ..............................

17,168,580

19,248,660

19,371,595

2,092,316

2,326,419

2,245,568

Asparagus ......................

Broccoli ..........................

Cauliflower .....................

7,100 34,800 4,500

8,750 34,500 3,750

7,750 39,200 2,400

11,116 20,184 2,835

13,350 15,353 2,288

12,778 22,658 1,152

Total ..............................

46,400

47,000

49,350

34,135

30,991

36,588

Total all ..........................

17,214,980

19,295,660

19,420,945

2,126,451

2,357,410

2,282,156 BC�T May 23

Vegetable Crop Report. . . continued from pg. 23

remained the same, but yields were down three percent. U.S. production, at 533,460 tons, was down one percent from a year ago.

CARROTS

to 25.72 tons/acre.

Wisconsin produced 97,730 tons of carrots for processing in 2015, down nine percent from the previous year. Acres harvested were up 100, but yields fell 11 percent

Wisconsin accounted for 33 percent of the nation’s production. Nationally, carrot production was down nine percent to 294,000 tons. continued on pg. 34

Snap Beans for Processing Area Planted and Harvested, Yield, Production, Price, and Value by Utilization – States and United States: 2013-2015 State and utilization

Illinois ..................................................

Indiana ................................................

Michigan ..............................................

Minnesota ............................................

New York .............................................

Oregon ................................................

Pennsylvania .......................................

Wisconsin ............................................

Area planted

Area harvested

2013

2014

2015

2013

2014

2015

(acres)

(acres)

(acres)

(acres)

(acres)

(acres)

(D) 5,100 18,000 (D) 20,380 10,600 8,000 65,500

(D) 4,900 (D) (D) 20,610 8,500 11,600 66,000

(D) 3,600 16,000 (D) (D) (D) 5,500 69,200

(D) 5,000 17,800 (D) 18,900 10,550 7,900 59,800

(D) 4,700 (D) (D) 20,420 8,500 11,400 64,100

(D) 3,600 16,000 (D) (D) (D) 5,300 65,300

......................................

33,590

52,450

70,570

29,820

49,950

68,720

United States .......................................

161,170

164,060

164,870

149,770

159,070

158,920

Canning ...............................................

107,800

108,510

112,068

98,040

104,410

107,748

Freezing ..............................................

53,370

55,550

52,802

51,730

54,660

51,172

Other States

1

State and utilization

Yield per acre

Production

2013

2014

2015

2013

2014

2015

(tons)

(tons)

(tons)

(tons)

(tons)

(tons)

Illinois ..................................................

Indiana ................................................

Michigan ..............................................

Minnesota ............................................

New York .............................................

Oregon ................................................

Pennsylvania .......................................

Wisconsin ............................................

(D) 2.90 4.33 (D) 3.29 6.34 2.74 4.99

(D) 3.00 (D) (D) 4.00 4.10 3.01 4.87

(D) 3.78 4.45 (D) (D) (D) 4.40 5.05

(D) 14,520 77,100 (D) 62,270 66,850 21,630 298,570

(D) 14,100 (D) (D) 81,680 34,850 34,310 312,280

(D) 13,620 71,200 (D) (D) (D) 23,330 329,530

......................................

4.22

4.08

4.76

125,840

204,020

327,220

United States .......................................

4.45

4.28

4.81

666,780

681,240

764,900

Canning ...............................................

4.34

4.26

4.62

425,110

444,760

497,810

Freezing ..............................................

4.67

4.33

5.22

241,670

236,480

267,090

Other States

1

State and utilization

Illinois ..................................................

Indiana ................................................

Michigan ..............................................

Minnesota ............................................

New York .............................................

Oregon ................................................

Pennsylvania .......................................

Wisconsin ............................................

Price per ton

Value of production

2013

2014

2015

2013

2014

2015

(dollars)

(dollars)

(dollars)

(1,000 dollars)

(1,000 dollars)

(1,000 dollars)

(D) 247.00 240.00 (D) 264.00 204.00 284.00 340.00

(D) 210.00 (D) (D) 338.00 400.00 303.00 185.00

(D) 230.00 230.00 (D) (D) (D) 317.00 202.00

(D) 3,587 18,518 (D) 16,434 13,626 6,143 101,452

(D) 2,961 (D) (D) 27,575 13,940 10,411 57,633

(D) 3,133 16,376 (D) (D) (D) 7,388 66,472

......................................

425.00

282.00

260.00

53,490

57,546

85,209

United States .......................................

320.00

250.00

233.00

213,250

170,066

178,578

Canning ...............................................

330.00

203.00

207.00

140,457

90,327

102,900

Freezing ..............................................

301.00

337.00

283.00

72,793

79,739

75,678

Other States

1

(D) Withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual operations.

1 Includes data withheld above and/or data for States not listed in this table.

24 BC�T May

Sweet Corn for Processing Area Planted and Harvested, Yield, Production, Price, and Value by Utilization – States and United States: 2013-2015 Area planted

State and utilization

Illinois ..................................................

Minnesota ............................................

Oregon ................................................

Washington .........................................

Wisconsin ............................................

Area harvested

2013

2014

2015

2013

2014

2015

(acres)

(acres)

(acres)

(acres)

(acres)

(acres)

(D) 125,200 (D) 65,400 70,800

(D) 116,600 23,300 69,600 69,900

(D) 115,500 21,500 79,100 64,700

(D) 118,700 (D) 64,400 66,500

(D) 109,400 23,200 69,400 65,800

(D) 103,200 21,200 78,800 60,700

......................................

67,400

45,780

44,300

65,350

44,480

43,600

United States .......................................

328,800

325,180

325,100

314,950

312,280

307,500

Canning ...............................................

152,500

155,200

138,610

147,100

150,000

133,710

Freezing ..............................................

176,300

169,980

186,490

167,850

162,280

173,790

Other States

1

Yield per acre

State and utilization

2013

2014

(tons) Illinois ..................................................

Minnesota ............................................

Oregon ................................................

Washington .........................................

Wisconsin ............................................

Production 2015

(tons)

(tons)

2013

2014

2015

(tons)

(tons)

(tons)

(D) 6.74 (D) 9.96 8.78

(D) 6.85 9.50 9.98 8.24

(D) 7.38 9.37 9.17 8.08

(D) 799,720 (D) 641,320 583,960

(D) 749,440 220,480 692,600 542,160

(D) 761,320 198,610 722,240 490,230

......................................

8.06

8.16

7.24

526,830

363,140

315,710

United States .......................................

8.10

8.22

8.09

2,551,830

2,567,820

2,488,110

Canning ...............................................

7.63

7.81

7.72

1,122,640

1,171,600

1,031,640

Freezing ..............................................

8.51

8.60

8.38

1,429,190

1,396,220

1,456,470

Other States

1

Price per ton

State and utilization

Value of production

2013

2014

2015

2013

2014

2015

(dollars)

(dollars)

(dollars)

(1,000 dollars)

(1,000 dollars)

(1,000 dollars)

Illinois ..................................................

Minnesota ............................................

Oregon ................................................

Washington .........................................

Wisconsin ............................................

(D) 150.00 (D) 121.00 150.00

(D) 113.00 126.00 108.00 96.20

(D) 96.20 140.00 106.00 87.90

(D) 120,108 (D) 77,915 87,569

(D) 84,805 27,841 74,693 52,177

(D) 73,214 27,818 76,306 43,085

......................................

137.00

138.00

111.00

72,212

50,057

35,057

United States .......................................

140.00

113.00

103.00

357,804

289,573

255,480

Canning ...............................................

150.00

108.00

97.80

168,361

126,936

100,884

Freezing ..............................................

133.00

116.00

106.00

189,443

162,637

154,596

Other States

1

(D) Withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual operations.

1 Includes data withheld above and/or data for States not listed in this table.

Vegetables 2015 Summary (February 2016) USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

continued on pg. 26

63

BC�T May 25

Vegetable Crop Report. . . continued from pg. 25

Green Peas for Processing Area Planted and Harvested, Yield, Production, Price, and Value by Utilization – States and United States: 2013-2015 State and utilization

Delaware ............................................

Minnesota ...........................................

Oregon ................................................

Washington .........................................

Wisconsin ...........................................

Area planted

Area harvested

2013

2014

2015

2013

2014

2015

(acres)

(acres)

(acres)

(acres)

(acres)

(acres)

5,100 67,700 21,100 45,000 37,800

5,000 68,600 19,600 40,800 37,700

(D) 57,700 (D) 43,800 36,000

5,000 60,800 21,100 44,500 36,000

5,000 64,000 19,600 40,500 36,600

(D) 48,500 (D) 42,600 34,300

.....................................

11,180

24,000

43,700

10,900

21,900

40,800

United States ......................................

187,880

195,700

181,200

178,300

187,600

166,200

Canning ..............................................

74,200

79,900

68,300

70,900

74,900

60,700

Freezing ..............................................

113,680

115,800

112,900

107,400

112,700

105,500

Other States

1

State and utilization

Yield per acre 2013

2014

(tons) Delaware ............................................

Minnesota ...........................................

Oregon ................................................

Washington .........................................

Wisconsin ...........................................

Production 2015

(tons)

(tons)

2013

2014

2015

(tons)

(tons)

(tons)

2.16 1.44 1.91 2.75 2.10

2.26 1.22 2.11 2.92 1.93

(D) 2.32 (D) 3.46 2.37

10,800 87,630 40,300 122,380 75,550

11,300 78,150 41,430 118,440 70,640

(D) 112,450 (D) 147,210 81,120

.....................................

1.78

1.96

1.73

19,390

42,900

70,540

United States ......................................

2.00

1.93

2.47

356,050

362,860

411,320

Canning ..............................................

1.75

1.58

2.78

124,000

118,710

168,990

Freezing ..............................................

2.16

2.17

2.30

232,050

244,150

242,330

Other States

1

State and utilization

Delaware ............................................

Minnesota ...........................................

Oregon ................................................

Washington .........................................

Wisconsin ...........................................

Price per ton

Value of production

2013

2014

2015

2013

2014

2015

(dollars)

(dollars)

(dollars)

(1,000 dollars)

(1,000 dollars)

(1,000 dollars)

263.00 640.00 265.00 287.00 521.00

340.00 567.00 253.00 249.00 378.00

(D) 402.00 (D) 262.00 334.00

2,840 56,111 10,671 35,131 39,360

3,842 44,273 10,466 29,433 26,685

(D) 45,156 (D) 38,580 27,110

.....................................

403.00

433.00

294.00

7,815

18,562

20,722

United States ......................................

427.00

367.00

320.00

151,928

133,261

131,568

Canning ..............................................

572.00

459.00

342.00

70,890

54,480

57,790

Freezing ..............................................

349.00

323.00

304.00

81,038

78,781

73,778

Other States

1

(D) Withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual operations.

1 Includes data withheld above and/or data for States not listed in this table.

26 BC�T May

Left: Oxbo harvester dumps newly harvested sweet corn into a hopper at Gagas Farms Inc.’s fields, Custer, WI. Photo by Ruth Faivre Middle: Peas are ready to harvest on Adams Farm, Inc., Plover, WI. Photo by Ruth Faivre

Cucumbers for Pickles Area Planted and Harvested, Yield, Production, Price, and Value – States and United States: 2013-2015 State

Area planted

Area harvested

2013

2014

2015

2013

2014

2015

(acres)

(acres)

(acres)

(acres)

(acres)

(acres)

Florida ................................

Indiana ...............................

Michigan ............................

North Carolina ....................

Ohio ...................................

South Carolina ...................

Texas .................................

Wisconsin ..........................

(D) 2,000 29,000 (D) 8,000 (D) 4,400 6,000

19,800 2,400 27,900 (D) 7,500 (D) 4,500 5,600

18,280 (D) 30,000 (D) 5,000 (D) 4,150 5,600

(D) 1,900 28,000 (D) 7,000 (D) 4,000 5,900

19,200 2,300 27,400 (D) 6,500 (D) 4,200 5,400

18,010 (D) 29,000 (D) 5,000 (D) 3,950 5,400

Other States 1 ....................

36,400

20,530

24,430

35,300

19,430

23,750

United States .....................

85,800

88,230

87,460

82,100

84,430

85,110

State

Yield per acre

Production

2013

2014

2015

2013

2014

2015

(tons)

(tons)

(tons)

(tons)

(tons)

(tons)

Florida ................................

Indiana ...............................

Michigan ............................

North Carolina ....................

Ohio ...................................

South Carolina ...................

Texas .................................

Wisconsin ..........................

(D) 3.00 5.80 (D) 7.50 (D) 4.70 6.51

7.86 5.00 6.10 (D) 6.30 (D) 4.66 6.26

8.22 (D) 5.90 (D) 5.40 (D) 5.52 6.09

(D) 5,700 162,400 (D) 52,500 (D) 18,800 38,410

150,910 11,500 167,140 (D) 40,950 (D) 19,570 33,800

148,040 (D) 171,100 (D) 27,000 (D) 21,800 32,890

Other States 1 ....................

5.53

5.82

5.58

195,330

113,040

132,630

United States .....................

5.76

6.36

6.27

473,140

536,910

533,460

State

Price per ton

Value of production

2013

2014

2015

2013

2014

2015

(dollars)

(dollars)

(dollars)

(1,000 dollars)

(1,000 dollars)

(1,000 dollars)

Florida ................................

Indiana ...............................

Michigan ............................

North Carolina ....................

Ohio ...................................

South Carolina ...................

Texas .................................

Wisconsin ..........................

(D) 350.00 230.00 (D) 325.00 (D) 430.00 288.00

555.00 320.00 210.00 (D) 300.00 (D) 540.00 297.00

435.00 (D) 220.00 (D) 260.00 (D) 320.00 290.00

(D) 1,995 37,352 (D) 17,063 (D) 8,084 11,062

83,755 3,680 35,099 (D) 12,285 (D) 10,568 10,039

64,397 (D) 37,642 (D) 7,020 (D) 6,976 9,538

Other States 1 ....................

371.00

418.00

355.00

72,545

47,279

47,142

United States .....................

313.00

378.00

324.00

148,101

202,705

172,715

(D) Withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual operations.

1 Includes data withheld above and/or data for States not listed in this table.

Right: Trucks full of cucumbers arrive at Warzynski Paradise Farms Inc.’s grading plant in Almond, WI and dump their loads into conveyor belts, which interconnect like octopus arms. Photo by Ruth Faivre

continued on pg. 28 BC�T May 27

Vegetable Crop Report. . . continued from pg. 27

FRESH MARKET SWEET CORN & ONIONS Production for fresh market sweet corn increased, while onion production was down in Wisconsin in 2015.

Fresh market sweet corn yields rose 15 percent to 129 hundredweight (cwt) per acre and harvested acreage increased to 3,700 acres.

This resulted in total production of 477,000 cwt, the highest production since 2011.

Onion production dropped 18 percent, from 791,000 cwt in 2014 to 645,000 cwt in 2015. Harvested acreage was down 200 and yields were down eight percent to 430 cwt/acre.

Right: A November 2015 carrot harvest on one of Patrykus Farms Inc.’s fields, Plover, WI. Photo

by Ruth Faivre

Carrots for Processing Area Planted and Harvested, Yield, Production, Price, and Value – States and United States: 2013-2015 State

Area planted

Area harvested

2013

2014

2015

2013

2014

2015

(acres)

(acres)

(acres)

(acres)

(acres)

(acres)

Washington ........................

Wisconsin ..........................

4,300 4,200

(D) 3,800

(D) 3,900

4,200 4,100

(D) 3,700

(D) 3,800

Other States 1 ....................

5,250

7,950

7,700

5,010

7,730

7,220

United States .....................

13,750

11,750

11,600

13,310

11,430

11,020

State

Yield per acre 2013

Production

2014

(tons)

2015

(tons)

(tons)

2013

2014

2015

(tons)

(tons)

(tons)

Washington ........................

Wisconsin ..........................

30.40 28.50

(D) 28.95

(D) 25.72

127,680 116,850

(D) 107,100

(D) 97,730

Other States 1 ....................

21.44

27.78

27.18

107,420

214,720

196,270

United States .....................

26.44

28.16

26.68

351,950

321,820

294,000

State

Price per ton 2013

2014

(dollars)

(dollars)

Value of production 2015 (dollars)

2013

2014

2015

(1,000 dollars)

(1,000 dollars)

(1,000 dollars)

Washington ........................

Wisconsin ..........................

104.00 106.00

(D) 89.30

(D) 98.80

13,279 12,362

(D) 9,569

(D) 9,652

Other States 1 ....................

162.00

130.00

135.00

17,367

27,874

26,443

United States .....................

122.00

116.00

123.00

43,008

37,443

36,095

(D) Withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual operations.

1 Includes data withheld above and/or data for States not listed in this table.

28 BC�T May

2015 USDA Potatoes Crop Production Summary ALL POTATOES: Total 2015 potato production for the United States was estimated at 440 million cwt, slightly below the 2014 crop.

a year ago.

Harvested area, at 1.05 million acres, was up slightly from last year.

Average yield, at 418 cwt per acre, was down three cwt from last year.

SUMMER POTATOES: Production of summer potatoes was estimated at 15.7 million cwt, down one percent from 2014.

SPRING POTATOES: Production for 2015 was estimated at 20.3 million cwt, up one percent from the May 1 forecast but down 10 percent from 2014.

Harvested area was estimated at 47,100 acres, four percent below last year. Average yield was estimated at 334 cwt per acre, up 10 cwt from 2014.

Harvested area totaled 68,500 acres, up four percent from the previous forecast, but down four percent from

FALL POTATOES: Production of fall potatoes for 2015 was estimated at 405 million cwt, down one percent

from the November forecast but up slightly from last year.

Average yield of 296 cwt per acre is down eight cwt from the May 1 forecast and down 22 cwt from 2014.

The area harvested, at 937,700 acres, was down one percent from the November forecast but up one percent from last year. Average yield was estimated at 431 cwt per acre, down one cwt from the November forecast and down three cwt from last year’s yield.

MITIGATING FACTORS: Idaho’s 2015 potential potato yields were reduced by summer heat, particularly in eastern areas of the State. All varieties were adversely affected by the heat, but Russet Burbanks continued on pg. 30

Potato Area Planted and Harvested, Yield, and Production – States and United States: 2013-2015 State

Area planted

Area harvested

2013

2014

2015

2013

2014

2015

(1,000 acres)

(1,000 acres)

(1,000 acres)

(1,000 acres)

(1,000 acres)

(1,000 acres)

Arizona ...........................

California ........................

Colorado .........................

Delaware ........................

Florida .............................

Idaho ...............................

Illinois ..............................

Kansas ............................

Maine ..............................

Maryland .........................

3.5 34.3 54.8 1.4 30.9 317.0 6.8 4.4 55.0 2.2

3.8 33.3 60.2 1.2 30.5 321.0 6.5 4.2 51.0 2.3

3.6 31.0 58.2 (D) 30.0 325.0 7.5 3.8 51.0 2.4

3.4 33.8 54.6 1.4 29.5 316.0 6.7 4.3 54.0 2.1

3.5 33.1 59.8 1.2 29.3 320.0 6.4 4.1 50.5 2.3

3.5 30.7 58.0 (D) 29.6 324.0 6.9 3.6 50.5 2.4

Massachusetts ................

Michigan .........................

Minnesota .......................

Missouri ..........................

Montana ..........................

Nebraska ........................

Nevada ...........................

New Jersey .....................

New Mexico ....................

New York ........................

3.9 44.5 46.0 9.5 11.3 18.5 (D) 2.4 (D) 17.5

3.6 43.0 42.0 8.2 11.5 17.0 (D) 2.0 (D) 16.0

3.6 46.0 41.0 8.5 11.0 16.0 (D) (D) (D) 15.0

3.9 44.0 45.0 9.0 11.1 18.3 (D) 2.4 (D) 17.1

3.6 42.5 41.0 7.9 11.3 16.9 (D) 1.9 (D) 15.8

3.6 45.0 40.5 8.1 10.9 15.8 (D) (D) (D) 14.6

North Carolina .................

North Dakota ...................

Ohio ................................

Oregon ............................

Pennsylvania ..................

Rhode Island ...................

Texas ..............................

Virginia ............................

Washington .....................

Wisconsin .......................

14.5 81.0 1.9 40.0 6.7 0.5 18.0 4.0 160.0 62.5

14.5 79.0 1.6 39.0 5.3 0.5 21.0 5.0 165.0 65.0

13.5 82.0 1.6 39.0 5.5 0.7 20.0 5.0 170.0 63.0

13.5 78.0 1.8 39.6 6.6 0.5 17.7 3.9 160.0 62.0

13.5 77.0 1.5 38.9 5.2 0.5 20.6 4.5 165.0 64.0

12.7 80.0 1.5 38.9 5.3 0.7 18.2 4.7 170.0 62.5

Other States 1 .................

10.9

9.4

11.3

10.7

9.3

11.1

United States ..................

1,063.9

1,062.6

1,065.2

1,050.9

1,051.1

See footnote(s) at end of table.

1,053.3 --continued BC�T May 29

Vegetable Crop Report. . . continued from pg. 29

in particular.

Late blight was a problem in parts of the State as well. Summer heat also negatively affected Washington’s potato yield and quality.

Statistics_by_State/Wisconsin/Publications/ Crops/2016/WI_Annual01_16.pdf

WISCONSIN POTATO PRODUCTION* Potato production for 2015 was estimated at 27.5 million cwt, up five percent from 2014. Yield was estimated at 440 cwt, up 30 cwt from 2014. Planted and harvested acres were estimated at 63,000 acres and 62,500 acres, respectively. *USDA Wisconsin Ag News –2015 Crop Production, Upper Midwest Region-Wisconsin Field Office, January 12, 2016, http://www.nass.usda.gov/

Potato Area Planted and Harvested, Yield, and Production – States and United States: 2013-2015 (continued) State

Yield per acre 2013

2014

(cwt)

Production 2015

(cwt)

(cwt)

2013

2014

2015

(1,000 cwt)

(1,000 cwt)

(1,000 cwt)

Arizona ............................

California .........................

Colorado ..........................

Delaware .........................

Florida .............................

Idaho ...............................

Illinois ..............................

Kansas ............................

Maine ..............................

Maryland ..........................

280 425 372 280 240 415 370 350 290 310

310 470 388 290 240 415 415 340 290 380

290 439 394 (D) 230 402 380 335 320 330

952 14,369 20,304 392 7,080 131,131 2,479 1,505 15,660 651

1,085 15,557 23,196 348 7,032 132,880 2,656 1,394 14,645 874

1,015 13,481 22,857 (D) 6,808 130,320 2,622 1,206 16,160 792

Massachusetts .................

Michigan ..........................

Minnesota ........................

Missouri ...........................

Montana ..........................

Nebraska .........................

Nevada ............................

New Jersey ......................

New Mexico .....................

New York .........................

260 360 385 300 310 460 (D) 230 (D) 290

285 370 400 270 320 470 (D) 225 (D) 275

300 390 400 305 320 435 (D) (D) (D) 285

1,014 15,840 17,325 2,700 3,441 8,418 (D) 552 (D) 4,959

1,026 15,725 16,400 2,133 3,616 7,943 (D) 428 (D) 4,345

1,080 17,550 16,200 2,471 3,488 6,873 (D) (D) (D) 4,161

North Carolina .................

North Dakota ...................

Ohio .................................

Oregon ............................

Pennsylvania ...................

Rhode Island ...................

Texas ..............................

Virginia ............................

Washington .....................

Wisconsin ........................

240 290 280 545 290 260 460 210 600 420

210 310 280 580 275 245 335 250 615 410

210 340 230 560 280 245 375 220 590 440

3,240 22,620 504 21,582 1,914 130 8,142 819 96,000 26,040

2,835 23,870 420 22,562 1,430 123 6,901 1,125 101,475 26,240

2,667 27,200 345 21,784 1,484 172 6,825 1,034 100,300 27,500

Other States 1 ..................

457

420

370

4,889

3,906

4,103

United States ...................

414

421

418

434,652

442,170

440,498

(D) Withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual operations.

1 Includes data withheld above.

30 BC�T May

Above: Eric & Andy Schroeder, Schroeder Bros. Farms, Inc., Antigo, WI, take a moment to check out potatoes going into one of their storage shed from the 2015 harvest.

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Farm Safety

By Ruth Faivre, Managing Editor

Over 2 million people work in our nation’s Ag industry as their

A number of occupational hazards exist for farmers, their employees and their families involving machinery, biologic and chemical dangers as well as social and environmental stresses.

In fact, in 2014, key preliminary findings of the Bureau of Labor Statistics 2014 National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries establish that the number of fatal work injuries in agriculture was up 14 percent1.

Farmworkers are at high risk for work-related lung diseases, heat illness, confined space hazards, noiseinduced hearing loss, fall hazards and much more.

Nevertheless, like any other industry, education, awareness and preventive action can significantly reduce these dangers along with proper equipment, training and commonsense precautions.

herculean efforts help feed America and the world. Farm work is extremely important, but it is also one of the most dangerous industries in the country.

Like many other employers, farmers think accidents will never happen to them or their employees, but they do on a daily basis.

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.

32 BC�T May

Tractors account for more than half of all farm fatalities and tractor overturns/rollovers account for the bulk of those tractor-related deaths.

That is why it is so important to have a rollover protective structure (ROPS) but more than half the tractors in Wisconsin do not.

The National Farm Medicine Center’s Wisconsin ROPS Rebate Program reimburses tractor owners up to 70 percent (maximum of $865) toward the total cost of retrofitting.

To apply, phone 1-877-767-7748 (1-877-ROPSR4U), or visit www.ropsr4u.com.

Other tractor-related dangers stem from a lack of training, unsafe equipment, carbon monoxide exposure and moving parts that can entangle clothing and hair.

Employers and supervisors can help ensure the equipment is safe with regular inspections and installation of safety features like seatbelts and flashing lights as well as training workers on safety procedures,

rules of the road, appropriate field practices and equipment use and maintenance.

Additionally, with approximately 50% of all farmworkers being Hispanic, it is imperative for employers to provide training for farm employees in a language and vocabulary they understand.

Ensuring agricultural workers’ safety not only helps these workers stay safe in an often physically challenging work environment; it also helps employers remain economically competitive.

Educational programs are available for farm safety education through many sources such as governmental (federal and state) entities such as OSHA, USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and Agricultural Research Service (ARS); state colleges and universities; Ag associations, your local utility companies, farm suppliers, consultants and more.

However, one of the best resources I

have seen in a long time is a four-part series entitled “Tragic Harvest,” www. startribune.com/deadliest-workplacethe-family-farm/330403811, by Jeffrey Meitrodt, with photos/videos

by Renée Jones Schneider, both of the MN Star Tribune. (If you are not computer savvy, kindly ask a friend to print it out for you to read.)

While this series focuses on Minnesota, it is applicable to any state. It is very vocal and may make you uncomfortable as you recognize actions that you need to change or realities you need to face but a wakeup call is good for all of us from timeto-time. I highly recommend you read the entire series and view the videos.

This series, based on real-life incidents, will drive home the necessity for safe practices and demonstrate how even a moment of safety lapses can quickly become a moment that forever haunts you.

1. http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/cfoi.pdf

Above: Many sources, such as utility companies, provide visual aids for teaching farm education safety. The Nebraska Public Power District created this wonderful illustration regarding safety practices involving downed powerlines.

BC�T May 33

WHY A SCIENTIST CHOOSES CONVENTIONAL OVER ORGANIC FOODS

By Steve Savage

I do not buy organic foods. In

When I say I do not buy organic, that involves frequent decisions.

It is not my place to tell anyone else what to do, but I would like to lay out three, seriously considered factors that have shaped my personal stance on organic:

By all rights, I should be an enthusiastic advocate and consumer of organic. I was a child of the generation influenced by Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring, published in 1962. In high school, I was a duespaying member of the Wilderness Society.

fact, I specifically avoid doing so.

1. Informed confidence that we are safe buying “conventional” foods 2. Recognizing that some of the best farming practices from an environmental perspective are not always allowed or practical under the organic rules 3. An ethical problem with the tactics that some organic advocates and marketers employ which seriously misrepresent their “conventional” competition For the last 40 years, my wife and I shared the shopping and cooking for our mostly homebased meals. We always gardened, but also buy much of our fruit and vegetable-rich diet from stores.

34 BC�T May

Growing up, I helped my beloved grandfather in his organic garden in the 1960s. Some of our best friends in the late 1970s were pioneers in the development of the commercial organic industry.

A significant proportion of my career was spent developing biological and natural product based pesticides, applicable for organic crops.

organic are not about its founding ideals or organic farmers, but rather about organic’s self-imposed limitations and the ethics of a subset of its promoters.

CONFIDENCE IN THE CONVENTIONAL FOOD SUPPLY The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), which oversees foods labeled as “Certified Organic,” states quite clearly on its website about its role in organic foods: “Our regulations do not address food safety or nutrition.”

Foods labeled “Certified Organic,” must adhere to certain rules and

I fully appreciate the contribution the organic movement made in the early 20th century when it highlighted the importance of fostering soil health.

Above: Steve Savage explains: “Consumers are privileged to enjoy a remarkably diverse, safe and affordable food supply. However, for many, that potential enjoyment has been compromised because much of what one hears about modern agriculture and food is misleading, a marketing scheme or simply wrong. My goal is to provide people with enough background information and perspective to help them sift through confusing and conflicting messages so they can enjoy food without fear or guilt.”

My problems with institutional

RIght: Some delicious conventional Asian Pears.

regulations, but are not endowed with any particular nutritional or safety features.

However, many consumers believe that the “Organic label” means the food has superior nutrition and is safer, especially in regards to pesticide residues.

This is not true.

Studies have shown no appreciable difference in nutrition between crops grown either organically or conventionally.

As for the safety issue, when most people hear the word “pesticide,” they imagine something scary in terms of toxicity to humans and the environment.

The reality is that modern agriculture employs an integrated suite of nonpesticidal control measures and the actual pesticides used today are mostly relatively nontoxic to humans.

Organic farmers also use pesticides and the products they are allowed to use are constrained with few exceptions by whether they can be considered “natural.” That is not a safety standard since many of the most toxic chemicals are “natural.”

Like all pesticides, these natural options are subject to EPA scrutiny.

Therefore, the pesticides organic farmers are allowed to use are “safe when used according to the label requirements,” which is the same standard for synthetic pesticides allowed on conventional crops.

When it comes to pesticide residues on our food, an annual USDA testing program, has concluded, year after year that the pesticide residues on both organic and conventional foods are at such low levels that we need not worry about them.

I confidently buy non-organic foods based on this public data that demonstrates that our system is working and that we consumers are well protected.

What the USDA data demonstrates

is that the environmental movement was not a failure – it effected real change over the past five decades!

We do not have a two-tiered food supply in terms of safety in which only those who can afford the premiums get safe food.

I also believe the global scientific consensus that “GMO” foods are safe, and so I do not need to buy organic to avoid those.

ENVIRONMENTAL IDEALISM I have always been concerned about the human impact on the environment, and particularly about the impact of farming since that industry has the largest “footprint” in terms of land area.

I spend a lot of time reading the scientific literature concerning continued on pg. 36

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Why A Scientist. . . continued from pg. 35

agriculture and the environment.

Some of the farming practices that are commonly employed on organic farms are very positive from an environmental perspective, but those practices are also used by progressive “conventional” growers.

There are also quite a few farming practices with excellent environmental profiles which are difficult to implement under the organic farming rules (e.g. no-till farming, spoon-feeding of nutrients via irrigation).

Compost, which is a major input for organic farms, has a shockingly high “carbon footprint” because of methane emissions. The carbon footprint of “synthetic” fertilizer is much smaller.

sparing” farming systems.

From an environmental perspective, the biggest issue for organic is that it requires significantly more land to achieve the same level of production.

ETHICAL ISSUES

Were organic to become more than a niche category, this yield gap would be highly problematic from an environmental point of view. I would much rather buy food from “land

Organic exists as a sort of “super brand” that transcends anyone marketing under that banner.

Unfortunately, within the organic realm there are certain major

My third reason for not buying organic has to do with ethics.

marketers and advocacy groups they fund, who employ fear-based and falsehood-based messages to demonize “conventional” foods.

They use these methods as a means to promote organic. One of the most egregious examples is the “Old McDonald/New McDonald” video funded by Only Organic – a consortium of very large organic marketers.

This bizarre publicity piece exploits children to depict a completely distorted view of mainstream farming. I consider it “hate speech for profit.”

Another example is the organicindustry-funded Environmental Working Group, which grossly distorts that transparent, USDA, public database documenting the safety of the food supply and turns it into a “dirty dozen list” designed to drive organic sales.

These are extreme examples, but the organic marketing community as Above: My granddaughter enjoying “conventional” raspberries (yes, she did then eat them).

RIght: This no-till field in Illinois is good for the environment and food supply.

36 BC�T May

a whole quietly benefits from this sort of propaganda and does nothing to correct the “convenient fiction” that organic means no pesticides.

I realize that only part of the organic industry funds and promotes the most vicious sort of disinformation, but I rarely see organic representatives standing up and objecting to the sort of fear mongering that ultimately benefits the sales for the entire super-brand.

The fear-based messaging drives the intense social pressure that parents in particular feel, about whether they need to buy organic.

I do not want any part in rewarding this sort of fear/shame based marketing. In the absence of a significant objection from more of the organic community, I do not want to support the “super brand.”

So, these are my reasons for not

This article originally appeared in Forbes and was reprinted with permission from the author.

buying organic products. I feel perfectly comfortable buying the alternatives that align with my practical, idealistic and ethical standards.

You are welcome to send your comments via email (savage.sd@ gmail.com).

Steve Savage is an agricultural scientist (plant pathology) who has worked for Colorado State University, DuPont (fungicide development), Mycogen (biocontrol development) and for the past 13 years as an independent consultant. His blogging website is Applied Mythology. You can follow him on Twitter @grapedoc.

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PREPLAN & AVOID RETIREMENT CRISIS

By Carol Goetsch, U.S. Bank Wealth Management, Head of Advisory Consulting Services

Working the land with its constant change is both tough and risky,

but equally rewarding.

Farmers consistently multi-task by being a mechanic, an engineer, a scientist and meteorologist. They also must understand debt, negotiate contracts, work with suppliers and employees, be a bookkeeper and handle the taxes.

However, new challenges and considerations now loom; with the average farmer near 60 years of age(1) and 70 percent of U.S. farmland to change hands in the next 20 years(2), farmers need to consider their financial retirement security.

Key issues farmers should consider: • Does the balance sheet consist of both short and longer-term debt?

• Is wealth concentrated in land, buildings and/or equipment?

• What level of participation have you had with Social Security or other types of retirement plans?

You may be attached to your land and generally expect the sale of 38 BC�T May

equipment to fund retirement, yet selling land could also create the income you need. That can mean transferring the farm to the next generation or selling it to other farmers.

One of the major challenges for succeeding generations is affording and securing farmland. These types of decisions can be emotional and difficult, as the land may have been in the family for generations.

A supportive financial professional team can help facilitate a smooth transition to retirement, managing the challenges and complexities presented by retirement today.

A strong succession plan can triumph

over dire statistics: only 30 percent of first generation operations successfully transition to the second generation, while only 10 percent of the second-generation operations make it to the third generation(3).

Farming is still an industry of familyowned businesses, which accounts for 98 percent of all U.S. farms and 86 percent of our total agricultural output(3).

Succession from one generation to the next is often the dream of most farmers. To increase your chances of achieving success in this dream, you should consider developing a retirement plan at least 10 years before you want the actual transition to occur.

FIRST STEPS A few questions that both generations need to consider: • Are succeeding family members dedicated to farming?

• Is the current owner ready to share

/relinquish control?

• Can family members work together?

• Can the operation realistically support every family member interested in participating in the operation?

• How might you keep peace in the family when only certain members have an interest in running the business?

When a family wants to keep the farm, but the next generation is not ready or cannot commit to farming, consider the following questions: • What is the plan to transition from an operating farm entity to an income producing investment?

• Is there sufficient income and land value to support your family’s overall needs and objectives?

If you decide to sell the farm or ranch, consider the following:

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• How do you determine the correct selling price?

• What are the potential tax implications in selling?

ESTATE PLANNING Understanding the value of your business is critical. Appreciation of farmland values between 2008 –13, for example, may add to retirement plan considerations.

Estate tax consequences could likely result, so you may need to identify strategies to help reduce gift and estate taxes.

A consideration when a farm or ranch makes up of a large portion of your estate is having sufficient liquidity to cover estate taxes.

For example, if you have leased water or mineral rights, the increased value of those rights may suddenly put your estate above the threshold for the federal tax exemption.

Adjustments to your estate plan

may help minimize tax liability and ensure sufficient estate liquidity to cover taxes, final expenses and administrative costs.

Creating a trust can provide important benefits that are not available by simply naming beneficiaries in your will.

In most cases, assets held in trust avoid probate, which also means the transfer remains private. If properly structured, a trust may also provide protection from creditors or beneficiaries.

As a grantor of a revocable trust, you may retain control of the assets through the trust terms, even after death.

Establishing a family limited partnership to help facilitate the transfer process may be another option.

This type of entity may qualify for continued on pg. 40

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Ag Retirement. . . continued from pg. 39

gifting discounts for gift tax purposes and is a strategy that can facilitate operational planning and the efficient transfer of family wealth.

It may also reduce gift taxes, while accommodating business succession planning.

When a farm owner transfers property into a family limited partnership, the owner receives partnership interests in return.

These interests can be divided and transferred to family members, which can eliminate the need to split up the property in order to pass it on to multiple people.

With a partnership in place, you may create an operating agreement mechanism that lays out management goals and functions before, during and after the transition. However, the transfer to a partnership may result in the loss of the potential tax benefits of a step up in cost basis, when assets are gifted prior to the death of the owner.

TALK IT OVER There are many additional considerations and planning options to take into account when exploring how to preserve your legacy that warrant a discussion with your family and your financial, tax and legal professionals.

Topics to discuss should focus on whether to transfer the farm as a gift or selling the farm on an installment basis, utilizing buy/sell agreements and wealth equalization strategies.

In some situations, the next generation may be passionate about taking over the farm; however, they may not be able to commit to the demands or demonstrate the ability to run it.

In that situation, professional management of the property may be a consideration.

One resource that can help is the 40 BC�T May

RealSteps process, which can assist farmers with identifying their goals, aspirations and dreams for their business.

At U.S. Bank, we use this process to work with families, individuals and ownership entities through the transition process of retirement.

Each farm situation is unique, so it is important for a comprehensive planning process to have the flexibility to understand and meet the requirements of a particular ownership situation.

Through U.S. Banks Farm and Ranch Management Group, we are able to provide guidance in the areas of crop and land management, lease negotiations and lease management, government and environmental regulations, crop marketing and government program enrollment and management.

Having proactive management to help you meet short and long-term financial goals can lift the stress of day-to-day management from family members, while potentially generating market value for your land and investment.

With proper planning, you may help ensure that your farm is transferred to interested children and their families with enough remaining

for you to be financially secure in retirement.

Farm families who fail to plan for succession are more likely to go out of business, resulting in having their property absorbed into neighboring farms, or converted to non-farming use. With proper planning, the legacy you desire can be possible.

CASE STUDY With today’s farming families, we often see the next generation often leave home and pursue a college education. While some return to run the family farm, others decide to pursue other careers, leaving the family farm open to whoever will take it over.

Tom and Betty are a second generation farming family. Bill is one of three children who decided to return home to work the farm.

Tom and Betty waited until they were in their 70s to begin planning the farm transfer, then Tom had a stroke, forcing the family to make some quick decisions.

Unfortunately, the family members had very different ideas about how the transfer process should work.

While Tom and Betty wanted their assets divided evenly among all three children, Bill could not continue

farming if the land was subdivided, as his siblings wanted. He needed to keep it intact to maintain crop rotations.

Tom and Betty realized after working with their financial advisor and other partners, that while inheritances may not be equal, they can be equitable and potentially keep peace in the family.

Equitable inheritances, utilizing insurance solutions combined with a well laid out plan, may provide a win-win solution.

Surviving children who are active in the farm or ranch operation are freed from the burden of buying out inactive owners when the farm can least afford it. In addition, uninvolved family members receive cash instead of land, equipment, or other business assets they would need to sell.

One of the keys to making this arrangement work is to discuss your

plans with your children and explain the reasoning behind the choices you have made.

A child who might otherwise feel slighted is more likely to accept the decision that comes directly from you, especially when everyone understands that great care has been taken to provide for each of them in an equitable manner.

USDA NASS, 2012 Census of Agriculture, Preliminary report

(1)

Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service (CSREES), 2008

(2)

University of Minnesota survey, 2008, CSREES, USDA 2008

(3)

U.S. Bank and its representatives do not provide tax or legal advice. Each individual's tax and financial situation is unique. Individuals should consult their tax and/or legal advisor for advice and information concerning their particular situation.

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WHAT THE HECK IS PROPANE AUTOGAS?

By Jeff Wymer, Insight FS Energy Sales Leader

Do you know what propane autogas is?

If you think of it as the fuel used in your grandpa’s tractor or by Schwan’s ice cream trucks, your information is outdated.

Those vehicles ran on propane, but the technology was plagued with problems and never really caught on.

Now, it has been replaced by all-new, exciting technology.

PROPANE AUTOGAS 101 Propane, also known as liquefied petroleum gas or LPG or LP, is a byproduct of oil refining and natural gas production. It is odorless and colorless in its natural state. An odorant is added for safety reasons.

Propane is stored as a liquid under April 2016

Badger er Common’Tat THE VOICE

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ironmental, Inc. INTERVIEW: t, P.H., GZA GeoEnv James F. Drough

s Blemish Disease BADGER BEAT ment of Potato Integrated Manage ITION ve Award SPECIAL RECOGN to Receive Distincti Louis Wysocki RULE Defines WOTUS CLEAN WATER Ruder Ware, Clearly Russell Wilson,

relatively low pressure and becomes a gas at normal pressure. It has traditionally been used in a variety of applications, such as forklift operation, gas grills and home heat.

Now it is also recognized as an alternative transportation fuel.

Autogas can substitute for gasoline to operate a gasoline engine. LPG is directly injected into the engine in a liquid form.

When the engine is turned off, the LPG that is in the lines is evacuated back into the tank, eliminating problems with vapor lock and freezing that were common with the old propane fuel systems.

Tests have shown that propanepowered vehicles consistently start under extreme conditions, tested to minus 40 degree Fahrenheit.

Badger Common’Tater

THE VOICE OF THE WISCONSIN POTATO & VEGETABLE INDUSTRY

GASOLINE ALTERNATIVE

Autogas provides many benefits when compared to gasoline as a vehicle fuel. For instance, it cuts emissions of toxins and carcinogens by up to 96 percent as compared to gasoline.

Vehicles operating on propane autogas achieve average emissions reductions of close to 20 percent.

Autogas-powered fleets experience significant fuel savings. Some fleets have reported a 30 percent fuel savings.

With the use of clean-burning propane autogas, engine life is significantly extended. Oil drain intervals have also been greatly extended, which equates to lower maintenance costs.

Subscribe Today!

Whether you are a grower, industry partner or simply enjoy rural life, sign up to receive this prestigious publication in print version, delivered direct to your mailbox for $18/year (12 issues). , P.H., GZA James F. Drought Inc. poses tal, GeoEnvironmen h Station’s

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wisconsinpotatoes.com/blog-news/subscribe

SAFE CHOICE

SMART INVESTMENT

Autogas has many safety features that make it a desirable fuel.

Even though propane autogas may smell like rotten eggs, the facts proving it is a smart investment are not a lot of garbage.

Because it is released from a pressurized container as a vapor, propane autogas cannot be ignited like gasoline or alcohol fuels. Igniting propane gas in the air calls for very specific things to occur and the source of ignition must reach 940 degrees Fahrenheit. In contrast, gasoline will ignite at only 430 to 500 degrees Fahrenheit.

Need another reason to use propane autogas? It is produced right here in the United States of America.

Propane autogas is the most widely used alternative transportation fuel in the world, with 17 million propane vehicles around the globe.

Propane is non-toxic and nonpoisonous. It poses no harm to groundwater, surface water or soil.

It does not spill, pool or leave any residue when released, but rather dissipates into the air.

The first propane-powered school bus was purchased in Wisconsin in 2011; there are now over 500 registered in the state. The number of propane autogas powered cars and trucks in Wisconsin grows each year.

Propane autogas fuel tanks are 20 times more puncture-resistant than typical diesel or gasoline tanks. The propane tank will remain securely in place even in frontal or rear impacts.

At Insight FS, we have a team of knowledgeable LP autogas specialists ready and capable to grow the LP autogas market. Call on us for fuel that is green — and smart.

BC�T May 43

Now News

USDA Loans and Grants to Help Grow Rural Businesses and Spur Economic Development Rural Business CooperativeService Administrator Sam Rikkers announced that USDA is seeking applications for loans and grants to help support the startup or expansion of rural businesses.

"Our small, rural businesses need financing to compete in the global economy," Rikkers said.

"With this announcement, USDA is demonstrating its continued commitment to investing in small towns and rural communities.

These loans and grants will spur entrepreneurship, create jobs and improve the quality of life in rural America."

The funding is being provided through the Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant (REDLG) program. Under this program, USDA provides zero-interest loans and grants to local utilities, which use the 44 BC�T May

funding to create revolving funds for projects that will create or retain jobs in rural areas.

USDA is making $37 million in loans and $11 million in grants available.

A recipient may receive a loan of up to $1 million, or a grant of up to $300,000. Since 2009, USDA has invested more than $330 million in loans and grants through the REDLG program.

In 2015, Aiken Technical College in Graniteville, S.C., received a $1 million loan to build a facility to provide training in advanced manufacturing. The 35,000-squarefoot facility, called the Center for Energy and Advanced Manufacturing, or CEAM, will help the college's students graduate with degrees in technically advanced fields of study.

The REDLG program has also been successful in StrikeForce counties.

The StrikeForce for Rural Growth and Opportunity Initiative is part of the Obama Administration's commitment to address persistent poverty across America.

As areas of persistent poverty are identified, USDA staff work with state, local and community officials to increase awareness of USDA programs and help build program participation through intensive community outreach and technical assistance.

In 2015, the South Mississippi Electric Power Association used part of a $2 million REDLG loan to help the City of Greenwood buy and renovate a building for the Milwaukee Tools company. Once completed, this project is expected to create more than 100 jobs in Lenore County, a designated StrikeForce area.

For information on how to apply for REDLG loans or grants, contact your Rural Development state office or see page 14415 of the March 17 Federal Register.

The first round of applications is due March 31, 2016, and the second round of applications is due June 30, 2016.

Two Blades Foundation Partners with Simplot and Sainsbury Laboratory to Advance Potato Disease Resistance

Two Blades Foundation (2Blades) announced a research partnership between 2Blades, Sainsbury Laboratory and J. R. Simplot Company to develop potato varieties with increased resistance to oomycete and bacterial diseases.

Late blight, the oomycete disease that resulted in the Irish Potato Famine, is the most notorious of potato diseases and still a significant cause of yield loss in potato production today. The late blight pathogen, Phytophthora infestans, can also cause tuber rot.

To identify long lasting resistance to late blight, scientists and breeders have turned to wild relatives of potato to identify resistance genes and introduce these into agronomic varieties. The current partnership aims to explore new sources of late blight resistance identified in the laboratory of Professor Jonathan Jones at Sainsbury Laboratory, Norwich, U.K. Simplot has recently received USDA and FDA clearance for its secondgeneration Innate® potatoes with late blight disease resistance for common North American strains.

The partnership with 2Blades and Sainsbury Laboratory will enable Simplot to add additional genes from wild potato varieties to combat global strains in future Innate generations.

Potatoes are also susceptible

to bacterial diseases, such as bacterial wilt and soft rot that can affect plants in the field and can lead to significant losses for stored potatoes.

In addition to blight resistance, the new partnership will test the ability of the EFR gene, a broad-spectrum immune receptor that recognizes bacteria, to protect potatoes.

The EFR gene is studied in the laboratory of Professor Cyril Zipfel, Head of Sainsbury Laboratory. EFR has already been demonstrated to confer resistance against bacterial diseases in tomato, tobacco, wheat and other crops.

Craig Richael, Director of Research & Development, Simplot Plant Sciences, states, “The partnership with 2Blades and Sainsbury Laboratory combines some of the most promising technology to combat devastating diseases with the popular commercial varieties of potatoes.”

Diana Horvath of 2Blades explains further, “The Sainsbury Laboratory is at the cutting edge of discovery in the field of plant-pathogen interactions.

2Blades is pleased to advance the testing and deployment of Professors Jones and Zipfel’s discoveries by partnering with Simplot.” continued on pg. 46

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Now News. . . continued from pg. 45

Extend Lifespan of Parts & Equipment With Transformational Cold Iron Process Tired of parts and equipment breaking at stress points or wearing out sooner than expected?

Cold Iron Processing, Plover WI, in partnership with Big Iron Equipment, introduces a trade secret, groundbreaking cryogenic process that raises the material substance of your equipment and parts to a level of performance beyond your wildest dreams.

This process realigns the molecular makeup of the materials, rendering

46 BC�T May

them more wear-resistant and durable, which extends their life and limits downtime. It also relieves inherent residual stresses.

Thus far, the company has enjoyed great success with equipment and parts in the manufacturing and agriculture fields, projecting lifespan extensions of about two to three times more than normal expectancy.

Items tested have included lawnmower blades, chainsaw chains, tillage teeth, brake pads and rotors,

engine parts and more. Nothing treated with boron can be processed so that does rule out disc blades.

Cold Iron Processing is located right next to Big Iron Equipment at 2731 Maple Drive, Plover, WI and can be reached at (715) 345-7039. Call today to discuss how they can help reduce your down time and increase stability.

Above: Bill Zelinski, Big Iron Equipment, Inc. and Scott Doyle, Cold Iron Processing, have launched a new company that helps prolong lifespans for your equipment and parts.

Bottom: Parts treated with the Cold Iron Processing revolutionary cryogenic procedure.

Growmark becomes official dealer of Climate Pro Growmark has partnered with Climate Corporation to become an official dealer of Climate Pro, Climate Corporation's premium web and mobile offering.

Climate Pro is a web-based data information system that provides weather information specific to an individual farmer's field of interest.

The software allows farms to import or load field boundaries into Climate Pro and the Climate Pro network of weather stations provides precipitation estimates on those fields.

"We're very excited to be launching this new brand," Laatsch states. "The premise of the word Endure, and why it was used as the name of the brand, is that we believe companies and

Tim Laatsch, Growmark’s Insect and Plant Disease Technical Manager, explains, "With Climate Pro, you can track rainfall on your crop, which provides the ability to model and predict whether your crop will have sufficient nitrogen remaining in the soil profile to drive optimum yield.”

According to Laastch, Monsanto has set up several field-scale research farms across the Midwest that focus exclusively on validating the nitrogen loss calculations in the Climate Pro model. This extensive amount of field validation work further advances the accuracy of the program.

Climate Pro is also able to intersect a specific field average with satellite photography and imagery, allowing growers an unprecedented view into field health and enabling more timeefficient management of the stressors targeting specific areas of a field.

For farmers, this adds a new dimension of exciting informational tools, while also delivering some very practical management tools.

farmers who implement stewardship practices on their farm and operate with excellence across the board, will endure the test of time." continued on pg. 48

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Now News. . . continued from pg. 47

Deere Buys Hagie Manufacturing John Deere is acquiring majority ownership of Hagie Manufacturing, Clarion, Iowa, founded in 1947 by Ray Hagie, who invented the first self-propelled sprayer.

The company, which produces self-propelled sprayers, known for their front-mounted booms and high clearance, currently has 400 employees.

Hagie sprayers will continue to be produced at the company’s Clarion, Iowa, location and will still carry

the Hagie brand.

Sales and service, however, will be integrated into Deere’s global distribution channel over the next 15 months.

Company President and thirdgeneration family member, Alan

Hagie, will step aside but continue to do research and development for the company.

New president Kent Klemme was most recently John Deere’s manager of Seeding and Tilling Program Management.

New Resource for Farmer-Led Watershed Projects UW Discovery Farms® Program, part of UW-Extension, has developed a new resource for farmers interested in farmer-led watershed projects.

UW Discovery Farms has worked with dozens of farmers in two watersheds for the past five years. Through that experience and their role in other farmer-led initiatives, they have 48 BC�T May

developed a set of questions meant to guide individuals interested in starting up farmer-led projects.

This three-page document is a great starting point to launch such projects.

It is full of questions for farmers, ideas to explore and additional resources to access for even more information.

Access the document here: http://www. uwdiscoveryfarms.org/Portals/0/ Users/176/24/2224/160329%20 Farmer%20led%20watershed.pdf You can also call (715.983.5668) or email callie.herron@ces.uwex.edu.

Potatoes USA News Potatoes USA Sponsors Ellie Krieger TV personality

Potatoes USA sponsored a satellite media tour in early February by Ellie Krieger, TV personality, New York Times bestselling and award winning cookbook author and Washington Post columnist that has reached 2 million viewers to date through television, radio and online interviews.

The You Have It Made cookbook is devoted to the kind of recipes her fans have requested for years— make-ahead meals for those who are always short on time when it comes to cooking.

Ellie, a longtime friend of potatoes, released a new cookbook in January titled You Have It Made, featuring several delicious potato recipes.

Her recipes, which include breakfasts, soups, salads, casseroles and more, can be prepared ahead of time. Each recipe includes instructions for refrigerating and/ or freezing as well as storing and reheating directions.

During her interviews, Ellie demonstrated a “Cod and Potato Cakes” recipe from her You Have It Made cookbook while touting potato nutrition facts including new research published by the Alliance for Potato Research and Education (APRE).

With exciting dishes like the Pumpkin Spice Overnight Oats in Jars and the Herbed Salmon Salad, you will be able to have meals ready days in advance. As with her other books, all of Ellie’s recipes are healthy and come complete with nutrition information.

Above: TV Personality Ellie Krieger recommends potatoes in broadcast interviews across the country.

Right: TV personality Ellie Krieger’s You Have It Made cookbook.

But, that does not mean they sound like diet food! Just look at the Creamy Tomato Soup, Chicken Enchilada Pie and Smoky Smothered Pork Chops, to name a few. You Have It Made helps

you turn your fridge and freezer into a treasure chest of satisfying, goodfor-you meals.

Ellie participated in 22 interviews for this campaign, reaching national and local audiences in cities like Tampa, Boston, Portland and St. Louis. You can watch one of her interviews at this link: www.wtvr.com/2016/02/02/ these-make-ahead-dinner-ideas-areperfect-for-the-busy-family.

BC�T May 49

People

Wysocki Family of Companies Wins United Way’s Community Spirit Award United Way of Portage County recently recognized the Wysocki Family of Companies for longtime outstanding corporate and employee support by presenting the company with their annual 2015 Community Spirit award at the organization’s annual Recognition Luncheon, February 9, at the Stevens Point Holiday Inn. Wysocki Family of Companies, a United Way supporter since 2008, was one of over 225 United Way supporters that successfully raised more than $2.8 million to help people within Portage County.

“Wysocki Family of Companies is committed to supporting and volunteering with organizations like the United Way to help the 50 BC�T May

communities where our employees live and work,” said Russell Wysocki, president and CEO of RPE. Wysocki Family of Companies’ employee-led United Way committee creates year-round fundraisers to raise money for the organization.

Each year the committee develops new and inventive workplace fundraisers to engage all employees and encourage employee donations to United Way. A few of these annual events include, but are not limited to, bake sales, chili cook-offs, basket raffles, a cookout and a dunk tank, a tailgate extravaganza, and a bean bag toss tournament.

Additionally, Wysocki Family of Companies donates annually

to Project Fresh Start, a United Way Portage Count program that donates school supplies to children within the community.

Through all the events, Wysocki Family of Companies and their employees are able to donate over $50,000 each year to support the programs and services offered to community members through the United Way. Wysocki Family of Companies consists of RPE, Inc; Paragon Potato Farms; and Wysocki Produce Farm.

Wysocki Family of Companies is also co-owner of Tasteful Selections, LLC, and Central Sands Dairy.

They are a second-generation family farm and a vertically integrated grower, shipper and marketer of potatoes and onions. Wysocki Family of Companies prides itself on maintaining a high level of business integrity that includes commitments to environmental sustainability, as well as category innovation and retail solutions.

Alsum Farms Helps Flint, MI with Potato Donation Alsum Farms & Produce Inc. donated 40,000 pounds of potatoes to the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan as part of a broader effort to help Flint, Mich., residents impacted by water contamination there.

The food bank is bringing fresh produce to people potentially impacted by lead contamination in the city’s water supply.

Foods rich in calcium, vitamin C and iron can help lessen the effects of lead exposure, according to a news release, and many residents do not have easy access to fresh fruits and vegetables.

Starting in the last week of February, the food bank sent multiple truckloads to local pantries.

“Our organization is committed to serving others and giving back to the community and our neighbors in need,” Heidi Alsum-Randall, national sales and marketing manager for Alsum Farms, said in the release. “It’s gratifying to know our potatoes will be helping feed families in need of healthy, nutritious foods.”

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“Alsum has partnered with Feeding America for four years, and we are thankful for their continued support,” Ross Frasier, spokesperson for Feeding America, a nationwide network of 200 food banks, said in the release.

Above: Three generations of the Alsum families serve as outgoing, natural spokespersons Larry Alsum and his daughters, National Sales & Marketing Manager Heidi Alsum-Randall (center) and Controller Wendy Alsum-Dykstra along with four granddaughters Morgan Randall, Madison Randall, Reagan Dykstra and Riley Dykstra.

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Photo by Alsum Farms & Produce Inc.

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New Products Mahindra introduces mPACT® XTV Utility Vehicles Designed to haul, tow and go more!

Built from the ground up in Batesville, AR, the Mahindra mPACT XTV series sets the standard for handling hard work around the farm, property or anywhere else you need to take it.

Mahindra offers world-class, off-road utility vehicles with unparalleled strength, power and performance to help you work smarter and play harder.

The XTV lineup leads the utility vehicle category for cargo box capacity, towing capacity and ground clearance.

These unique vehicles have spacious, comfortable seating and are loaded with standard features including electric power cargo box lift, 2” front and rear receiver hitches, black 52 BC�T May

aluminum wheels and front bumper.

Best of all, these vehicles include an industry-leading 3-Year Powertrain warranty. A full line of accessories is available for customizing these vehicles to fit your style and needs.

HAUL MORE Haul up to 1,200 lbs., with up to 34 cu. ft. of cargo volume (L models) vehicles are equipped with electric power cargo box lift included as standard equipment.

Includes industry-exclusive cargo box sides that easily convert into a flatbed (L models and Flexhauler models), and built-in storage compartments.

Designed with 10.25” auto-style rotors

and oversized calipers for stopping under any load and pre-loaded adjustable shocks with additional mounting points for optimal ride quality with any load.

TOW MORE Tow up to 2,100 lbs. Vehicles deliver max power to the ground with 36:1 gearbox ratio, 10.25” auto-style rotors and oversized calipers for stopping under any load and 2” standard front and rear receiver hitches are included as standard equipment.

GO MORE Vehicles are designed with 12” of ground clearance, true 4WD autolock front differential and push-button

rear differential lock, 27” tires on 14” aluminum wheels and independent suspension front and rear with 10” of wheel travel.

“S” SERIES STANDARD FEATURES • 750 cc, fuel injected Kohler gas engine or 1000 cc, 3 cylinder Kohler diesel engine • Up to 35 MPH • Electrical power cargo box lift2” front and rear receiver hitches • 6-ply, 27” ATV tires on 14” aluminum wheels • 3-passenger seat plus cargo • Up to 1,200 lbs. cargo box capacity • Up to 2,100 lb. towing capacity • Up to 12” of ground clearance • Available in Mahindra red or RealTree® AP camouflage color patterns “C” SERIES STANDARD FEATURES • 750 cc, fuel-injected Kohler gas engine or 1000 cc, 3-cylinder Kohler diesel engine • Up to 33 MPH • Electric power cargo box lift • 2” front and rear receiver hitches • 6-ply, 27” ATV tires on 14” aluminum wheels • 6-passanger seat plus cargo • Up to 1,000 lbs. cargo box capacity • Up to 2,100 lbs. towing capacity

• Up to 12” ground clearance • Available in Mahindra red or RealTree® camouflage color patterns “L” SERIES STANDARD FEATURES • 750 cc, fuel-injected Kohler gas engine or 1000 cc, 3-cylinder Kohler diesel engine • Up to 33 MPH • Industry-exclusive cargo box design that easily converts to a flatbed • Up to 34 cu. ft. of cargo volume • Additional side storage compartments • 2” front and rear receiver hitches • 6-ply, 27” ATV tires on 14” aluminum wheels • 3-passenger seat plus cargo • Up to 1,200 lbs. cargo capacity • Up to 2,100 lbs. towing capacity • Up to 12” of ground clearance • Available in Mahindra red color

FLEXHAULER STANDARD FEATURES • 750 cc, fuel-injected Kohler gas engine or 1000 cc, 3-cylinder diesel engine • Up to 35 MPH • Electric power cargo box lift • Fold-down cargo box that easily converts to a flatbed • 2” front and rear receiver hitches • 6-ply, 27” ATV tires on 14” aluminum wheels • 3-passenger seating plus cargo • Up to 1,200 lbs. with 23 cu. ft. of volume – 50% more than standard cargo box • Up to 2,100 lbs. towing capacity • Up to 12” of ground clearance • Available in Mahindra red These new Mahindra mPACT® XTV Utility Vehicles are available at Fairchild Equipment, Inc. For more information visit www.fairchildequipment.com.

About Fairchild Equipment, Inc. Fairchild Equipment started as a lift truck distributor for Yale forklifts in 1985 and has since grown to have seven locations throughout Wisconsin and two locations in Minnesota. Providing its footprint with a broad range of equipment, Fairchild Equipment offers solutions for various industry applications in materials handling, warehouse, construction agriculture and more. Fairchild Equipment offers full service for all makes and models with a comprehensive parts department and full-line rental fleet. Fairchild Equipment is a proud distributor of Hyster-Yale forklifts, Mahindra and JCB equipment and promotes the innovations in technology that enhance productivity, efficiency and reliability. continued on pg. 54 BC�T May 53

New Products. . . continued from pg. 53

JOHN DEERE LAUNCHES MOBILE RTK SIGNAL FOR NORTH AMERICA Helps Stay Connected Even In Challenging Terrain John Deere expanded its RTK differential correction offerings with the introduction of John Deere Mobile RTK Signal.

This latest innovation in machine guidance and telematics from John Deere delivers repeatable RTK accuracy to a machine via a cellular connection to guide accurate, reliable and precise field operations.

“Machines equipped with a StarFire™ 3000 receiver and JDLink™ Connectenabled Modular Telematics Gateway can now connect to a central server to receive the Mobile RTK Signal correction from a number of established networked RTK base stations,” explains Jarred Karnei, product marketing manager for John Deere.

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54 BC�T May

As part of the John Deere Mobile RTK Network, which is supported by Leica Geosystems, the cellular RTK Signal correction eliminates the line-of-sight requirement to a single base station.

For operators in the field, this means improved operational accuracy and connection reliability when working in hilly or mountainous terrain or in areas with significant tree cover, which can interrupt radio RTK signal connections.

“Over the past two years of working with John Deere, we’ve been continuously impressed by their level of commitment to innovation and customer service,” says Wendy Watson, director of reference station operations for Leica Geosystems.

“The launch of John Deere Mobile RTK Signal is further evidence of their dedication to provide the best possible solutions to their customers, and we look forward to assisting with the continued expansion of this valuable service to John Deere dealers and their customers.”

According to John Deere’s Karnei, to complete a John Deere Mobile RTK system, customers need a RTKactivated StarFire 3000 receiver, JDLink Connect-enabled Modular

Telematics Gateway (MTG 3G), and a John Deere Mobile RTK Signal subscription.

For customers currently running John Deere AutoTrac™ with an active JDLink Connect subscription, there is no additional hardware or data plan you need to purchase, just the Mobile RTK Signal subscription.

“Customers using the Mobile RTK Signal will have seamless roaming anywhere within the Mobile RTK Network, with no need to change network IDs, for continuous, subinch accuracy,” Karnei explains. “It’s a complete, integrated solution that’s fully supported by local John Deere dealers.” John Deere Mobile RTK Signal delivers repeatable RTK accuracy to a machine via a cellular connection to aid in guiding precise field operations.

The John Deere Mobile RTK Network is available in certain areas of the United States and Canada. John Deere

Jim Hoffa 715-366-4181 715-340-4757

plans to continue to expand the Mobile RTK Network coverage.

John Deere Mobile RTK Signal is a supplemental offering to the vast John Deere radio-based RTK coverage many John Deere dealers offer today.

To learn more about current Mobile RTK Signal coverage, visit my.jdmrtk. com or see your John Deere dealer.

Deere & Company (NYSE: DE) is a world leader in providing advanced products and services and is committed to the success of customers whose work is linked to the land - those who cultivate, harvest, transform, enrich and build upon the land to meet the world’s dramatically increasing need for food, fuel, shelter and infrastructure. Since 1837, John Deere has delivered innovative products of superior quality built on a tradition of integrity. For more information, visit John Deere at its worldwide website at www.JohnDeere.com. continued on pg. 56

Todd Schill 715-335-4900 715-498-2020

Crop Protection Products Variable Rate Fertilizer Application Soil Fumigation • Liquid Fertilizer Bulk & Bagged Fertilizer Seed: Dyna-Gro, Dekalb, Syngenta, Mycogen BC�T May 55

New Products. . . continued from pg. 55

16 Syngenta Product Launches In 2016 Syngenta forecasts multiple

launches over the next five years, according to Jeff Cecil, head of crop protection product marketing for Syngenta, North America.

pipeline, which includes about 50 new crop protection technologies, 19 new active ingredients with North American potential, 15 label or use expansions and at least 10 new premixes.

The pace is, in large part, due to the investment Syngenta makes in research and development (R&D)— more than $1.3 billion globally each year. That translates into more than $3.5 million every day, Cecil noted.

Syngenta’s 16 new 2016 crop protection products originated primarily from three active ingredients introduced in 2015 from their robust U.S. research

“That’s pretty remarkable,” Cecil said. “I’ve been in this industry for more than 20 years, and I’ve never seen this kind of pipeline coming out of any company.”

The three new product registrations introduced in 2015 include:

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ACURON® HERBICIDE It contains four active ingredients, including the 2015 introduced active ingredient bicyclopyrone, and three complementary, overlapping modes of action for multi-targeted control of the most difficult weeds in corn.

“Acuron is a step change in control of large-seeded broadleaf weeds like giant ragweed, and it’s also providing benefit against other weeds that have become resistant to certain chemistries in the marketplace,” said David Laird, head of product biology for Syngenta, North America. “It’s really a new standard for residual herbicide weed control in the U.S.” A 2016 product built on this technology is Acuron Flexi corn herbicide.

Developed for growers who need to control difficult weeds with added flexibility, it features three active ingredients, including bicyclopyrone and two modes of action. Where registered, growers can use Acuron Flexi without geographic or soiltype restrictions and can mix it with atrazine (AAtrex® brands) or

56 BC�T May

glyphosate herbicides, depending on farming practices.

economically devastating soil and foliar diseases on a variety of crops.

SOLATENOL® FUNGICIDE

In 2016, Syngenta will offer this fungicide in three multipacks of separately registered products: Orondis Opti, a combination of Orondis and chlorothalonil fungicides for long-lasting, broad-spectrum control of foliar diseases in potatoes and vegetables; Orondis Ultra, a combination of Orondis and mandipropamid fungicides for control of downy mildews on leafy vegetables and other crops and Orondis Ridomil Gold® SL, a combination of Orondis and mefenoxam fungicides for best-in-class protection against devastating soil-borne diseases in tobacco and vegetables.

This fungicide offers residual disease control in corn, soybean, wheat, peanuts, potatoes and various fruit and vegetable crops.

“We’ve launched four new products based on Solatenol technology alone,” Cecil said. “Trivapro™ is our fungicide for row crops. In dozens of 2015 trials, it lasted longer and worked harder than competitive programs.” Other Solatenol-based products are Aprovia® fungicide for apples, grapes and pears; Aprovia® Solatenol is the top fungicide for fruiting and cucurbit vegetables; and Elatus® fungicide for peanuts and potatoes.

ORONDIS® FUNGICIDE Orondis contains the active ingredient oxathiapiprolin and offers a new mode of action for controlling

“Orondis provides excellent systemic control and can be used at very low use rates,” Laird said, adding that it has been about 30 years since agriculture has seen a product with this level of oomycete activity and movement in the plant.

In agriculture, increased yield is a constant goal, noted Cecil.

However, factors, such as resistance, environmental conditions and pest shifts, can complicate growers’ efforts in the field.

“That’s why we are committed to a robust pipeline of new technologies that will help resolve challenges and make increased yield a reality,” he said.

For more information on the Syngenta pipeline and 2016 product launches, visit www. syngentathrive.com.

About Syngenta Syngenta is a leading agriculture company helping to improve global food security by enabling millions of farmers to make better use of available resources. Through world-class science and innovative crop solutions, our 28,000 people in over 90 countries are working to transform how crops are grown. We are committed to rescuing land from degradation, enhancing biodiversity and revitalizing rural communities. To learn more visit www. syngenta.com and www.goodgrowthplan.com.

Follow us on Twitter® at www.twitter.com/Syngenta and www.twitter.com/SyngentaUS.

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After all, your farm operation is your home, your business, and a considerable capital investment.

To protect whats important to you, call 1-877-219-9550 or visit our website and we can show you the variety of coverages available to address all your insurance needs.

Premiums Paid Here, Stay Here To Keep Wisconsin Strong.

BC�T May 57

NPC News NPC Supports SOLAS Amendment National Potato Council (NPC) and 48 other national, state and regional organizations sent a letter of appreciation to the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Commandant, Admiral Paul Zukunft, stating support for his interpretation of the container weight amendment to the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) treaty.

Adm. Zukunft's view is that the amendment to the SOLAS treaty on requirements for shippers to certify shipment and container weights is flexible enough to allow a practical solution for shippers.

The members of the companies signing the letter agree that allowing

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58 BC�T May

shippers to submit accurate gross cargo weight and requiring ocean carriers to be responsible for adding container weights to determine total shipment weight is consistent with safety, efficiency and current practice as well as with the SOLAS amendment.

The alternative approach would have the shipper certify the entire weight of their cargo plus the carrier's empty container. NPC and the groups involved with the letter believe that it is unrealistic to ask U.S. exporters to verify the weight of an empty container that they do not own or can witness being loaded.

The ocean shipping community is encouraging this interpretation of the SOLAS amendment, which is scheduled to take effect on July 1.

Above: Andy Schroeder, Schroeder Bros. Farms, Inc., Antigo, WI, shown at far left, competed in the Potato Industry Leadership Institute (PILI) cooking contest in February. This annual program, administered by National Potato Council (NPC) and United States Potato Board (USPB), identifies and trains the next generation of industry leaders. Photo by Larry Alsum, Alsum Farms and Produce, Inc.

Estimated Costs of Vermont's GMO Labeling Law The Corn Refiners Association released an economic study by John Dunham and Associates on the cost of Vermont's GMO labeling law, which could take effect in July.

The study argues that consumers will view GMO labels as warnings and companies will be forced to

switch to non-GMO ingredients, which will raise food prices in the first year.

The study results found that it will cost U.S. consumers $3.8 billion annually but as manufacturers switch practices, the cost will rise to an estimated $81.9 billion annually.

This rise in cost will force every American to spend $1,050 more each year on groceries. Low-income families will be impacted the most since the increase would be 2.5 percent of the median income of the poorest fifth of the population.

Ag Groups Assist EPA in Neonicotinoids Case Several agricultural groups are assisting EPA in its defense of neonicotinoid-treated seeds against environmental groups seeking greater regulatory oversight of these products.

In January, environmental and bee groups sued EPA in a California federal court arguing that EPA did not properly evaluate the risks associated with neonicotinoids used for seed treatment on dozens of crops.

The agricultural groups have since filed a motion to intervene in the case on behalf of their members who want to keep the treated seeds available to control pests. continued on pg. 60

J.W. Mattek & Sons, Inc. N5798 STAR NEVA RD, DEERBROOK, WI 54424 Telephone: (715) 623-6963 • FAX: (715) 627-7245 • Email: jwmattek@gmail.com GROWER & SHIPPER

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NPC News. . . continued from pg. 59

NPC Shows Further Support for Crop Insurance NPC and 57 other national, state and regional organizations sent a letter to the Chairs and Ranking Members of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees urging them to protect crop insurance from additional spending reductions during the FY 2017 appropriations process.

lenders and rural America.

The letter asks appropriators to recognize the importance of the crop insurance program to growers,

During the yearly federal budget process, the Budget Committees provide overall allocations to the

Earlier this month, NPC sent a letter to the Chairs and Ranking Members of the House and Senate Budget Committees with the same request of protecting crop insurance against budget cuts.

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60 BC�T May

NPC and the other groups signing these letters do not support changing the crop insurance program until the expiration of the current farm bill.

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Appropriations committees. Farm groups point to the fact that crop insurance has already contributed budget savings because of the structure of the crop insurance programs in the 2014 farm bill.

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NPC Scholarship Opportunity for Grad Student Advancing Potato Industry NPC will award one $10,000 academic scholarship to honor a graduate student (Master’s degree or higher) working to improve the future of the U.S. potato industry.

The deadline for the scholarship is June 15, 2016 and it will be awarded in August 2016 towards the 20162017 academic year.

Final scholarship selection is based on the following criteria: past

academic achievement, leadership ability, potato-related areas of graduate study, goals, benefit to the potato industry, extracurricular activities, grades and potential commercial value.

All interested parties are invited to apply.

visit http://nationalpotatocouncil.org/ events-and-programs/scholarshipprogram.

Application forms are available online here. For more information about the award and past scholarship winners,

The winner will be invited to display his or her work at the Potato Research Poster Sessions during Potato Expo 2017, January 4-6, 2017, in San Francisco, California. If you have any questions, please contact Hillary Hutchins at (202) 682-9456.

States Ask Congress for Increased FSMA Funding In a 10-page letter sent to the Chairmen and Ranking Members of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees, the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) requested Congress to give FDA $100 million to distribute

to states for the Food Safety Modernization Act's (FSMA) produce safety rule in FY 2017.

The request exceeds the Obama administration's original amount of $11.3 million by almost 10 times.

In the letter, NASDA noted that the sooner FDA's state funding reaches $100 million per year, the more systematic and timely the implementation of FSMA will be at the state level.

WPIB FOCUS Wisconsin Potato Assessment Collections: Two-Year Comparison Month

Jul-14

Aug-14

Sep-14

Oct-14

Nov-14

Dec-14

Jan-15

Feb-15

Mar-15

Apr-15

May-15

Jun-15

Year-to-Date

CWT

1,618,594.66

584,167.62

1,071,362.65

3,145,808.22

2,930,799.68

2,055,822.91

1,632,134.39

2,314,996.35

1,657,022.61

17,010,709.09

Assessment

$97,295.75

$35,049.99

$64,101.70

$188,748.83

$175,821.97

$123,346.96

$97,909.10

$138,906.57

$99,470.40

$1,020,651.27

Jul-15

Aug-15

Sep-15

Oct-15

Nov-15

Dec-15

Jan-16

Feb-16

Mar-16

Month

Apr-16

May-16

Jun-16

Year-to-Date

CWT

1,679,466.61

553,089.04

813,734.14

2,731,844.59

3,574,243.15

2,242,764.68

2,598,955.03

2,196,655.93

2,195,537.41

18,586,290.58

Assessment

$100,717.55

$33,240.32

$48,851.85

$163,910.77

$214,454.02

$134,565.79

$155,926.56

$131,803.69

$130,977.86

$1,114,448.58

BC�T May 61

Seed Piece

Molecular Marker for High Calcium Trait Helps Breed Better Potato Varieties

By Yong Suk Chunga, Jiwan Paltaa, John Bamberg and Shelley Jansky Have you ever cut into a potato to find a dark spot or hollow part?

Early research shows that these defects are likely the result of calcium deficiencies in the potato and that tuber calcium is genetically linked to tuber quality.

Neither consumers at grocery stores nor the companies that make potato chips and fries want these low calcium defects. In addition to the cosmetic issues, these potatoes are more likely to rot.

Most farmed varieties of potatoes have naturally low levels of calcium.

Therefore, researchers at the USDAARS and University of WisconsinMadison, including Shelley Jansky, John Bamberg and Jiwan Palta looked 62 BC�T May

to wild potatoes with the purpose of breeding new potato cultivars with high calcium levels.

Many wild potato relatives are still present in South America. Their presence means growers’ potato plants in that region often exchange genes with wild species.

Shelley Jansky, Research Geneticist at the USDA-Agricultural Research Service Vegetable Crops Research Unit and an Associate Professor in the Department of Horticulture at the University of Wisconsin-Madison explains, “That is a way they continue to evolve as the climate changes or as disease and pest patterns change.”

“But (in the United States), we have

removed our potatoes from that environment. We have to breed new genes in from these wild relatives when we want to improve our cultivars.”

These wild relatives are an invaluable resource for scientists across the country.

According to Jansky, “If you go down there [South America, PP] and drive along the roadside you can see these weedy, wild plants growing along the roads and fields. Whenever we search for any trait in wild potato species, we have been able to find it.”

Above: Shelley Jansky, Research Geneticist at the USDA-Agricultural Research Service Vegetable Crops Research Unit, conducting field research.

The search for a high calcium potato was quite successful as the team found a wild potato with almost seven times as much calcium as a usual variety.

The next job was to isolate the calcium trait. Jansky and her colleagues interbred the high and low-calcium potatoes.

The resulting generations showed a ‘molecular marker’, a pattern in the plant’s natural DNA. This pattern led researchers to the plant’s calcium trait.

Jansky describes the project’s success, “Finding this marker will allow us and other breeding programs to make faster progress in breeding potato plants with high tuber calcium content.”

“This has been difficult and timeconsuming in the past,” states Jansky. “You have to grow all the populations, harvest tubers and then analyze the tubers for the trait for which you are searching; in this case tuber calcium levels. And, that’s a long, laborious process.”

A typical breeding program grows and assesses up to 100,000 seedlings every year. It takes between 10-15 years to release a particular variety of crop plant.

However, the process simplifies with known molecular markers. Yong Suk Chung, the first author of this study, clarifies, “We can collect DNA from seedlings and check for these molecular markers. If you have the marker present, then you select those seedlings and save a tremendous amount of time and labor.”

Their research is published in the American Society of Agronomy

by Yong Suk Chunga, Jiwan Paltaa, John Bamberg and Shelley Jansky

Potential Molecular Markers Associated with Tuber Calcium Content in Wild Potato Germplasm.

Left: Shelley Jansky’s team improved potato qualities by crossbreeding regular potatoes with wild South American potatoes like the ones shown here.

Right: UW researchers discovered that this wild variety of potato (Solanum Microdontum), had calcium levels that were about seven times higher than in a regular potato. They developed a molecular marker to facilitate the transfer of the high calcium trait to newly bred potato varieties. Photo courtesy of John Bamberg

GET INVOLVED, STAY INFORMED, BE AWARE! Join Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association (WPVGA) and keep abreast of what is happening in your industry.

Find out how to become a member today. Go to: wisconsinpotatoes.com/about/members

Stake a claim in your future today!

BC�T May 63

Eyes on Associates To the Farmer in All of Us

By WPVGA Associate Div. President, Wayne Solinsky, Jay-Mar, Inc.

Greetings Everyone, I hope everyone is having a productive and safe spring season thus far.

At the time, I am writing this column,

N V S

ELSON’S

planting start. However, by the time this issue comes out we will be well into our growing season.

Central Wisconsin experienced an extended winter with a cool snap that put a halt to our dreams of an early

The WPVGA Associates Division has joined forces once again with Wisconsin Potato Growers Auxiliary to support Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) organization. We approved $3500 total to help fund this great cause.

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EGETABLE

KEEP ON TRACK WITH OUR

TORAGE

S

which is mid-April; we are just now starting to get under way with the first plantings.

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• COMPUTERIZED CONTROL PANELS • HUMIDIFICATION • REFRIGERATION

• NEW & ALTERNATIVE METHODS • SMART BLOCK APPLICATIONS • CIPC, CLOVE OIL APPLICATIONS

AGRI-VENTILATION SALES AND SERVICE 24 HR. EMERG. SERVICE

64 BC�T May

FMSC’s meal-packing and fundraising efforts are staffed primarily by local volunteers, which helps keep costs down. More importantly, it helps ensure that more than 90% of the donations raised, goes directly to feeding kids abroad with prepackaged meals and that over 99% of meals shipped reach their intended destination.

FMSC is a Christian non-profit organization committed to feeding God's children, who are hungry in body and spirit.

The approach is simple: volunteers hand-pack meals specially formulated for malnourished children and send these meals to orphanages, schools,

I'm just a farmer, clinics and feeding programs around the world to break the cycle of poverty. FMSC meals have reached nearly 70 countries throughout their history.

We are in the process of obtaining some truly fantastic Raffle prizes for our Putt-Tato Open Golf event that are asking for sponsorships to help fund some of these. Sponsors will get great signage and verbal recognition for their support.

Some of the prizes include: autographed Clay Mathews’ Packers jersey, Dewalt 5 Combo 20-volt ‘allin-one’ set, Wellness Spa gift basket, Yeti cooler, Bull’s Eye golf package with dinner, GoPro Camera, set of (4) Brewers tickets, pedal tractor, Ninja Mixer combo set, Trek Bike and more!

Become a Sponsor for one these great gifts to promote your business and organization while making our event a great success!

Also, register now, (wisconsinpotatoes.com/events/putttato-open-golf-outing), to golf in the Putt-Tato Open or simply attend the July 13 event at the Bull’s Eye Country Club in Wisconsin Rapids. Remember, it sells out quickly so make your reservations as soon as possible.

In closing, we appreciate the opportunity to serve our industry and as always, please contact any of our board members with any thoughts or ideas you would like us to consider.

From me to all of you,

Plain and simple.

Not of a royal birth but rather, a worker of the earth.

I know not of riches but rather, of patches on my britches.

I know of draught and rain, Of pleasure and pain.

I know of the good and the bad, the happy and the sad.

I am a man of emotions.

A man who loves this land, and the beauty of its sand.

I know of a spring's fresh flow and autumn's golden glow, of a newborn calf 's hesitation, and the eagle's destination.

I know of tall pines, and long, waiting lines.

Of the warmth of campfires, and the agony of flat tires.

Wayne Solinsky

But, I am a man who loves his job and the life I lived.

p.s. I thought I would share a super poem I found about farmers. Enjoy!

I am a man, who works with God, I cannot succeed without his help, For you see, I'm just a farmer Plain and simple.

WPVGA Associate Division President

What do you expect from the seed potatoes that you buy?

The varieties that yo

u need.

The early generation that you want.

The quality and yie ld you have come to that expect.

Wisconsin has it!

For a directory of Wisconsin Certified Seed Potato Growers or a free video, contact:

WISCONSIN CERTIFIED SEED POTATOES

Wisconsin Seed Potato Improvement Association, Inc. P.O. Box 173, Antigo, WI 54409 715-623-4039 www.potatoseed.org

View a directory of the Wisconsin Certified Seed Potato Growers on your smartphone.

BC�T May 65

Marketplace

By Dana Rady, WPVGA Director of Promotions and Consumer Education

Moving Onward and Upwards The WPVGA Promotions Committee’s continued to work as a successful team at this year’s Promotions Retreat, to decide avenues of promotion that will increase awareness of Wisconsin Potatoes and educate consumers about how quality potatoes and vegetables are produced right here in the Badger State.

Trade shows, food safety training, Spudmobile events and point of sale materials featuring the Healthy Grown message are a mere sampling of specific areas the Promotions Committee focused on this year to set Wisconsin Potatoes apart in the state’s Midwest/Buy Local market.

Weeks away from beginning a new fiscal year, the Promotion team’s efforts remain on new and continuing efforts, some of which the Committee has chosen to explore in the time that remains through June 30, 2016.

One of those opportunities involves beginning the search for a part-time 66 BC�T May

helper for Spudmobile events. Last year, the Spudmobile attended close to 100 events and was on the road just shy of 100 days, many of which included weekends.

WPVGA’s Coordinator of Community Relations, Jim Zdroik, successfully attended and worked those events while also fulfilling the DOT requirements that accompany the vehicle’s weight class and the need to drive to visits across state lines.

Another focus during the current fiscal year is an entry-level sponsorship with Chef “Ace” Champion, a native of Louisiana, who brings the creativity and flavor of southern cooking to the Midwest. A knife skills specialist, Chef Champion also provides entertainment to his show, which has included conducting cooking classes in the kitchens of celebrities like Ahman Green.

However, requests for Wisconsin’s traveling billboard to attend events in the Midwest and farther east continue to pour in at a rapid rate.

Given Chef Champion’s following, expertise and inviting personality, he is sure to help spotlight Wisconsin Potatoes even more in foodservice

The popularity of the Spudmobile, not to mention a successful building of awareness of Wisconsin as the nation’s third largest potatoproducing state, led the Promotions Committee to explore hiring someone to assist in driving to and from various Spudmobile events while also working at the events.

Above: Promotions Committee Members listen to a series of presentations at the 2016 Promotions Retreat held at the Kalahari Resort, WI Dells, March 23- 24. From front table to the back, Committee Members are as follows: Chris Brooks, Central Door Solutions and Promotions Committee Chairman; Mike Gatz, Bushmans’ Inc.; Wayne Solinsky, JayMar and Associate Division President; Jim Zdroik, WPVGA; Marc Stalter, RPE; Heidi Randall, Alsum Farms and WPIB President; Mark Finnessy, Okray Family Farms and WPVGA Board President and Andy Diercks, Coloma Farms.

Above: Sarah Agena, WI Beef Council presents to the WPVGA Promotions Committee at the 2016 Promotions Retreat.

Right: Danielle Sorano and Julie Braun of WPVGA (foreground) as well as Tamas Houlihan, WPVGA and Auxiliary Board President Paula Houlihan, learn about the WI Beef Council during Sarah Agena’s presentation.

areas as well as amongst consumers.

The Promotions Committee saw such a great response from its partnership with the Tundra Super Late Models that committee members decided to sponsor a racecar for races beginning in April. These races attract a significant recognition with consumers of all ages.

The car will boldly sport the Powered

by Wisconsin Potatoes logo and is one of a team of cars managed by Promotions Committee Chairman, Chris Brooks, of Central Door Solutions.

We all know potatoes go good with anything, especially meat and, more specifically, beef! That is why the Promotions Committee is pleased to announce a new partnership with the WI Beef Council and Registered Dietician, Sarah Agena, another initiative added to the mix for the remainder of the current fiscal year.

For the last several years, Agena has contracted with the WI Beef Council to educate consumers about the health benefits of beef and raise awareness about healthy ways to prepare it. Adding Wisconsin Potatoes to the menu not only seemed a natural and obvious fit, but also showcases the health benefits potatoes naturally provide, through this well-known dietician’s efforts.

The Promotions Committee began exploring all of these opportunities during the current fiscal year and they will be line items added to the budget going into FY 16-17, as Committee Members are confident of their current and future successes.

Other avenues are continuing efforts from goals set forth at the 2015 Promotions Retreat. A few of them include food safety training, purchasing giveaways for Spudmobile events and tradeshows, social media management and advertising as well

We all know potatoes go good with anything, especially meat and, more specifically, beef!

as the creation of more quarter-sized bins for use in retail stores.

Other ongoing programs within WPVGA promotions are the Powered

by Potatoes Team registrations, Mad Dog and Merrill, Tundra Super Late Models and Salad Bars in Schools.

Television advertising will begin on July 1 to utilize some of the commercial assets in WPVGA’s possession during specific times to further the Buy Local message and focus TV advertising on the Chicago market as well.

Given the strong level of awareness of Wisconsin Potatoes in the Badger State, Wisconsin will begin marketing in other Midwestern states by placing various ads on billboards within certain areas of Chicago.

As awareness and education of Wisconsin potatoes continues to grow, so will the marketing and team-oriented efforts of the Promotions Committee.

Here’s to continuing established traditions, embarking on new opportunities and working with a wonderful team of people prepared to take Wisconsin Potatoes to new heights in the year to come.

BC�T May 67

Auxiliary News

By Lynn Isherwood, Vice President, WPGA

March is the month when

Auxiliary and volunteer members travel to Oshkosh for the WPS Show, held at the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA). The Auxiliary hosts a baked potato and baked fries booth. This year, the first day was the best day ever in the history of the Auxiliary’s WPS booth, followed by two more very good days despite the rainy weather.

Growers and Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Association (WPVGA) members, Cliff and Carole Gagas (Auxiliary member) organize all the supplies and equipment needed to bake and serve baked potatoes and baked fries.

The Auxiliary Booth sells baked potatoes with five toppings, baked 68 BC�T May

fries straight up or with cheese or chili, and nachos and cheese along with water and soda on the side.

The Auxiliary’s new cookbook “Just for Two” was a new offering this year, too.

All of this was presided over by the new Velcro, Mr. Potato Head. He sat on the counter and entertained the kids, who had a fun time rearranging his face to make even funnier faces while they were waiting for their food.

Thank you to all the volunteers who worked in the booth this year: Patty Hafner, Jacquie Wille, Julie Braun, Karen Rasmussen, Danielle Sorano and her mother, Lonnie and Denise Firkus and Justin and Lynn Isherwood.

Above: Mr. Potato Head, Cliff Gagas and Debbie Adamski ready the Auxiliary’s Baked Potato and Fries booth for the WPS Show.

Bottom: Mr. Potato Head, Velcro version, kept the kids entertained, altering his face at random.

Ali's Kitchen Column & Photos by Ali Carter, WPVGA Auxiliary Member

While at the grocery store, I spotted these beautiful fingerling potatoes.

Fingerlings are one of my favorites.

(Hmmm, I think I might say that every month about each variety of potato I cook).

However, fingerlings are truly special.

They are so tiny, and really...aren’t tiny things just more fun?

Their knobby shape and variety of colors make them an interesting ingredient to cook with and their thin skins and waxy texture are perfect for so many dishes.

I filled my veggie bag with enough potatoes to feed my crew at home and started thinking up ways to serve them.

By the time I pulled my car into our driveway, I had decided to prepare a potato salad, but did not want

to make a traditional one.

I wanted this dish to be light enough not to mask the special flavor of the fingerlings and cooked in a way to retain these gorgeous colors.

FINGERLING POTATO SALAD WITH DIJON VINAIGRETTE INGREDIENTS:

Plus, with spring’s arrival, we have access to some beautiful veggies and I had asparagus and fresh string beans ready to be tossed together with my fingerlings. A bright and colorful dish!

1 pound fingerling potatoes

After mixing a Dijon vinaigrette and sprinkling the salad with some toasted almonds and shavings of cheese (I used Montamore cheese here), I had something absolutely delicious that I cannot wait to make again!

1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice

My professional taste testers, aka: husband and kids loved this salad.

1 pound of green beans 1 bunch of asparagus 4 Tbs. olive oil 2 Tbs. apple cider vinegar 3 tsp. Dijon mustard 1 large clove of garlic, minced 1/8 tsp black pepper 1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted 1/2 cup firm white cheese (such as parmesan or asiago), shaved

continued on pg. 70 BC�T May 69

Advertisers Index

Ali's Kitchen. . . continued from pg. 69

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Although there was not much left over after dinner, I had enough to pack in Mike’s lunch for work the next day.

My sweet husband messaged me after he had eaten and said that the potato salad was even better after all of those flavors had mingled together.

I enjoyed this salad warm but did sneak a couple nibbles of it cold from the fridge later in the evening. I think it would work perfectly well to be make in advance and then served chilled or at room temperature when INSTRUCTIONS: Scrub the fingerling potatoes clean and place in a large pot (do NOT cut the potatoes prior to boiling; you will lose some of that beautiful color). Cover the potatoes with cold water and bring to a boil. Cook potatoes for about 10-15 minutes, just until fork tender.

Remove the tough woody ends of the asparagus and trim ends from the green beans. Cut the beans and asparagus into equal sized pieces. Place the green beans and asparagus in pot, cover with cold water and bring to a boil.

Continue boiling for about 4-5 minutes; do not overcook.

For the vinaigrette, place the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, minced

you are ready to eat.

The next time I make this dish, I will add in some sliced grilled chicken or grilled shrimp and serve it as a main entree.

Mmmm! So many ideas… and with a summer of grilling and picnicking ahead, I foresee this recipe getting a lot of use in my family.

If you try this recipe, I would love to hear your thoughts and your creative versions! Check out my website www.LifeOnGraniteRidge. com for info on how to reach out to me and for more recipes. garlic and black pepper and whisk vigorously.

To toast the almonds, place them into a dry pan, heat on medium and stir continuously for about 3-5 min, just until they are toasty and brown. Watch them closely as they will burn if you turn your back on them! (I maaaybeee experienced this while testing the recipe, oops).

When the potatoes, beans and asparagus have cooked, drain them in a colander. Then, cut the fingerlings into large bite sized pieces and place all into a large bowl. Add the vinaigrette to the warm potatoes and veggies and toss to coat.

Just before serving, sprinkle the salad with the toasted almonds and the shaved cheese. Enjoy!

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70 BC�T May

WPVGA Associate Division 16th Annual Golf Outing & Barbeque

WPVGA Associate Division

Bull's Eye Country Club Wisconsin Rapids, Wednesday, July 13, 2016 We Golf Rain Or Shine!

REGISTRATION DEADLINE: June 24, 2016

The WPVGA Associate Division will host the 16th Annual Golf Outing at the Bull's Eye Country Club in Wisconsin Rapids. The golf outing is followed by a splendid dinner barbeque and raffle prize drawings.

The golf format is a four-person scramble with a shotgun start limited to the first 36 foursomes and sign up is a first-come basis, so sign up soon! Don’t miss out! The scramble begins at 11:00 a.m. registration is at 10:30 a.m. Cost is $75/person which includes 18 holes of golf with cart. Proper golf etiquette is expected.

Lunch is available for all golfers that day courtesy of an associate sponsor. The dinner barbeque is held immediately following golf and is open to everyone in the industry whether you choose to golf or not.

Tickets are required. ‘Barbeque only’ ticket price is $15/person. Make checks payable to WPVGA. Please contact Julie Braun, 715-623-7683, if you have any questions.

GRAB ATTENTION! SIGN UP TO BE A SPONSOR Platinum Level Gold Level Silver Level Lunch Sponsor Sponsor A Hole Sponsor A Raffle Prize Call Julie Braun at 715-623-7683 for more details.

You can sponsor a hole for a minimum $200 donation in cash or prizes.

Call Julie Braun, 715-623-7683, for more details.

REGISTRATION DEADLINE: June 24, 2016

✁ ❑ Yes! I will golf. I am registering ______ golfers.

Group Leader Name: _____________________________

(Fee for golf only is $75 per person. This does not include barbeque.)

Company Name: _________________________________

❑ I wish to order _______ Barbeque Tickets at $15.00 per ticket.

Address: ________________________________________ City, State, Zip: __________________________________

❑ I would like to sponsor a hole at the golf outing.

My donation of $_________ is enclosed.

Phone: __________________________________________ These are the people in my group: 1. ______________________________________________

Golf Fee: Number of Golfers x $75

$_________

Barbeque Tickets: Number of Tickets x $15

$_________

+ Hole Sponsor/Donation

$_________

Total Amount Enclosed:

2. ______________________________________________

$_________

Please return completed form and payment to: WPVGA • P.O. Box 327 • Antigo, WI 54409-0327

3. ______________________________________________

P.O. Box 327 Antigo, WI 54409

Non-Profit Org U.S. Postage Paid Stevens Point, WI 54481 Permit No. 480

CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED

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