Healthy Grown

Two-thirds of U.S. land is privately-owned — and the majority of that land is used for agriculture. So we understand that what we do on our farms impacts the world around us.

That’s why, in the early 90’s, the Wisconsin Potato and Vegetable Growers Association (WPVGA) and the University of Wisconsin-Madison began looking at ways to advance the industry’s conservation and sustainability standards. In 1996, WPVGA partnered with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), and later joined forces with the International Crane Foundation (ICF), and the Defenders of Wildlife to establish the Wisconsin Eco-Potato partnership. The result was a new brand launched in 2002 and a sustainable standard for growing potatoes — Healthy Grown®.

Our Healthy Grown sustainable farmers work with ecologists, conservationists and University of Wisconsin researchers to:

• Utilize and find better, less-invasive ways to manage pests and invasive plants
• Restore natural ecosystems
• Prevent erosion
• Support native plants and animals
• Conserve quality water
• Improve potato production

In 2016, the program expanded and began applying the Healthy Grown standard to onions. Discussions are ongoing to broaden the program further and include additional crops in the near future.

For additional information on the program’s background, details on standard and implementation as well as updates, take a look at the following videos: