Wisconsin Apple Growers Putting Some Pazazz Into The State's Burgeoning Crop

MADISON, Wis. — Few in agriculture understand the cyclical nature of farming better than Wisconsin's apple growers, who suffered through two dismal years before finally breaking through with an outstanding season in 2014.

The state's apple growers are optimistic that the cycle will keep climbing because of the introduction of an exciting new variety, called Pazazz, which is a hybrid of the immensely popular Honeycrisp and the addition of more tiny dwarf trees that produce a higher volume of apples per acre.

"It's giving a reason and the means for the younger generation to go into this business," said Andy Ferguson, 29, who co-owns Ferguson's Orchards with his parents, Tom and Deb Ferguson, and is the president of the Wisconsin Apple Growers Association. Ferguson's has orchards in Galesville, Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls.

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