Interview with John Gallenberg

John Gallenberg of Gallenberg Farms, Inc., Antigo, recently completed a five-year term on the Wisconsin Seed Potato Improvement Association’s (WSPIA) board of directors, including serving the past year as President. At the WSPIA Annual Meeting held January 27 in Antigo, Gallenberg received the seed potato industry’s leadership award for outstanding service.

Gallenberg Farms was started by John’s grandfather, Albert Gallenberg in 1910. It was a dairy farm with 20 acres of potatoes sold off the field. They would dig them by hand and ship them off the field in the fall. John’s father, Robert, took over the farm with his brother, Tony, in 1955. They sold the dairy operation and started raising seed potatoes at that time. They bought more land and converted a dairy barn into a potato storage building. They farmed about 70 acres of potatoes.

The two brothers formed Gallenberg Equipment, and both businesses grew. Eventually the businesses got large enough to where Tony became the sole owner of Gallenberg Equipment and Robert took over the farm.

John Gallenberg interview.