Interview with Bob and Heidi Heath
The father-daughter team of Bob and Heidi Heath has been farming together for over 24 years. Together, they farm over 400 acres of produce, including potatoes, peppers, pickles, zucchini and sweet corn in Coloma, Wisconsin. Along with raising vegetables, they also have over 60 greenhouses covering two acres to raise specialty plants and flowers for wholesale and landscape customers.
Read more of our May 2012 interview with Bob and Heidi Heath.
Interview with Shawn Bula
With headquarters in Coloma, Bula-Gieringer Farms is one of the largest potato and vegetable operations in Wisconsin. The farm raises over 8,700 acres of potatoes, green beans, seed corn, sweet corn, peas, field corn, soybeans and sweet potatoes. In addition to those crops, they also raise 500 head of Black Angus cattle on 1,100 acres of pasture land. To keep things running smoothly, the farm owns 31 semis.
Bula-Gieringer Farms was founded in 1980 when Mark Bula formed a partnership with Mark Gieringer. The farm has land in Adams, Waushara, Marquette, Jackson, La Crosse and Trempealeau counties. They also rent land in the Hastings, Florida area, raising chipping potatoes to help fill a supply gap from mid-April to early June.
Read more of our April 2012 interview with Shawn Bula.
Interview with Curt Soik
The farm known today as Myron Soik & Sons, Inc. started out as a dairy operation in the early 1900s in the Custer, Wisconsin area. The Soik family switched to raising vegetables in 1947. The farm drilled its first well and started irrigating in 1956. The operation has steadily grown since then to the present day, adapting new technology as it presents itself. The Soiks now raise 2,800 acres of potatoes and vegetables in Portage and Waushara counties.
Today, the farm along with the sales desk and packing shed are run by President Myron Soik, and his sons who serve as Vice Presidents: Curt, Mark and Bruce. Myron’s daughter Lynda Schroeder serves as Office Manager, while Ron Gosh is the Sales Manager.
Read more of our March 2012 interview with Curt Soik.
Interview with Brian Hrudka
At the 2012 Potato Expo held in January in Orlando, Bayer CropScience announced the launch of Good Growing Link, a Web-based tracking tool powered by food safety and traceability technology leader FoodLogiQ, Inc. The Good Growing Link helps users identify, measure and improve their sustainability efforts, and provides a tool to merchandise these contributions to customers and other stakeholders. Bayer CropScience expects the Good Growing Link will help the entire food chain demonstrate and communicate its commitment to sustainability – starting at the farm level.
Brian Hrudka serves as Food Chain Manager, Marketing – Horticultural Crops for Bayer CropScience in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. A native of Canada, Hrudka has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biochemistry from the University of Western Onatrio and Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Western Ontario Ivey School. At the 2012 Potato Expo, Hrudka provided the introduction to a general session panel discussion titled, “Sustainability in Action-Value Chain Partners Discuss Current Activities.”
In the interview, Hrudka describes Good Growing Link and how it can be an excellent tool to help measure and improve sustainability.
Read the complete February 2012 interview with Brian Hrudka.
Interview with Dr. Sam Kung
The groundwater of Wisconsin’s central sands region is a vital resource that sustains a diverse regional economy comprised of rural communities, businesses and agricultrual industries along with fishing and recreational interests.
During the past two decades, increasing business development, population growth and an expanding recreational market have led to concerns regarding the long-term quality and availability of groundwater in the central sands region.
In response to these concerns, the University of Wisconsin-through the Wisconsin Institute of Sustainable Agriculture-is launching the Central Wisconsin Water Initiative led by Dr. Sam Kung, professor of soil science at University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Read more of our January 2012 interview with Dr. Sam Kung.
Interview with Bob Coltman
Healthy seed potatoes are the key to success for potato growers. Seed potato certification helps ensure that growers are able to plant healthy seed potatoes and raise a profitable crop.
For nearly 100 years, Wisconsin seed potato growers have had their seed potato crops certified by the Wisconsin Seed Potato Certification Program (WSPCP). This program was started as a collaboration among farmers and faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1913 and currently is administered through the UW-Madison Department of Plant Pathology, with oversight from the Wisconsin Seed Potato Improvement Association and the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.
Read more of our November 2011 interview with Bob Coltman.
Interview with Dan Mills
Potato grower Ray Keenan recently installed a new AgRay Vision sizing machine in the packing shed at his farm, Rollo Bay Holdings, LLC in Prince Edward Island, Canada. Kennan raises 1,000 acres of primarily russet potatoes and packs for many of the P.E.I. potato growers who raise about 84,000 acres of potatoes each year.
“It is a decision we are very happy about,” Kennan said. “I’ve lowered my maintenance cost and increased the accuracy in sizing. I have shape grading and interior detection all in one. We are just having incredible results. We look forward to adding more lanes in the future.”
AgRay Vision is built on years of experience in the potato sorting industry. The company features a second generation sizer from the Cope Company which was founded in 1956.
Read more of our October 2011 interview with Dan Mills.
Interview with Jerry Bushman
It was 50 years ago in September of 1961 that Jerome “Jerry” Bushman began a career in the potato marketing business, starting work for his father, John and uncle, Harry, at Bushman Brothers in Rosholt.
As the potato industry expanded over the years and the need for suppliers to provide potatoes year-round became more important, Jerry branched off on his own, and established Bushmans’, Inc. in 1974. The business began at its current location in Rosholt, just east of town on Highway 66, with just three employees. Jerry’s wife of 48 years, Barbara, served as the company’s Financial Officer.
Read more of our September 2011 interview with Jerry Bushman.
Interview with Alex Crockford
Alex Crockford is the Langlade County Agricultural Extension Agent in charge of managing the potato research station based in Antigo, where 36 acres of oats, clover, field corn and potatoes are grown. The research program includes sevent to nine potato projects annually.
Read more of our August 2011 interview with Alex Crockford.
Interview with Ralph Frederick
In July 2008, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) started the process to set new use requirements for soil fumigants to minimize inhalation risks and other risks posed to persons using the products and to persons near to the application sites. Some of the new safety measures began appearing on marketplace product labels in December 2010; the remaining measures will follow late in 2011. Ralph Frederick of AMVAC Chemical Coporation has organized an informational meeting to be held in July for Wisconsin growers on the new fumigation rules.
Read more of our July 2011 interview with Ralph Frederick.