“My grandpa, Pete, began farming in the Coloma area in the mid- 1950s,” relates Eric Wallendal, who was elected to the Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association Board of Directors earlier this year. “He grew a variety of vegetables, including pickling cucumbers and peppers.”
As the farm grew, it was relocated to the Adams County, Wisconsin, area, where Grandpa Pete developed the land into center pivot irrigation.
Potatoes were introduced to the cropping mix and became integral to the farm’s growth, especially with the second generation on the farm.
Eric’s uncles, Robert and Andrew, and father, John, successfully grew the operation while partnering with the University of Wisconsin (UW) to help advance the agricultural industry.
In 2007, Wallendal Supply, Inc. exited the potato industry. “Seven years later, my wife, Megan, and I joined the farm,” Eric says. “We were joined by my sister, Raechel, and her husband, Chad, a year later.”
“Our generation changed our rotation to include pumpkin production and organic crops,” he relates.
