<p>The Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association (WPVGA) recently addressed the effects of the season’s cold conditions on agriculture and the environment. As much of the Midwest has been battling extremely cold temperature readings, Wisconsin’s potato and vegetable farmers want consumers to know that the cold weather snap is actually a benefit to agriculture, home gardens, trees and the environment in general at this time. </p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>Deep frost kills harmful insect and plant pathogens by the billions, which results in fewer aphids as well as pine beetles, and emerald ash borers next spring. The emerald ash borer inhibits the flow of nutrients as they rise from the root system to the crown of the tree, causing devastating effects.</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>Duane Maatz, Executive Director of the WPVGA, said, “We enjoy our position in educating the public about the benefits of agriculture to the environment, and the environment to agriculture. I know this cold weather has created hardships for many people, but interestingly enough, it has created some much-needed hardships for the pests that do considerable damage to agriculture and the environment. There are over 700 million ash trees in Wisconsin, and we need to do everything we can to make certain there will be 700 million trees next year. This cold weather, and this is very well documented, will have significant mortality to the emerald ash borers, and that’s a good thing for all of us.”<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">The information released is part of a long-term consumer education campaign designed to provide thought-provoking information about Wisconsin’s agriculture industry, according to a press release. The information addresses sustainability, food sources, the economics of the industry, job creation, and improvements in water usage and consumption.</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href=” http://wisconsinpotatoes.com" target="_new"> WPVGA </a></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
