Additional info. from SI
Published September 10, 2006 01:18 am - When David Scholtz and Mike Rucker plant their crop, they’re never sure what price it’ll bring. That’s not unusual for farming, but it’s even more a gamble when the crop won’t be ready for the market for three years.
Tough row to hoe
Ginseng farming a gamble
By Ron Gower
The Free Press
KASOTA —
When David Scholtz and Mike Rucker plant their crop, they’re never sure what price it’ll bring. That’s not unusual for farming, but it’s even more a gamble when the crop won’t be ready for the market for three years.
Rucker and Scholtz have been partners in ginseng farming for 20 years, and now have six acres in various stages of growth. Some years the dried root has brought $40 a pound; this year the market value is $12. Scholtz says that, unless the market improves, this may be the last year he’ll be in the ginseng business.
The ginseng root is sold through a broker, and is primarily marketed to the Chinese or Korean market, both in this country and abroad. It has been highly prized by Asians for centuries, although its actual medicinal benefits are difficult to verify by modern science. Nonetheless, the Chinese value it as a kind of general tonic, promoting Yin energy, and as an aphrodisiac.
For years, North American ginseng has been especially popular, and Ontario, British Columbia and Wisconsin have produced most of the ginseng for the market. Although it is thought of as primarily an East Asian medicine, there is evidence American ginseng has been used for centuries by Native Americans as well. Both groups generally make a medicinal tea from a few slices of the root.
Besides the long maturity rate, ginseng is very labor and material intensive. Seeds must be planted in a dry mound, with watering ditches beside each mound and covered with straw. The whole growing area must be covered with a roofing of cedar lathe, slatted so the plants are 75 to 80 percent shaded. In winter, some of the cover is laid back to prevent snow buildup. Like all crops, the ginseng are subject to weeds and disease, and must be watched closely, as well as fertilized regularly.
After three or four years, the ginseng harvest begins with the bright red seeds, which will be used to plant the next crop. These are generally gathered by hand, and must be de-pulped, then dried for two years before replanting. The treated seeds bring anywhere from $20 to $30 a pound.
The mature root derives its name from the Chinese term for “man root,” as it is generally forked to resemble a man’s legs. Scholtz and Rucker use a conventional potato digger to harvest the mature plants, although there are also specialized diggers available.
The work doesn’t end there: After being graded for size, the roots are dried on racks at 95 degrees for 12 days, and only then are they ready for the market — whatever it may be at that time.
“Just about everyone I know in the business is quitting,” says Scholtz, and after 20 years, he too will probably stop growing the exotic plant. Both Scholtz and Rucker also hold full-time jobs, and although it’s been an interesting experiment, Scholtz says, “it just doesn’t pay for all the time and work.”
Pete
GO GATORS
statements made by me are considered opinions of mine unless those statements are made of facts.
