Wisconsin Potato and Vegetable Growers Association
Interview with Keith Wolter
The Wolter family of Antigo has a long history of potato farming. Herbert Wolter bought a small farm in the late 1930s and later bought his uncle’s (Gus Wolter) farm in 1945, raising potatoes and cattle. Herb also raised eight children, four of whom have strong ties to the potato industry: Sons John and Glen worked together for many years on their father’s farm; son Mike formed his own potato operation called Riverside Farms in Antigo; and daughter Caroline is the wife of Antigo seed potato grower Tom Wild of Wild Seed Farms.
Keith Wolter is a third generation farmer at Hyland Lakes Spuds in Antigo. In 1951 (the year Keith’s father, Glen, was born), Keith’s grandfather, Herb, sold the cows and formed Hyland Lakes Brand, which was primarily a potato farm with some rotational crops such as oats and clover. Glen joined his father on the farm operation in 1970; his younger brother, John, also joined in the farm a few years later. In 1982, the two brothers bought the farm from Herb, and formed Hyland Lakes Spuds.
The Wolter family of Antigo has a long history of potato farming. Herbert Wolter bought a small farm in the late 1930s and later bought his uncle’s (Gus Wolter) farm in 1945, raising potatoes and cattle. Herb also raised eight children, four of whom have strong ties to the potato industry: Sons John and Glen worked together for many years on their father’s farm; son Mike formed his own potato operation called Riverside Farms in Antigo; and daughter Caroline is the wife of Antigo seed potato grower Tom Wild of Wild Seed Farms.