Hodag potato

In March 2016, the WPVGA SpudPro committee voted to name breeding line W5955-1 ‘Hodag’, after the mythical creature and local mascot of Rhinelander, Wisconsin. Here is one interpretation of the Hodag potato (note the sprouts), drawn by group member Cari Schmitz Carley, who grew up in Rhinelander:

HodagPotato

The real Hodag potato is less frightening, as seen in the following photo, taken at the Hancock Field Day on July 28, 2016:

Hodag-HARS

The Hodag variety has a number of favorable characteristics, including common scab resistance and long-term storage potential. Here is a photo of kettle-style chips from its first trial on a commercial processing line, after 8 months of storage at 48F.

Hodag Kettle chips

Hodag should be managed for size carefully, as it produces large tubers and hollow heart has been observed in some environments. Here is a terrific factsheet by Felix Navarro with more information.