The Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association (WPVGA) and University of Wisconsin Division of Extension held its combined Grower Education Conference & Industry Show.
The induction of potato growers Tom Wild, and Lynda and Gary Bula into the WPVGA Hall of Fame took place during the banquet. The WPVGA Hall of Fame honors lifetime achievement in the development of the state’s potato industry.
Tom Wild
Tom Wild has been working on his family’s potato farm since graduating from Antigo High School in 1968. Tom’s father, Leonard, founded Wild Seed Farms in partnership with his father-in-law, Lukas Sikora, in 1948. At that time, the farm raised cows, chickens, pigs and about 20 acres of potatoes on Antigo’s north side.
The farm has expanded in acreage and technology over the years, with Leonard’s children becoming involved in the potato operation. Leonard’s son, Robert, has been with the farm since 1982, while Leonard’s oldest son, Tom, along with his wife, Caroline, took the helm of Wild Seed Farms in 1995. In 2012, Tom and Caroline’s oldest son, Dan, along with his wife, Connie, took control, becoming the fourth generation to own and live on the farm. Today, the farm raises 500 acres of certified Frito-Lay and Atlantic seed potatoes along with oats and clover.
Tom’s Leadership
Inspired by leaders in the industry who could see that higher production and declining potato consumption needed to be addressed, Tom got involved on committees and boards established to help keep potato production a viable profession. He believed communication and cooperation between growers within local and state organizations and then on a national level would be the most efficient way to accomplish these goals.
One of Tom’s first boards was serving on the Wisconsin Seed Potato Improvement Association, for which he was chairman of the Seed Promotion Committee. He also served on the WPVGA Inspection Committee. Tom was elected to the Wisconsin Potato Industry Board in 1992 and has served on the Board ever since, including 11 years as president. He served on the WPVGA Promotions Committee for many years and continues to serve on the WPVGA Research Committee. He was honored with the WPVGA Volunteer of the Year Award in 1990.
At the national level, Tom was elected to the U.S. Potato Board (USPB) in 1988 and served two terms through 1994. He was on the USPB Executive Committee for four years and served as USPB chairman in 1992. Tom had a special interest in promoting seed potatoes internationally and served on the USPB’s Export Committee and Seed Task Force.
Gary & Lynda Bula
Gary and Lynda Bula of Gary Bula Farms, in Oxford, Wisconsin, have been growing potatoes for a half-century. Today, they raise 4,500 acres of potatoes, sweet corn, green beans, peas, alfalfa, soybeans, and field corn. The vegetables they grow for canning companies, along with silage corn, grain crops and alfalfa, are part of their crop rotation plan. They also grow 2,500 acres of potatoes, corn, soybeans, milo and sunflowers on their farm in Benton, Missouri.
In 1989, Gary and Lynda established the Benton potato farm in southeast Missouri, and later grew potatoes in Dixon, Illinois, for McCain Foods. Staying diversified is part of their recipe for success, saying they see a necessity in diversifying the crops they grow while reducing their impact on the environment.
In Wisconsin, they grow about 850 acres of potatoes, with about half being used for frozen products, a quarter for chips, and a quarter as table stock and for the restaurant market.
Gary grew up in Antigo and is a third-generation potato grower. Lynda also grew up in Antigo. She says the sandy soil in Adams County, in addition to the irrigation from the underground aquifer, makes for good potato growing.
Gary & Lynda’s Community Involvement
Gary and Lynda are community minded and have worked well together for more than 50 years. In 1992, Lynda became the first woman to serve on the WPVGA Board of Directors. She served a total of 12 years. She served on the Government Affairs Committee, and as a representative on the Special Work Group on Producer Security. Gary continues to serve on the WPVGA Chip, SpudPro, and Research committees.
As long-time sponsors and volunteers for one of the largest one-day festivals in Wisconsin, Lynda and Gary devote several weeks during the summer organizing and promoting Grand Marsh’s annual Corn ’N Tater Festival. They have been active Adams County Farm Bureau members for decades, with Lynda having served on the Adams County Farm Bureau Policy Development Committee, and as a past board member and delegate to the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation Annual Meeting. She also served on the American Farm Bureau Fruit, Vegetable and Nuts Committee, on the Adams County Women’s Committee, and as a volunteer for Ag in the Classroom. Gary served as president of the Adams County Farm Bureau and as a delegate to the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation Annual Meeting
