We are officially OPEN! 1 year, 7 months, and 4 days after breaking ground, we are so excited for the Food + Farm Exploration Center to become a reality! Thank you to everyone that has supported and played a part in making this possible!

Our building has a new look! Signage has been added to the Food + Farm Exploration Center.

The special ceremony for the installation of the World’s Largest Potato Masher at the nearly complete Food + Farm Exploration Center earlier today was a “mashing” success. The nearly 39-foot tall potato masher was erected during the program and will serve as a visible iconic attraction that will welcome visitors to the site. The potato masher represents the fun exploration that will happen inside and outside the new Center, honoring the agriculture industry, growers, innovators, and consumers. Plover is a perfect home for the Center because of the rich history Central Wisconsin has in the potato and vegetable industry.

Heidi Schleicher recently joined Farming for the Future Foundation as the Elementary Specialist for the Education Outreach Program.

Schleicher joins the Foundation with an extensive background in both education and agriculture.

Adequate water is essential in food production. Smart irrigation systems allow growers to minimize water use while optimizing food production efforts. Smart irrigation utilizes technology to analyze weather and field data and provide individual irrigation plans.

“I'm the guy who has to make sure that we're following the rules,” said Zack Wysocki, Safety Compliance Manager with Lineage Logistics.

From harvesting crops at their peak to accurately storing them post process, technology drives frozen vegetables at many levels.

“My role is to tell the agriculture story,” Gerbitz said. “I contribute to the industry by highlighting the good and equipping farmers with the tools that they need to share their story themselves as well.”

“As an agricultural communicator I get to work with the most resilient inspiring and innovative group of people that you will ever get to meet,” she said.

Andy Diercks is a fourth-generation farmer who was raised on and now co-owns Coloma Farms with his father. Coloma Farms grows potato, corn and soybeans, and welcomes researchers from the University of Wisconsin to learn about and improve upon innovative and sustainable production agricultural practices.