Jeff Sommers, co-owner of Wysocki Family of Cos. and general manager of Wysocki Produce Farm, was recognized as a 2015 Master Agriculturist at Wisconsin Agriculturist’s award ceremony in Oshkosh, Wis., on March 25, according to a news release from RPE Produce in Bancroft.
Winners of the Master Agriculturist award are selected for their proven abilities and accomplishments as progressive farmers, as well as the time each farmer contributes to community, church and agricultural organizations.
As general manager of Wysocki Produce Farm, Sommers oversees the operations for 13,000 acres of crops and a 3,500-cow dairy. Sommers also has his own 50-head cow/calf operation with both registered and commercial cows in the herd at home.
Sommers grew up on a farm, but he began farming on his own during his sophomore year of high school, growing potatoes and corn on rented land and raising beef cattle. He continued farming through college. Over the following years, Jeff and Kathy Sommers’ farm grew to 2,000 acres of potatoes with its own potato storage and packaging operation.
In 1997, the Wysocki family approached Sommers about merging their potato enterprises. Together, the farms have become Wysocki Family of Cos.: an integrated agricultural operation, Wysocki Produce Farm, consisting of 13,000 acres of production; a commercial packaging operation, Paragon Potato Farms; and a potato sales company, RPE, with customers throughout the country. These are managed by Sommers and his five business partners, Russell, Jim, Gary and Bill Wysocki and Kirk Wille. Together they have formed other partnerships that include their dairy operation as well as a baby potato farm in California.
Source: Wisconsin Rapids Tribune