Vegetable, dairy production to be featured at 2014 Wisconsin Farm Technology Days

Those who attend the 2014 Wisconsin Farm Technology Days, Aug. 5-7, in Portage County will see innovative technologies in dairying as at previous shows but they'll also have the opportunity to view the harvesting of several vegetable crops, due to the county's unique agricultural diversity.

"Portage County has 12,900 dairy cows, which produce 27 million gallons of milk annually," said Ken Schroeder, the county's University Extension agriculture agent and executive secretary for the 2014 WFTD event. "We are also the state's leading county in the production of potatoes, processed snap beans and sweet corn, and second in green bean production," he added.

The county's strong agricultural base consists of more than 1,000 farms encompassing 280,000 acres in agricultural production. Agriculture accounts for 18 percent of the county's economic activity, provides 5,600 jobs and contributes $1.11 billion to the county's economy.

"Portage County farms also have 3,700 head of beef cattle and 5,000 hogs," Schroeder noted. "The value of our grain production is $16.3 million, with cranberry production worth $8.8 million."

Since being selected to host the 2014 show last April, Portage County agricultural leaders have been assembling an executive committee team of more than 30 volunteers to oversee the numerous and varied aspects of the event - from admissions and parking to family living, tent city and traffic.

Sara Brish, executive director of the Stevens Point Are Convention and Visitors Bureau, is chairing the executive committee.

The committee has arranged for an easily accessible show site just east of Plover and south of County Trunk HH. It's also just minutes from I-39, U.S. Highway 10 and State Road 54.

The announcement of the show site and the host families was made during a Jan. 9 press conference at the Courthouse Annex.

Two farm families, Blue Top Farms and Feltz Farms, are co-hosting the event. Ken and Jackie Feltz have a 500-cow dairy that employs 11 full-time workers. Alfalfa and corn silage for the cattle are grown and 500 acres of owned and rented land.

Blue Top Farms, operated by Peter Zakrzewski and his brother-in-law Michael Hintz, produces sweet corn, green beans and soybeans on 1,200 acres located throughout the county.

Additional land for field demonstrations is being provided by neighboring growers; Myron Soik and Sons Inc. and Greg Kizewski and Sons Inc.

"Vegetable harvesting demonstrations will feature potatoes and either green beans or sweet corns," said Zakrzewski. "I've talked with the field man from Del Monte, and he's excited about possibly targeting three or four green bean plantings a day apart in order to get one or two of those fields ready for harvest during the show," he added.

"We're excited about showcasing for the public where their food comes from and how it's harvested," Zakrzewski stressed. "It's one thing if you're harvesting forage for dairy cows, but we're actually harvesting the vegetables that people eat, and we think that's going to draw a whole different sector of people to the show."

Tillage equipment demonstrations will likely play a larger role in the 2014 show than in previous years. "We will not only have tillage demonstrations but we should be able to do more of these because we'll have vegetable crops coming off early so it opens up a lot more land than if we were only harvesting alfalfa," Schroeder noted.

Irrigation plays a critical role in Portage County's vegetable production, and show attendees will likely see this cutting-edge technology in operation.

"The technology is so advanced the systems has indicators that show which areas need more water," Zakrzewski explained. "As it moves across the field, the irrigation system can apply more water in places where it's needed and less in other spots."

Addressing persistent rumors that the show may be held at a permanent site after 2014, Wisconsin Farm Technology Days Inc. General Manager Ron Schuler stated, "The Board's policy is that as long as we have counties continuing to apply to host the show, it will continue to move around the state."

He also noted that in light of the general sluggishness of the current economy, the nearly $3 million in revenue generated by the show provides an extra incentive for counties to apply.