Yearly Archives: 2019
Interview with Phil Townsend
By Joe Kertzman, managing editor, Badger Common’Tater Put simply, Phil Townsend, director of the University of Wisconsin (UW)-Madison Spectroscopy Lab, says remote sensing is measuring something without coming into contact with it. “So, for us, this means imaging,” he relates. “Actually, any photo with your…
Mashed Potato Sundae
Column and photos by Ali Carter, Wisconsin Potato Growers Auxiliary Have you ever had the odd occurrence of the same random thing showing up in your life over and over? You’re driving down the highway and see a billboard advertising a small-town festival, then you…
Local Grower Gives Back
Family members of Gagas Farms Inc. travel to St. Lucia to help build homes for the poor By Cathy Kostuch Cliff and Carole Gagas of Gagas Farms Inc., Stevens Point, Wisconsin, recently returned from a mission trip to Gros Islet, St. Lucia. Organized by the…
Interview with Michael Wolter
By Joe Kertzman, managing editor, Badger Common’Tater What Michael Wolter says amazes him is that his family was farming 900 acres of potatoes using and filling the same storage space as they have now, but they’re farming 600 acres. That’s called progress and efficiency—more production…
Ham and Potato Casserole
Column and Photos by Ali Carter I’m not alone in using diet to help manage a chronic illness, and I know quite a few people who carefully monitor what they eat to ensure they’re doing everything they can to remain healthy. While focused on our…
Insight FS Has Grown Alongside the Potato Industry
Playing many roles over 40 years, Bill Page talks progression in the field Though his degree is in agriculture education, Bill Page of Insight FS says there is no instruction for potatoes other than on-farm learning, and that’s why he likes it. A sales and…
Interview with Kenton Mehlberg
By Joe Kertzman, managing editor “We have diversified as a company over the years, but one thing that hasn’t changed is our goal to find and present our growers with the best technology in the world to help them be more efficient and profitable,” says…
Blue Cheese Potato Salad
Column and Photos by Ali Carter This recipe is for all of you who love blue cheese as much as I do. We put a colorful spin on the classic potato salad by adding buttery, tangy blue cheese, creating a fabulous side for grilled chicken…
Kidney Beans provide natural fertilizers that enrich soil, leave behind nitrogen and use less water
By Tessa Rose, Chippewa Valley Bean It’s been 50 years since the first crop of dark red kidney beans was grown in Dunn County, Wisconsin. Russell Doane, 87 years old, still tells the story of his quest to find a crop that would set him…
Interview with Bryan H. Sheller
By Joe Kertzman, managing editor A fear of running out of muck land in Michigan brought Bryan H. Sheller’s grandfather, Herb Sheller, to Montello, Wisconsin, where he began to farm in the 1950s. Herb bought swampland and cleared it for what is now Crystal Farm,…
