UW Hancock Ag Research Station hosts potato field day July 10
The University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Hancock Agricultural Research Station will host its annual Potato Research Field Day on Thursday, July 10 from 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. The 412-acre station, located in the state’s Central Sands region, focuses on developing and evaluating ways to sustainably grow vegetables in the region’s sandy, fast-draining soils and high-water table.
This year’s Potato Research Field Day features wagon tours to six field sites to learn about potato research efforts and updates, covering potato diseases, insect and weed management, potato breeding efforts, neonicotinoid and nitrate load losses from sandy soils, plus other water quality studies. The full agenda is available at https://go.wisc.edu/hancockagenda.
Following the tours, attendees are welcome to stay for a grilled chicken dinner – with sweet corn, baked potato and potato salad – provided compliments of the Wisconsin Potato and Vegetable Growers Association (WPVGA).
The station’s horticultural garden and Wisconsin Potato and Vegetable Storage Research Facility (SRF) will be open for self-guided tours throughout the day. Researchers use the SRF, which was erected in 2006 through a gift from the WPVGA, to study ways to curb losses and improve the quality of stored potatoes.
The station will make a reasonable effort to provide disability accommodations for field day participants when notified in advance. To request a disability accommodation, please contact ars_accommodation@cals.wisc.edu at least 10 days in advance of the event. Efforts will be made to meet same-day requests to the extent possible.
The station is located at N3909 County Rd V, Hancock, Wisconsin. For questions, contact hancock@cals.wisc.edu.
Hancock station is part of UW–Madison’s Agricultural Research Station network, which is supported by the university and through state and federal funding. Research projects conducted at ARS network stations are funded by a variety of sources, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Energy, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and private industry.