Starting next month, Wisconsin potato growers will need to contribute an extra one-cent per hundredweight for the product they produce and sell. Last week, the Wisconsin Potato Industry Board (WPIB) unanimously approved a proposed hike in the assessment farmers pay for research and promotion.
The move is expected to generate an extra $250,000 each year, which will be designated for research at the University of Wisconsin. Industry representatives will have the option of raising the assessment by another penny per hundredweight again next year in an effort to boost the total allocation to $500,000 annually.
Members of the Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association were the first to propose the fee hike. They feel the new funding model is necessary to maintain and grow the existing UW potato and vegetable research team into the future after substantial budget cuts left many faculty positions and projects in jeopardy.
The increased assessment will take effect on July 1. The WPIB plans to keep the UW designation for at least 10 years.
Source: Wisconsin Ag Connection