<p>The Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association (WPVGA) has begun an ad campaign entitled "Did You Know?" The goal of this is to provide Wisconsin Consumers with information about the importance of agriculture, farming, food and nutrition. Also highlighted is the importance of responsible farming practices, which they call Good Agricultural Practices, or GAP, according to a press release.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">"We have a responsibility to inform and educate the public about a wide variety of issues, challenges and concerns. Farming is a critical component of a prosperous Wisconsin economy," said Duane Maatz, Executive Director of the Association. "We have decided to inform Wisconsinites about the merits and benefits of the Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable industry in providing safe, affordable food, produced with environmental stewardship at the forefront of our practices."<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">The educational campaign is planned to run for six months. The program has already addressed issues of hunger, and is currently educating consumers about the Central Sands Aquifer, one of the largest groundwater reserves in the world and averages at least 100 feet in depth.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Maatz commented, "We’re actually harvesting the same amount of potatoes on 25% fewer acres of land so we’re using 25% less water than before. Equally as important, our growers have converted more than 50% of the older technology irrigation systems to new and efficient systems that supply water to the crop, matching plant needs with environmental conditions, thereby reducing the amount of water used as less water evaporates.”<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">WPVGA is a non-profit organization that represents and promotes Wisconsin state potato and vegetable growers, shippers, packers, processors, and seed providers. The Antigo-based trade group represents potato and vegetable farmers, shippers and packers, processors and seed providers.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href="http://wisconsinpotatoes.com/about-wpvga/did-you-know/" target="_new"> WPVGA Did You Know? Campaign </a></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
