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16 POTATO GROWER | MAY 2017 by Tyrell Marchant | Photos courtesy Shelley Jansky Potato growers (and really, anyone involved in production agriculture) are accustomed to a lack of appreciation from the larger population. At least once in a while, though, farmers will get a bone thrown to them. They consistently rank near the top of public-opinion polls regarding the most trusted professions. And that "God Made a Farmer" Super Bowl commercial is still providing plenty of glow for growers to bask in four years later. But there are hardworking folks even further in the background than growers are. While the general public may be blissfully unaware of the agronomists, engineers and legions upon legions of researchers who make their delicious side of steak fries possible, those people can rest assured that their efforts aren't unnoticed by growers. However, if we're being completely candid, how often does the phrase "germplasm enhancement" cross the average grower's mind? If Shelley Jansky isn't at the very genesis of the U.S. potato supply chain, she is very near it. Jansky is a research geneticist with the USDA-Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where her primary role is, you guessed it, potato germplasm enhancement. In a nutshell, that means she is responsible for not only finding new and as yet untapped potato varieties, but also for identifying which of those populations hold the most promise for incorporation into the commercial potato industry. Jansky, however, doesn't shrink from such a tall order; rather, she embraces it. "This really is my dream job. I just love getting up and coming to work every day," she says. "In fact, I usually can't let it go. It's the last thing I'm thinking about when I go to sleep at night." As a young undergrad at University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Jansky wasn't entirely sure what career path she wanted to pursue. She was a biology major and intrigued by genetics, but was unsure of where that would take her. The answer came in an unlikely place. While exploring her education and career options, the