In the January 2014 Badger Common’Tater

Industry Show Promises Something for Everyone

Annual Grower Conference and Potato Show Set for February 4-6

No matter what your specific area of interest may be, if you’re interested in agriculture, the annual Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association (WPVGA)/UW Extension Grower Education Conference and Industry Show offers something for you.

The biggest event in the Wisconsin potato industry is set for February 4-6, 2014 at the Holiday Inn, Stevens Point. The 65th Annual Show provides a great opportunity for the entire industry to get together, see what’s new and get educated all at the same time. For all the details, check out the January Industry Show Issue of The Badger Common’Tater.

Caring and Sharing:

Wisconsin Potato and Vegetable Growers Give Back To Communities

’Tis the season for caring and sharing. And Wisconsin potato and vegetable growers are certainly doing their part.

Many growers have deep roots in their communities with countless friends, family, and acquaintances. This connection to others, a growth from seeds planted by previous generations, has formed a bond between the growers and their communities, no matter how large.

From donations to local fire departments to Hurricane Sandy victims, from local church dinners to seed distribution efforts in West Africa, the efforts of Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association (WPVGA) members are felt around the world.  For the full story, read the January edition of The Badger Common’Tater.

The Badger Beat: New Directions in Pest Management

In the past half century of pest management development, various methods have been conceived to offset losses resulting from both direct and indirect insect pest injury to crop plants. Throughout this period various tools have been developed, most of which relied upon organic, inorganic, botanical and naturally-derived pesticides. The broad-spectrum conventional insecticides, such as the organochlorines, organophosphates, carbamates and synthetic pyrethroids, were developed and used extensively to control insect pests over the past several decades. Taken together, these tools significantly reduced losses in agricultural yield; however, they have also had adverse effects on the environment, problems associated with resistance almost reaching crisis proportions with some insects pests, and public outcry resulting in more strict regulation and re-registration designed to curb their use.

As a result, the 1996 enactment of the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) provided the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) with the onerous challenge of implementing the most comprehensive overhaul of the existing pesticide and food safety laws in decades. In the nearly twenty years since the law was enacted, the US EPA, along with public and private partners, have met the FQPA’s challenge and achieved significant enhancements in public health and environmental protection. Through this successful initiative, the US EPA continues to work to ensure that existing and new pesticide uses on food are met with more stringent safety standards. This significant progress has more recently resulted in the synthesis of new chemicals and novel pest management approaches following the discovery of chemical and biological approaches to pest management. Read more in the January 2014 issue of The Badger Common’Tater.

Introducing Pinnacle:

Newly Named Wisconsin Cold Storage Chipping Potato Shows Promise

A new potato variety developed by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Potato Breeding Program now has an official name. The Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association SpudPro Committee conducted a contest to come up with the best name for this outstanding new Wisconsin chipping potato. After reviewing a list of suggested names, the committee voted to name the new variety, formerly known as W5015-12, “Pinnacle.” For more information, please read the January Badger Common’Tater magazine.