10 www.FarmProgress.com – March 2014Wisconsin Agriculturist
NewsWatch
Cranberries are
Van Wychen’s
passion
By ETHAN GIEBEL
WAS an only child and grew
up on the marsh, working
with my father and grandfather,” says Nodji Van Wychen.
After gaining a degree in education and teaching for three years,
she returned to the family business, Wetherby Cranberry Co.
“I didn’t want the marsh to
leave the family, so I decided
to come back,” Nodji explains.
“When I came back to the marsh
in 1973, I knew that I needed a
husband to help me out. Then I
met Jim. At the time he was a 4-H
Extension agent in Clark County.
He had a great work ethic and
the ability to fix things. I knew he
would fit in well. Fortunately, he
loves the business. We are a good
team.”
‘I
Family involvement
“Family is a big part of life for
most cranberry growers,” Nodji
says. “My grandfather came
to the marsh in 1915 and was a
manager here. In the 1950s, my
grandfather retired and my dad
became the farm manager.” In
1972, the corporation that owned
the marsh sold to Nodji’s parents
who had lived and worked there
for their entire lives.
Nodji and Jim have four children. Daughter Tonya works as
a teacher in the Tomah School
Key Points
■ Nodji Van Wychen is active in
a number of organizations.
■ She has been involved with
cranberries her entire life.
■ She says developing export
markets is the key to growth.
District, and her husband,
Michael, works on the marsh.
Daughter Kyra is also a teacher in
the Tomah School District along
with her husband, Randy. The
couple’s third daughter, Shana,
is the director of cardio rehab at
the Tomah Memorial Hospital;
her husband is Ryan. Henry is
the only son and is a cranberry
grower as well.
Son Henry and son-in-law
Michael are full-time employees
at Wetherby Cranberry Co.
“Henry has known since kindergarten that he wanted to be
a cranberry grower,” Nodji says.
“He is our mechanic and is very
good at what he does. Michael
has been working here since
high school and works with the
website (www.freshcranberries.
com), winemaking and running
the warehouse in the fall.” When
it’s time to get the job done during
the harvest season, the whole
family pitches in.
“All of their interests fit into
the business. We get help during
Nodji Van Wychen
Age: 65
Location: Warrens, Monroe County
Farming enterprises: Cranberries
Size of farm: 110 acres of cranberry beds
Years farming: 41
Family: Husband Jim, one son, three
daughters, eight grandchildren
CRANBERRY
GROWERS:
Nodji Van
Wychen and her
husband, Jim,
are the third
generation of her
family to grow
cranberries near
Warrens.
harvest and the Annual Warrens
Cranberry Festival,” she says.
Seasonally, about 20 more employees are needed for the marsh
to harvest and pack all of the
cranberries.
Wetherby Cranberry Co. was
founded in 1903 and began to
pack cranberries at the location
in 1905. Today, the marsh has
approximately 110 acres of cranberry vines. About 20 acres worth
of cranberries are packaged and
sold as fresh fruit under their own
independent label; the balance
are shipped to a processor. The
Van Wychens are one of only two
independent packers in the state.
Less than 5% of the nation’s cranberry crop is retailed fresh.
“We are a family-owned and
operated company,” Nodji says.
“Our name goes on every bag we
sell. Our products can be found
in many stores throughout the
Midwest.”
The sorting and packing warehouse is operated during harvest
season. A retail area is located in
the warehouse where customers
can purchase fresh fruit and other
products that are offered under
the Wetherby Cranberry label.
One of the special products
that is marketed is a cranberry
wine that is crafted by Jim and
Michael each year. Dried sweetened cranberries have been a
big hit with customers, as well as
frozen whole cranberries. Nodji
sets up a stand at the Cranfest
in Warrens each fall and at the
Dane County Farmers’ Market
during the cranberry harvest
season. Wetherby Cranberry Co.
is the only packer in the nation
to market a 16-ounce bag to customers instead of the traditional
12-ounce bag.
Vocal spokeswoman
Nodji is considered to be one
of the top spokespeople for the
cranberry industry as she is the
chairwoman of the public rela-
tions committee of the state
cranberry growers association.
Her public relations efforts have
included creating the world’s
largest floating American flag in
2004 with the cranberries in one
of her bogs. The publicity stunt
garnered media attention in all 50
states and four countries abroad.
Her passion for promoting the
cranberry industry led her to be
one of the five founders of the
Warrens Cranberry Festival 41
years ago. The Cranfest has contributed about $3 million to the
Warrens community directly. She
still serves on the advisory board
for the festival and is the chairwoman for the Cranfest Royalty.
“We do it for the industry,” Nodji
says. “I enjoy doing public relations.”
With a degree in education,
Nodji has a knack for teaching
customers about cranberries.
She had the idea to offer bus tours
of her family marsh before most
growers. “I do about 55 bus tours
each year,” she says. “I conduct
them personally because I feel
people deserve to hear about
our cranberries directly from the
grower.”
Every year after Cranfest a free
field demonstration is offered for
families to come see the harvest
in action.
Community involvement
In reference to her community
involvement, Nodji says, “You
name it, I’m in it. I enjoy giving
back to the community. We want
everyone to prosper.” She served
on the Tomah School Board for
16 years and is serving as a supervisor on the Monroe County
Board. She is the president
of the Warrens Area Business
Association and was the president of the Cranberry Country
Lioness Club.
In agriculture, Nodji continues to push Wisconsin agriculture forward through her
service on the board of directors
for the Wisconsin Ag Tourism
Association and as secretary
of the Wisconsin Cranberry
Discovery Center. She was
recognized by the Wisconsin
Association of FFA as part of the
Blue and Gold Society and is a
member of the Wisconsin Ag and
Extension Committee.
Nodji took part in the
Wisconsin Rural Leadership
Program, which sparked her interest in creating the Tri-County
Leadership program for Vernon,
Monroe and Jackson counties, as
well as the Cranberry Leadership
Program for people in the industry.
For 20 years, she was an officer
for the Wisconsin State Cranberry
Growers Association.
“It was important to be an officer,” Nodji says. “I had the opportunity to be at the forefront
of what was happening in the
industry. When I first started,
growers weren’t as organized
as they are today in order to tell
their story to legislators. We
have some great people who are
researchers at the University of
Wisconsin who are looking into
new hybrids of cranberries. I
am a strong proponent of UWExtension because of the value it
offers to farmers.
“I love to tell my cranberry
story,” she says. “We are a vital
part of Wisconsin agriculture and
the state economy. Cranberries
are the No. 1 fruit produced in
Wisconsin, and people are fascinated with it because it is such
a unique crop. The cranberry is
important to me, and I have a passion for it. I enjoy the quality of
life that we maintain here on the
marsh. We have recreation, wildlife and good self-employment.
We are interested in producing a
healthy product for customers so
we can continue to enjoy our way
of life.”
Giebel lives in Platteville.