Badger Common’Tater November 2017 Issue
Interview with Ron Krueger
This issue’s interviewee, Ron Krueger (center, in dark blue), general manager of Eagle River Seed Farm, poses with his crew and shakes hands with Dennis Zeloski during a farewell party for Dennis. The photo was taken just after Dennis had thanked all the employees for their hard work and loyalty. Formerly known as Felix Zeloski Farms, Eagle River Seed Farm had been in the Zeloski family for generations before it was sold to CSS Farms and RPE in 2013, a decision long in the making.
When Ron Krueger went off to college, he swore he’d never go back to farming. The farm manager for Eagle River Seed Farm LLC for the past 25 years, Krueger says his parents owned a dairy farm in Irma, Wisconsin that had been in the family since the early part of the 1900’s.
“My grandfather grew potatoes, strawberries, miscellaneous vegetables and had a few dairy cows. My parents built on the dairy portion of the farm until they were milking around 32 head—not a very large operation by today’s standards, but sustainable for that time,” he relates.
“I was the youngest of four, and swore when I left for school I would never return to farming,” Krueger says. “I am extremely glad that I was able to return to agriculture as a career.”
Formerly known as Felix Zeloski Farms, and nestled in the middle of the world’s largest inland chain of lakes, Eagle River Seed Farm LLC supports a tremendous amount of wildlife as well as natural scenic beauty.
Dennis Zeloski took over the family business from his father, Felix M. Zeloski, in 1973. Krueger now oversees the growing of 1,100 acres of certified seed potatoes (including numerous varieties), certified seed oats, clover, radish and canola.
