Yearly Archives: 2021
WPVGA Works on Water
Water quantity and quality issues remain top priorities By Tamas Houlihan, WPVGA Executive Director With the recent release of the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Central Sands Lakes Study and the on-going process of the NR151 rule revisions related to nitrates in groundwater, the Wisconsin…
Interview with Riley Reynolds
By Joe Kertzman, managing editor, Badger Common’Tater Riley Reynolds chooses to live about three hours south of the town where he grew up on a family farm. “I love the Idaho way of life,” he says. “That’s why I’m here. It’s close to the Salt…
Tater Tot Meatloaf Casserole
Column and photos by Ali Carter, Wisconsin Potato Growers Auxiliary My husband and I had a friendly debate after I announced my plan to include a tater tot casserole recipe in this month’s Badger Common’Tater. Mike feels strongly that casseroles are a winter food, and…
Wild Potatoes Pull Late Blight Guard Duty
Distant cousins of cultivated potato may hold key to resisting crop’s most devastating disease Provided by Jan Suszkiw, U.S. Department of Agriculture ARS (Agricultural Research Service) Distant cousins of cultivated potato may hold the key to unlocking new sources of resistance to the tuber crop’s…
Interview with Steve Diercks
By Joe Kertzman, managing editor, Badger Common’Tater It would be difficult to think of a father-and-son team more involved in the Wisconsin potato and vegetable growing industry than Steve and Andy Diercks. There are others, and perhaps those just as dedicated, but the Diercks family…
Crispy Herbed Canned Potatoes
Column and photos by Ali Carter, Wisconsin Potato Growers Auxiliary With a few pantry staples, you will have crispy, pan fried, herbed potatoes on the table in mere minutes. They are fancy enough to impress the pickiest of dinner guests and hearty enough to become…
In-Field Weather & Crop Monitoring
Holistic management in real time minimizes agronomic and financial risk By Jamie Hardy, head of marketing, and Ian Bailey, strategic sales executive, Arable Labs, Inc. Images courtesy of Arable Labs, Inc. In the United States, there are 2 million farms across nearly a billion farmed…
Interview with Charles Wachsmuth
By Joe Kertzman, managing editor, Badger Common’Tater The largest processor and exporter of kidney beans in the world, Chippewa Valley Bean, located in Menomonie, Wisconsin, exports over 70 percent of the beans they handle. It all started with Russell and Nancy Doane who, when they…
Potato Chip Florentine Cookies
Column and photos by Ali Carter, Wisconsin Potato Growers Auxiliary The addition of finely crushed potato chips gives an unexpected layer of flavor to this brittle and toffee-like classic cookie. The result is a thin cookie that is salty, sweet, chewy, crispy and slightly caramelized—a…
Healthy Grown Meets Current Sustainability Demand
Potato growers stress that retail customers and consumers care about food origins By Joe Kertzman, Badger Common’Tater “The Wisconsin Healthy Grown program brings awareness to what we as potato farmers do every day to be stewards of the land,” says Christine Lindner, marketing manager for…
