By Joe Kertzman, managing editor, Badger Common’Tater
The late 1960’s was a bustling time for James Teal, who purchased a farm in 1967, a tavern that was subsequently named Teal’s Bar, in 1968, and married Janice (Strandberg) that same year. He ran the bar until 1990 and the farm until 2004, when he sold it to his son, Jesse James Teal.
James A. Teal passed away at the age of 80 on February 7, 2024.
Jesse says the original family homestead where his dad was born and raised and where his grandpa grew potatoes and kept dairy cows is just south of his own operation, Jesse James Teal Farms, in Antigo, Wisconsin.
“Dad built this house and bought the farm from the three Yonkee brothers,” Jesse explains. “Dad farmed on his own, and Dad and Grandpa swapped equipment for a while bore Dad branched off and went 100 percent on his own.”
Is Jesse James Teal Farms mostly a table stock potato operation?
Yes. When I started, it was table and chipping potatoes, but I switched to just table stock recently, mainly because of supply and demand.
In the chip market, you need to operate a washing line, and I got away from that. Plus, Superiors, Atlantics, and russet potatoes in general, are difficult for me to sell. Reds and yellows are in higher demand from my customers, with yellow potatoes gaining the most interest. Everyone is leaning toward yellows, and I have buyers for them.
I don’t work with any canning companies, but I grow corn, beans, and a lot of hay and oats. I also run beef cattle, mostly Red Angus. At one point, I was up to 150 cow/calves, but I’ve since backed down to 50 in my cow/calf operation. I calve and then finish them out and sell them as quarters, halves or full sides, kind of a dual thing with growing potatoes. You can’t put all your eggs in one basket.
