Specializing in chipping potatoes, Heartland Farms is headquartered in Hancock, Wisconsin. The fifth generation farm was settled in 1873 by August Pavelski, great-grandfather of current CEO Richard Pavelski. 

 

Richard Pavelski grew up on the original 80-acre farm near Amherst Junction and has been active in business since graduating from Stevens Point’s Pacelli High School in 1967. When Dave Knights formed a partnership with Pavelski in 1990, he helped grow the operation to its current size of 14,000 acres. Knights’ tenure with Heartland Farms has been marked by the use of innovative new technologies and the development of new agronomic and storage protocols for emerging chipping potato varieties. TJ Kennedy, the current Vice President of Operations, joined the Team in 1998 working in conjunction with Heartland Farms and Frito-Lay at their research facility.  TJ came on the Heartland team full time in 2000 when he began as an account manager on the fulfillment team and worked his way up to the title of Vice President of Operations in 2009.

 

Nearly 150 years since the farm’s beginnings, Richard’s son, Jeremie Pavelski, carries on the family tradition of growing top quality potatoes, serving as the company’s President. In addition to being one of the nation’s largest suppliers of chipping potatoes heartland also grows sweet corn, peas, green beans and soy beans. Many of the potatoes and all of the vegetables get delivered to local Wisconsin processors. The farm ships out of four locations: Bancroft, Amherst Junction, Hancock and Plainfield. The farm’s potato storage capacity is 3.8 million cwt. 

 

 “We’re very grateful for this honor,” said Richard Pavelski. “We have a long tradition of farming in our family and our farm has strong commitment to sustainability. Our motto is ‘farming for the future,’ and we are committed to environmental stewardship because we want our farm to be around for future generations so we can continue to provide food for America and the world.”

 

According to Pavelski, the quality of the potatoes goes hand-in-hand with the quality of the environment. The farm uses integrated pest management, or IPM, monitoring its fields for the presence of pests and establishing thresholds for treatment. Then it dials in on problem areas and avoids unnecessary spraying elsewhere. Crop rotation and resistance management are also keys to environmental stewardship. Habitat restoration for deer and wild turkey is part of the farm’s plan, while lupine is being planted in field corners for the endangered Karner Blue butterfly. Waterfowl and sandhill cranes are frequent visitors to the farm.

 

“Sustainability is basically a three-legged stool,” Pavelski said. “We need to conserve and protect the resources we use to grow the crop; we need to make sure that we are a valuable part of the community so we get community support and that our employees are taken care of from a personnel standpoint; and we also need to make some money. Financial stability is a key part of sustainability.”

 

The 2011 Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association Young Grower of the Year, Jeremie Pavelski currently serves on the WPVGA Board of Directors. He is the Chairman of the WPVGA Chip Committee, Co-chair of the WPVGA Water Task Force and Co-Chair of the NPC Water and Endangered Species Sub-Committee. He is also one of three Wisconsin representatives on the National Potato Council board of directors, while also serving on the US Potato Board’s Chip Committee.  

 

Jeremie says water use is a critical issue in central Wisconsin, and Heartland Farms is committed to the judicious use of this most precious resource. Heartland Farms operates about 100 center pivot irrigation systems, which are vital to potato production.

 

“Potatoes are more sensitive to stress than other crops,” Jeremie Pavelski said. “Without the ability to apply the proper moisture a crop needs you will see a major reduction in yield and quality. If you look at agricultural statistics you will notice there are fewer acres of potatoes grown in Wisconsin than in the past and this is due in part to increased yields from proper water and nutrient management.   To supply the ever growing population with a consistent food supply, we need to increase yields while lowering the inputs used.”

 

“We use low pressure systems and drop nozzles on our irrigation systems,” he continued. “I believe it is a very smart decision to use low pressure irrigation systems. These systems use much less energy than high pressure systems since you are using pump motors that are about half the horse power.   Using drop nozzles allows the water to be applied closer to the ground, reducing the amount of evaporation that can take place. The goal of any irrigation system is to supply the water where it is needed.”

 

Pavelski stated that soil moisture probes are used to fine-tune irrigation management, and that water used in washing and grading potatoes is recirculated as yet another conservation measure.

 

The Environmental Stewardship Award is a component of the Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program of the NPC and US Environmental Protection Agency. The award and a video highlighting the winner are sponsored by DuPont Crop Protection. To view the video, please visit the Heartland Farms web site: www.hfinc.biz.