Herb Production in Organic Systems

1. Herb Production
ATTRA in Organic Systems
A Publication of ATTRA - National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service • 1-800-346-9140 • www.attra.ncat.org
By Katherine L. Adam The emphasis of this publication is on research into organic herb production in the U.S. and implica-
NCAT Agriculture tions for herb production under the National Organic Program regulations.
Specialist
© NCAT 2005
Contents
Why grow organic? ........ 1
The beginning organic
producer ............................ 2
Harvesting wild herbs
growing on your land ... 3
Organic production of
annual herb crops .......... 3
Organic production of
perennial herbs ............... 4
Research on organic
herb production ............. 4
Research on forest
botanicals.......................... 5
USDA Sustainable
Agriculture Research and
Education (SARE)
Projects .............................. 7
©2005 clipart.com
Selected Abstracts:
Organic Herb Production
in the U.S. ........................ 14
T
Selected Abstracts:
Organic Herb he term “herb” is very broad—gen- USDA regulations to the basic techniques
Marketing ........................ 15 erally applied to plant species (both and methods used in organic growing.
References ...................... 17 annuals and perennials) used for culi-
Research Reports:
Organic Herb
nary, medicinal, fragrance, or certain land-
scaping purposes. Methods of production
Why grow organic?
Production ...................... 18
include forest farming, greenhouse/hoop- The Organic Farming Research Foundation
house, field, raised bed, hydroponic, or pot estimates that, as of 2001, “there [were]
culture. For more information about herb approximately 7,200 certified organic pro-
production and marketing, see the list of ducers in the U.S.”—an increase of 18%
related ATTRA publications, page 13. from the previous survey (1)—with 2.07 mil-
lion acres under organic cultivation. Retail
ATTRA - National Sustain-
able Agriculture Information
Federal regulations now control the labeling sales of organic foods have grown from 20
Service is managed by the and marketing of organic products. Certi- to 35% worldwide for the past 10 years.(2)
National Center for Appropri-
ate Technology (NCAT) and is fication by a USDA-accredited certifier is Based on a 2002 informal poll of certifiers
funded under a grant from the required in order for producers and proces- (3), about 1000 U.S. firms, including on-
United States Department of
Agriculture’s Rural Business- sors to display the USDA seal. ATTRA’s farm processors, manufacture organic prod-
Cooperative Service. Visit the
NCAT Web site (www.ncat.org/
Organic Farm Certification and the National ucts (mostly foods). As of 2004 the Agri-
agri.html) for more Organic Program provides an overview of cultural Marketing Service of USDA reports
information on our
sustainable agricul- organic certification. NCAT’s Organic Crops that 30% of culinary herbs sold in the U.S.
ture projects. ���� Workbook provides guidance for applying are produced organically. NewFarm.com now

2. improve farm income, no type of herb has
Farm Profile: Developing Marketing Strategies for Culinary proved to be a satisfactory alternative for U.S.
and Medicinal Herbs corn, soy, or wheat producers. The typical
Objectives: The Indian Springs Farmers Association (ISFA) assists small U.S. herb farm is a small rural business that
farmers in diversifying their farm operations via alternative crops. In part- adds value in some way to a mix of mostly
nership with Alcorn State University, the Federation of Southern Coopera- perennial herb crops and uses alternative
tives, and other nonprofit partners, the Mississippi Association of Coop- marketing methods.
eratives and the Foundation for the Mid-South participated in training
African-American small farmers from ISFA in the production and test mar- The Dietary Supplement Health and Educa-
keting of fresh and dried medicinal and culinary herbs. tion Act (DSHEA) of 1994 codified manu-
Outcomes: Six farmers participated in the trials and grew 32 acres of herbs, facturing of products based on “medicinal
in addition to constructing 5 raised beds of 100 sq. ft. each. They found herbs.” The conventional flavoring and fra-
that picking directly into half-bushel plastic containers with holes in them grance industry, which depends, in part, on
was more efficient than the conventional 5-gallon buckets—allowing them herbs, has its own standards. Sales of encap-
to save time and labor by washing the herbs in the picking containers. sulated herbs rose steeply from 1994 to about
An 8-ounce clamshell was the customer-preferred retail container. ISFA 1998—then plateaued. Some products saw a
developed markets at the Crescent City Farmers’ Market in New Orleans,
steep decline in sales. No separate informa-
Louisiana, and Alliant Food Services, Inc. (Selling fresh herbs by mail order
was dropped because of quality considerations.)
tion is available on sales of products made
from organic herbs. The organic labeling sta-
“They found a ready market for medicinal and culinary herbs. They tus of dietary supplements has recently been
also found, perhaps due to the nature of the product, that many cus- clarified (see box). Materials come from five
tomers asked for 100 percent certified organic products.”
or six large botanicals dealers, networks of
Summary and quotation from USDA/SARE Farmer-Rancher Grant FS00-118, contract growers, or vertical integrators.
Final Report, 2002. www.sare.org
Two rulings by the National Organic Program
provides weekly reports on sales of organic in 2005 potentially affect herbal products.
herbs at the 18 U.S. wholesale produce ter- NOP has posted a memo to certifiers saying
minals, and it is recruiting a network to pro- that any product meeting the Final Rule may
vide regular reports on the 50% of organic be certified, and if it meets the requirements
herb sales thought to occur through direct for “100% organic” or “organic,” it may use the
marketing channels. (Reports on selected USDA Organic seal. (www.ams.usda.gov/nop/
NOPPolicyMemo08_25_05.pdf) This memo
organic herb sales appear monthly in Grow- reverses an initial decision to disallow organic
ing for Market.) certification for some categories of products
derived from certified organic agricultural prod-
The beginning organic ucts, including personal care items.
producer Another ruling makes it more difficult to use non-
organic agricultural ingredients (such as small
Many herb producers in the U.S. start as amounts of essential oils used for flavoring or
hobby growers interested in the culinary, fragrance) in otherwise organic products, even
aromatic, medicinal, or ornamental quali- when organic counterparts are not available.
ties of herbs. Only a few acres are needed to (See www.ota.com/pp/usregulatory/index.html.)
begin selling on a small scale, as opportuni-
ties present themselves, although a few large
corporate herb farms do exist. Fresh-cut It usually takes several years for a beginner
culinary herbs, plugs, and potted herb plants to learn what works in growing and mar-
keting a particular herb crop. This can
are produced in greenhouses. A relatively
involve extensive travel to attend conferences
small number of farmers have been able to
and visit other operations, as well as gath-
secure production contracts for herbs. To
ering information from the Internet, read-
ing, and talking with other growers. Much
For information on alternatives to raising grains and other commodities, of the necessary knowledge and expertise
see the ATTRA publication Moving Beyond Conventional Cash Cropping. must come through experience and through
Page 2 ATTRA Herb Production in Organic Systems

3. face-to-face communication. The pioneers
of herb farming in the U.S. 15 years ago
kept many details of their operations secret.
Some well-known herb farms and businesses
have recently become part of international
corporations.
Harvesting wild herbs
growing on your land
Ginseng, goldenseal, blue cohosh, black
cohosh, bloodroot, willow bark, and other
native plants grow in undisturbed woodlands
in the Appalachians and Ozarks. Ephedra,
echinacea, and cascara sagrada are among
hundreds of plants found in the arid West.
To certify land or a portion of land intended
for wild harvest, the NOP rule is relatively
American ginseng (Panay quinquefolius) growing in the Ozark Mountains.
uncomplicated, and wild-harvested plant Photo by Katherine Adam
parts or seeds may be sold as organic under
certain conditions. Using a fungicide to “save Plants found growing wild in disturbed
the crop” is prohibited if it is to be labeled ground (old fields) rarely have much eco-
organic. In practice, if your entire farm has nomic value, although a few entrepreneurs
completed the three-year transition process have developed markets for them. Purslane,
and is certified organic by a USDA-accred- dandelion, stinging nettle, chickweed, sheep
ited certifier, all wild plants, trees, and weeds sorrel, mallows, and red-root pigweed (ama-
on it are also considered organic and may ranth) have been identified by Dr. Peter A.
be marketed as such. Be aware that many Gail of the Goosefoot Acres Center for Wild
states require that ginseng be harvested only Vegetable Research and Education (4) as the
in the fall, after fruiting, and that the berries most salable. If the field has been certified
be replanted immediately. organic under the Organic Rule provisions
of §205.207, the weeds growing on it may
A list of resources for identifying unfamiliar be marketed as organic “salads” or “wild
wild plants is provided below. Undisturbed greens.” Seed may also be collected for sale
native woodlands, prairies, or deserts are the as organic seed.
most likely places to find them. The Con-
servation Security Act may provide landown-
ers in certain selected watersheds financial
Organic production of
incentives for preserving native woods and annual herb crops
wetlands and other undisturbed habitats, as Annual herbs can be raised organically in
well as for using organic methods of produc- the field much the same as annual vegetables.
tion. Provisions are administered by local However, today most commercial produc-
conservation committees that require good tion of annual culinary herbs such as basil,
record keeping for a minimum of two years cilantro, parsley, and lemon balm occurs in
before applying for grants. hydroponic greenhouse systems. At this time
organic hydroponics is neither well defined
More information on possible income from nor certified by most certifiers. Most field
woodland alternatives, other than timbering, transplants come from plugs, although some
may be found in ATTRA’s Agroforestry Over- herbs are direct-seeded. For an introduc-
view and in U.S. Forest Service publications tion to greenhouse culture, see the ATTRA
on special forest products. publications Herbs: Organic Greenhouse
www.attra.ncat.org ATTRA Page 3

4. Production and Vegeta- Lavender Production, Products, Marketing,
bles: Organic Greenhouse and Entertainment Farming.
§205.207 Wild-crop harvesting
Production. Related
practice standard
publications are Pot-
a) A wild crop that is intended to be ting Mixes for Certified Organic production of
sold, labeled, or represented as
organic must be harvested from
Organic Production, perennial herbs
a designated area that has had Plug and Transplant Most common herbs are perennials, as were
no prohibited substance, as set Production in Organic all the herbs in the Soberg study (see Renne
forth in §205.105, applied to it for Systems, and Integrated Soberg’s Management Tips for Organic
a period of 3 years immediately Pest Management for
Herb Production, below). Because seeds
preceding the harvest of the wild Greenhouse Crops.
crop. do not come true to type, many perennial
Seed spices—such as herbs must be reproduced by vegetative
b) A wild crop must be harvested in
a manner that ensures that such
dillseed, coriander, and methods; commercial growers buy them as
harvesting or gathering will not mustard—are direct- plugs. In some very large herb industries
be destructive to the environment seeded annuals raised (such as the former U.S. mint oil industry),
and will sustain the growth and as field or garden crops. a perennial was replanted each year and
production of the wild crop. Calendula, used in cos- treated as an annual, to minimize disease
metics, is also a direct- problems. Since few sources of organic herb
seeded annual, and plugs exist at the present time, organic grow-
caraway is biennial. Lack of specialized ers usually purchase conventionally raised
harvesting equipment and processing facil- plugs for perennial herb plants and then raise
ities has minimized production of the seed them for a year under certified organic man-
spices in the U.S., and overseas competition agement. For more information on plug and
has caused a decline in the U.S. essential oils transplant production, see the ATTRA publi-
industry—with the exception of an emerging cation Certified Organic Plug and Transplant
lavender sector. With federal funding, Pur- Production.
ple Haze Lavender Farm, Sequim, Washing-
ton, and La Paix Herb Farm, Alum Bridge, For more information on current issues con-
West Virginia, have pioneered research into cerning organic propagation material (seeds
commercial small-scale lavender farming in and starts), see the 2005 ATTRA publica-
the U.S. Floragenics of Pescadero, Califor- tion Seed Production and Variety Selection for
nia, now sells mid-scale distillation equip- Organic Systems.
ment. Lavender oil is used principally in aro-
matherapy and as a fragrance for household Research on organic herb
products. Two multi-state lavender growers
conferences are being held in 2005. For
production
more information on lavender production Several on-farm research projects involv-
and marketing, see the ATTRA publication ing herb production and marketing have
been funded by USDA Sustainable Agri-
culture Research and Education (SARE)
§205.204 Seeds and planting stock practice standard grants (see www.sare.org). A research proj-
4) Nonorganically produced planting stock to be used to pro-
ect conducted at New Mexico State Univer-
duce a perennial crop may be sold, labeled, or represented sity from 1994 to 1998 incidentally involved
as organically produced only after the planting stock has organic production methods. Perhaps the
been maintained under a system of organic management most complete organic herb trials, carried
for a period of no less than 1 year; and all the way through to formation of a produc-
5) Seeds, annual seedlings, and planting stock treated with pro- ers’ co-op and successful marketing, have
hibited substances may be used to produce an organic crop been carried out by Renne Soberg of Soberg
when the application of the materials is a requirement of Farms in Minnesota, whose research on pro-
Federal or State phytosanitary regulations. ducing and marketing native medicinals
was funded in successive stages by SARE
(FNC97-178, “Native Minnesota Medicinal
Page 4 ATTRA Herb Production in Organic Systems

5. Production Feasibility Study”) and by Min- The unique nature of niche markets for any
nesota Department of Agriculture alternative such products must be thoroughly understood
crops grants. Reports published in MDA’s before such ventures are undertaken.(6) The
Minnesota Greenbook series for 1998 and University of Minnesota cautions:
2000 provide details of Soberg’s success
• Most specialty forestry product (SFP)
in enterprises are risky—either because
• selecting and establishing suitable products are perishable or the mar-
varieties, kets are small and easily saturated.
• adapting equipment and facilities to • Prices can be volatile, and govern-
accommodate herb production, ment programs may be limited.
• successfully demonstrating com- • The market for products such as
mercial production of selected herbs cedar oil is dominated by a few large
under Minnesota conditions, and processors.
• identifying a bulk market. (See • Some processors or wholesalers may
Renne Soberg’s Management purchase products from only a few
Tips for Organic Herb Produc- preferred producers. This allows
tion.) them to avoid the high costs of deal-
ing with a large number of grow-
In 2001 Soberg organized an herb produc-
ers who bring small quantities of
ers’ cooperative and secured a contract with
varying quality to their processing
a national buyer.
facilities.
Herb display plots are maintained at the Uni- • Newcomers to SFPs may have prob-
versity of Saskatchewan and Purdue Univer- lems finding production or market
sity, while the University of Kentucky protects information. Existing producers may
wild stands of black cohosh, ginseng, and be fearful of losing their already
goldenseal for research purposes. Univer- small markets and unwilling to share
sity of Kentucky Extension has conducted information.
“workshops to teach growers how to pro-
For more information on risk assessment
duce ginseng and goldenseal under semi-
and management, see the National Ag Risk
natural and organic conditions.”(5) Since
Library Web site (University of Minnesota),
most universities doing organic research opt
www.agrisk.umn.edu. Also see the ATTRA
for a waiver of certification, any economic
publication Templates for Agricultural Risk
data generated does not accurately reflect
Management (also available on CD).
farmers’ costs incurred for certification and
record keeping. The University of Kentucky’s New Crop
Opportunities Center, headed by R. Terry
Research on forest Jones (7), Department of Horticulture, is cur-
rently assessing the potential of a number of
botanicals Kentucky wildflowers for commercial floral
Wild native botanicals, sometimes grown crop production.(5) Black cohosh is included
wild-simulated in farm woods, have attracted in a study of “native plant and underuti-
recent attention as part of the category “spe- lized landscape plant species” at one of its
cialty forestry products,” which also includes research stations. Jones has published a
forest-based food products, woody decorative useful guide (5) to seed and root sources for
florals, and handicrafts or specialty woods. black cohosh (as well as blue cohosh, gin-
According to the NOP wild-harvested prac- seng, and goldenseal) for Kentucky growers,
tice standard, wild-simulated botanicals as well as other Web resources. See also the
would meet organic standards if the whole list of suppliers in ATTRA’s Ginseng, Gold- Goldenseal
farm were certified. enseal, and Other Native Roots. ©2005 clipart.com
www.attra.ncat.org ATTRA Page 5

6. A major horticultural study on black cohosh related SARE-funded projects in Ohio. (See
was initiated in 2001, under the auspices of ENC01-56 and LNC00-174, below.)
the Center for Phytonutrient and Phytochemi-
A New Mexico State University study sup-
cal Studies (a research consortium between
ported by a grant from the USDA/AMS fed-
the University of Missouri—Columbia and
eral-state marketing improvement grant pro-
the Missouri Botanical Garden), funded by
gram yielded production and economic data
a sizeable grant from the U.S. National Insti-
for echinacea, valerian, and yerba mansa.
tutes of Health. Research sites in Missouri
The study was conducted in 1995–96, with
include the Missouri Botanical Garden, St.
results published in 1999.(11) In line with
Louis; Southwest Research Center, Mt. Ver-
university research practice vis-à-vis organic
non; and the Shaw Nature Center, Gray Sum-
production (and generally typical of medici-
mit. A shade house has been erected at
nal herb crops), Constance Falk, chief inves-
each site for purposes of the study. The ini-
tigator, notes that
tial experiment is intended to answer ques-
tions about when and under what conditions Although these crops were not planted on land
(including stress) the herb produces certain certified as organic, no synthetic fertilizers or
phytochemicals (the “active principles”) and pesticides were used.(11)
in what quantity. For current information, The same research team studied catnip, net-
see the Web site www.phyto-research.org/ tle, calendula, lemon balm, and globemal-
identification or contact the Center.(8) low. From 1994 to 1998 they focused on
In 2001 Frontier Natural Brands (formerly transplanting vs. direct seeding. The pub-
Frontier Herbs) turned over management of lished report noted that “cultural practices
the National Center for the Preservation of followed guidelines for organic farming meth-
Medicinal Herbs in Rutland, Ohio, to the ods by the New Mexico Organic Commodity
nonprofit local community organization Commission.”(12)
Rural Action (See Resources/Organiza- No certification costs were incurred, and no
tions). This center forms a green corridor organic premium was charged buyers of the
with the adjacent 378-acre Botanical Sanctu- research crop—a Santa Fe tincture manufac-
ary managed by United Plant Savers (UpS) turer, local herbalists, and larger distribu-
(See Resources/Organizations). Until
tors in California and Oregon.
recently, both organizations had been con-
ducting on-site research into medicinal and In July 2002 the Organic Agricultural
threatened native plant species on research Consortium (OAC) and the Scientific Con-
plots under organic management. A change gress on Organic Agricultural Research
in corporate direction (9) caused Frontier to (SCOAR) launched a new peer-reviewed
discontinue its research projects, and a sub- Web site for collecting research and informa-
sequent fire in the UpS facilities destroyed tion on organic crops. The Web site invites
results of years of research. UpS has con- researchers and farmers to contribute “prac-
ducted a fund drive among its membership tical and scientific information on organic”
to rebuild its facilities.
According to Lauren Piscopo, the Center is
the “only U.S. organization researching the
organic propagation of native herbs.” Some
of the “over-harvested” plants included in
the preserve are goldenseal, slippery elm,
partridgeberry, bloodroot, goldthread, yerba
mansa, and arnica. Native botanicals at
both these sites are being raised organi-
cally (10), and before the mishaps, organic
propagation and production were part of the ©2005 clipart.com
research design. There have been several
Page 6 ATTRA Herb Production in Organic Systems

7. agriculture. Organic production prac- learning curve is very steep for several
tices for vegetable crops, including green- years. Much of the business is based
house and raised bed production, are gen- on relationships, and it may take years
erally applicable to most annual herbs. to develop the knowledge, experience,
www.organicaginfo.org equipment, and growing ranges neces-
sary to be competent enough to compete
Below are summaries of results from Sus-
in the market on a professional basis
tainable Agriculture Research and Education
projects related to forest farming of medicinal Research Report: Minnesota Greenbook 2000
native plants and organic production of all
types of herbs. Also see the related ATTRA USDA Sustainable
publications Ginseng, Goldenseal, and Other
Native Roots and Agroforestry Overview.
Agriculture Research
and Education (SARE)
Renne Soberg’s Management Tips for Projects
Organic Herb Production Since 1991 USDA/SARE has awarded more
1. To get started, pick out some herbs and than $1,800,000 in grants for sustainable
try growing them. Read as much as agriculture projects involving herbs. Almost
you can. all could be classified as on-farm research,
with some university and nonprofit part-
2. Plan three years ahead. You need to ners. A search of the SARE project database
condition the ground with [plowed-down turned up information on a great many herb-
succession crops of] buckwheat/buck- related projects—a substantial proportion
wheat/rye plantings the year prior to since 2000 have been on certified organic
planting herbs. The second year is farms or used substantially organic methods.
focused on establishment of the planting In a majority of cases, organic production
and the third year on your first substan- was incidental to the research design. Two
tial harvest. Don’t plan on any income studies took place on Biodynamic farms. See
from herbs the establishment year. the complete, searchable project database at
www.sare.org/projects.
3. Herbs have very strong characters and
demand different conditions—soil, mois-
ture, drying, and labor among others. Projects involving chemical-
Selection of herb species should be done free forest farming of native
with knowledge of the preferred growth medicinals
conditions of the herbs in combination
with an understanding of the conditions Organic
you can provide. Some accommoda-
tions will probably have to be made by FNE02-436 (2002)
both the herbs and by the grower, if you
pH and Calcium Requirement in Woods-
are to be successful.
Grown Organic Goldenseal Hydrastic
4. The business of growing herbs requires Canadensis L
many skills and a keen sense of observa- In progress. No final report.
tion and intuition. There is a quantum
leap between growing herbs for pleasure
and growing herbs for profit. To quote
Non-organic
a former governor of North Dakota, FNC04-527 (2004)
“Think big, start small, stay liquid.”
Interplanting Ginseng with Other
5. It may be best to stay out of herbs if you Native Shade Plants for Fungal
are only looking at the profit motive. Control, Short and Long-Term
It is best if it is a labor of love. The Profitability
www.attra.ncat.org ATTRA Page 7

8. Farmer/Rancher project No report.
Objective is to create a managed forest sys-
tem that allows sustainable production of FNC99-288 (1999)
high-value native plants—such as ginseng, Growing Various Species of Angelica as
goldenseal, bloodroot, cohosh, and trillium— a Forest Crop in the Midwest
by avoiding diseases typical of monocultures
through the technique of interplanting. Farmer/Rancher project
In progress. No final report. Growing five species of angelica in a woodlot
as an alternative forest cash crop for medici-
nal use, the producer planted 260 to 300
LNC00-174 (2000)
angelica seedlings in cages to deter deer
Sustaining Farms and Biodiversity grazing. Some outgrew their cages. Other
Through Woodland Cultivation of High- objectives were to provide “high quality, sus-
Value Crops tainably produced medicinal herbs” and to
Research and Education project compare European/North American and Chi-
nese angelicas for quality and ease of pro-
With significant federal and non-federal duction. No production, harvesting, or mar-
matching funds (total: $94,559), this proj- keting data were gathered during the life of
ect explored cultivation of at-risk medicinal the grant. However, the farmer promised to
plants in the Ohio Appalachians. An asso- collect and eventually publish such data.
ciation was formed of more than 40 growers
with an integrated support system—including
FNE98-220 (1998)
education, R&D, and marketing assistance.
Growers participating in educational activi- Forest Grown Medicinal Plants to
ties totaled 470. The report noted: “Signifi- Increase Woodlot Income
cant initial plantings were made by growers Farmer/Rancher project
and broader awareness of woodland cultiva-
tion was developed in the region.” This project was about establishing St.
Johnswort, ginseng, and goldenseal in a
See 20-page Final Report. farm woodlot. St. Johnswort was planted
in a clearing and fertilized with commer-
ENC01-056 (2001) cial sources of N and P. Non-chemical weed
Forest Meets Farm: Profitable New Crops control consisted of a cover crop of Japanese
for Small Farms in Forested Ohio millet turned under, which proved effective.
The investigator now recommends no appli-
Professional Development Program cation of fertilizer, as the weeds are likely to
This project was about establishing a training derive more benefit than the St. Johnswort.
program for forest-cultivated crops (such as Direct seeding, as opposed to transplants,
native medicinals and perennial native herbs is recommended.
in the nursery trade) and other non-timber
Ginseng seeds and roots, as well as gold-
products (e.g., pawpaw and mushrooms) for
enseal roots, were planted in an appropri-
forested regions of Ohio.
ately shaded, well-drained site fertilized with
See 11-page Final Report. dolomitic lime, gypsum, and commercial P
fertilizer. Ginseng sustained considerable
FNE99-286 (1999) waterlogging at one of the sites, as well as
Integrated Forest Farming: Medicinal damage from small animals digging up the
Herb Cultivation, Mushroom Produc- roots. Goldenseal took well and had no prob-
tion, and Forest Restoration lems. The investigator recommends care-
ful assessment of drainage at potential sites
Farmer/Rancher project and protection of the roots with wire mesh.
Page 8 ATTRA Herb Production in Organic Systems

9. Goldenseal proved more tolerant of light than Recommendations for actual commercial pro-
did ginseng. duction: secure road access; use a small
tractor to prepare seedbeds.
FNE95-102 (1995)
Development of Woodlands Growing Projects involving field
Method for New England Native Wild- production
flowers and Medicinal Plants
Farmer/Rancher project Organic
The objective of this project was cultivation FNE01-362 (2001)
of native Massachusetts wildflowers (most
Organic Row Cropping of Threatened
having medicinal uses)—including golden-
seal, ginseng, blue cohosh, bloodroot, gold- Medicinal Herbs for Market in the
thread, jack-in-the-pulpit, foamflower, par- Northeast
tridgeberry, wild ginger, maidenhair fern,
red trillium, May apple, bluebeard lily, Farmer/Rancher project
Hepatica, and Tiarella cordifolia—in a two- The applicant identified nine species of
acre forest setting, prepared by thinning to medicinal plants considered threatened in
create a number of micro-environments at
their native environment and proposed to
ground level (including both well-drained
and boggy sites). grow them organically, recording plant vigor,
yields, pest damage, and other indicators.
Watering was necessary the first summer, The market for these medicinal would be
and some weeding was necessary during the
explored.
second. After three years, all of the origi-
nal planting of ginseng was lost for unknown No final report.
reasons. [Steven Foster—herb author,
photographer, and lecturer—commented dur- FNE03-489 (2003)
ing a native herb woods walk in 2001 that
mature ginseng roots can apparently lie dor- Organic High Density Production of
mant for years at a time, then suddenly send Medicinal Herbs
up above-ground parts for reasons that are
Farmer/Rancher
poorly understood.] The chief investigator
replanted the ginseng. Success of the other The proposal states: “High-density herb pro-
species was judged as follows. duction may meet a market need and improve
profits, and the farmer will collect and evalu-
Successful ate data on high-density costs such as tech-
jack-in-the-pulpit blue cohosh nology, space requirements, and labor, as
goldenseal goldthread, well as track weed, insect, and wildlife dam-
bloodroot Tiarella cordifolia age. The goal is to see if high-density herb
foamflower Hepatica production is more profitable than conven-
tional methods. Projects results will be pre-
sented at conferences and will be offered for
Unsuccessful
publication in herb industry newsletters.”
partridgeberry wild ginger
No final report.
Principal investigator does not believe
that growing wild plants in this way, and FNE02-440 (2002)
on this scale, can be economically justi- West Virginia Herb Growers Research
fied. This is a suitable technique only if the Project
objective is conservation of native species. Farmer/Rancher project
www.attra.ncat.org ATTRA Page 9

10. Wholesale markets for organically grown LNE97-092 (1997)
domestic herbs suitable for West Virginia will
Chinese Medicinal Herbs as Crops for
be investigated. Seven farmers will propa-
the Northeast
gate and cultivate, experimenting with biocul-
tural practices to control fungal pests. They This project evaluated the potential pro-
will publish results and develop a growers’ ductivity and grower acceptance of Chi-
manual. nese medicinal plants as alternative crops.
Organic production methods were used.
No final report.
Plant development proved highly variable.
FNC99-252 (1999) Harvestable and marketable fractions var-
ied within plots.
Organic Medicinal Herb Cultivation
Recommendations: 1. Selection and produc-
Farmer/Rancher project tion of genetically uniform plant propagation
With the objective of sustainably and prof- materials must precede introduction of Chi-
itably producing organic medicinal herbs, nese herbs as a reliable alternative crop for
the producer planted the three commercial the Northeast. 2. A community-based direct
varieties of Echinacea. Results: Only 200 market system to practitioners must also be
of more than 3,000 plants survived due to developed to ensure commercial viability.
damage from the Aster Yellows virus, trans-
mitted by leafhoppers. FNC97-178 (1997)
Native Minnesota Medicinal Production
FNC98-215 (1998) Feasibility Study
Elixir Farm: Chinese Medicinal Herbs Farmer/Rancher
as Field Crops in the Ozarks
Objective: To determine which medicinal
Farmer/Rancher project plants were commercially feasible to grow
Objective: To increase organic production in Minnesota. Plants in the trial were
and marketing of the Chinese medicinal dandelion, wormwood, motherwort, penny-
Astragalus membranaceous as a rural devel- royal, scullcap, valerian, catnip, and licorice.
opment strategy. [Elixir Farm is Biody- Old grain-handling equipment was converted
namic.] Investigators harvested 2 pounds of to handle these crops.
seed from 2/3 acre (1 lb. per year) and 18 [Note: This research, conducted by Renne
pounds of dried root (in the second year). Soberg, was continued through 1999 with
Production costs were deemed “high,” and state of Minnesota grants. See Minnesota
aggressive marketing was needed to sell the Greenbook 1998 and 2000 reports. See
crop for a satisfactory return. Resources, below.]
FW97-003 (1997) FW01-052 (2001)
Converting Pasture Land to Specialty Application of Oyster Shell Mulch for
Crop Production as an Alternative Farm Lavender Production
Enterprise
Farmer/Rancher
Objective: Project proposed to increase fam-
Final report: Plants mulched with oys-
ily incomes to make better use of pasture
ter shells showed about a 12% increase in
land by demonstrating to skeptical farmers
harvested bundles with no significant differ-
the economic viability of producing organic
ence in oil quality/quantity (per mass spec-
dried herbs and flower seeds on land previ-
tra analysis). Oyster-shell mulched plants
ously used only for grazing livestock.
kept weeding, cultivating, and water use to
No outcomes reported. a minimum. Project extended beyond life
Page 10 ATTRA Herb Production in Organic Systems

11. of the grant to test hypothesis that increas- “the most vigorous growth of E. purpurea,
ing mulch area around the plant increases and the greatest number of flower heads”
[reflected] light units, hence flower produc- when it was interplanted with grasses. E.
tion, in ‘Royal Velvet’ (L. angustifolia) and angustifolia was not as successfully propa-
‘Hidcote Giant’ (L. x intermedia). gated, but neither species was found to suffer
from diseases or insects, and various cover
FNE01-358 (2001) crops provided fertilization.
Essential Oil Distillation for West Vir-
ginia Herb Growers: A Smell Good Projects involving field
Project production of culinary herbs
Farmer/Rancher
FS00-118 (2000) [See Alternative
This project aimed to explore markets for marketing below]
distilled herb products, including hydrosols,
and to connect herb growers. Developing Marketing Strategies for
According to the final report, with assis- Culinary and Medicinal Herbs
tance from the West Virginia Department Farmer/Rancher project
of Agriculture and West Virginia University
The Indian Springs Farmers Association
Cooperative Extension, the project created
(ISFA) assists small farmers in diversifying
an 11-member herb growers network, con-
their farm operations via alternative crops.
ducted educational events for growers, and
In partnership with Alcorn State University,
investigated distillation and the potential of
the Federation of Southern Cooperatives,
value-added products. A 32-page publica-
and other nonprofit partners, the Mississippi
tion on propagation and uses of lavender and
Association of Cooperatives and the Founda-
lemon balm was distributed to all partici-
tion for the Mid-South participated in train-
pating growers, and a two-day Propagation
ing African-American small farmers in the
and Distillation Workshop was held, using
production and test marketing of fresh and
the small-scale distillation unit set up at La
dried medicinal and culinary herbs.
Paix Herb Farm. Twelve different herbs were
tested for feasibility, with the outcome that Six farmers participated in the trials and
although a high oil yield was not obtained grew 32 acres of herbs, in addition to
from the small unit, alternative products from constructing 5 raised beds of 100 sq. ft.
the hydrosols produced have potential. each. They found that picking directly into
More research needs to be done to deter- half-bushel plastic containers with holes in
mine how to achieve higher essential oil them was more efficient than the conventional
yields, and more education is needed on all 5-gallon buckets—allowing them to save time
aspects of herb production in West Virginia. and labor by washing the herbs in the picking
Larger volumes of plant material are needed containers. An 8-ounce clamshell was the
(especially lavender and peppermint). More customer-preferred retail container. ISFA
research is needed on ideas for value-added developed markets at the Crescent City Farm-
products, especially from spent biomass. ers Market in New Orleans, Louisiana, and
Alliant Food Services, Inc. Selling fresh
herbs by mail order was dropped because of
Non-organic quality considerations. “They found a ready
FNE97-160 (1997) market for medicinal and culinary herbs.
They also found, perhaps due to the nature
Echinacea Field Trials of the product, that many customers asked for
Investigators grew E. purpurea and E. angus- 100 percent certified organic products.”
tifolia under organic management, testing
various parameters. Chief investigator found LS96-075 (1996)
www.attra.ncat.org ATTRA Page 11

12. Developing Sustainable Crop Manage- • Use of 30-inch rows to promote opti-
ment Systems for Improving Produc- mum yield, while reducing disease
tion of Culinary Herbs in the Virgin problems.
Islands • Tilling immediately before planting
Research and Education project for weed control.
Objectives: LS94-013 (1994)
• To develop sustainable soil manage- Plant Shelters to Extend the Growing
ment practices for culinary herb pro- Season for Herbs
duction by using crop rotation with
green manures, application of com- Objectives were to extend the growing sea-
posts, animal manures, and other son for sweet basil in the mountains of west-
organic fertilizers. ern North Carolina (36° N Lat.) from four
months to possibly eight months, to capitalize
• To evaluate use of organic mulches,
on early- and late-season fresh market price
cover crops, and biodegradable syn-
premiums. The project aimed to design por-
thetic mulches.
table, lightweight, inexpensive, easily main-
• To develop IPM for herbs (intercrop- tained/stored, energy-efficient, and reusable
ping and crop rotation). shelters with a drip irrigation component.
• To increase efficiency in fertilizer No construction materials or designs per-
and water use in herb production by formed adequately for commercial produc-
using micro-irrgation. tion of herbs. Basil production proved ill-
Herbs evaluated were sweet basil, chives, suited to 4-foot high shelters, as basil has
cilantro, parsley, and thyme, over four crop- a higher growing pattern than most herbs.
ping seasons. Lightweight portable shelters tended to blow
No outcomes available. over in high winds, damaging the plants.
During the project “market prices dropped
due to unexpected availability of inexpen-
LNC94-066 (1994) sive herbs from Mexico, Israel, and Aus-
Investigation of the Viability of Grow- tralia,” dropping expected returns below
ing Herbs as Alternative Crops for Iowa cost of production. Hence the crop was left
Farmers unharvested. The principal investigator now
Objectives were 1) to examine seven herb considers it unlikely that he will remain in
crops for profitability, 2) to determine the culinary herb business.
optimal cultural practices, 3) to evaluate
time and labor requirements, as well as Projects involving
equipment needs/modifications, and 4) to greenhouse production
investigate retail and wholesale marketing
opportunities. of culinary herbs
Only the culinary herbs basil, cilantro, dill, Organic
and parsley were found reliably profitable—
given timely planting and water availability. FNE03-468
Disease and insect problems were minimal Organic Plug Production: Evaluating
for these four herb crops. Cultural practices Growing Media, Fertilizer and Eco-
found most beneficial:
nomic Feasibility
• Use of organic mulches (corn stalks
Farmer/Rancher project
or cobs) to reduce weed pressure
between rows and conserve moisture, The goals of this project were to evaluate
reduce erosion, and maintain clean economic feasibility of operating an organic
herbs at harvest. plug production facility [in a 3000 sq. foot
Page 12 ATTRA Herb Production in Organic Systems

13. greenhouse operation in the Northeast] and Role of herbs in habitat
to compare three media types and two fer- enhancement for beneficial
tilizers.
insects
Outcomes: Economic feasibility was con-
firmed: growing plugs actually produced AS92-002 (1992)
more income per square foot of produc- Habitat Enhancement for Beneficial
tion space than growing traditional bedding Insects in Vegetable and Fruit Farm-
plants. The organic germinating mix used ing Systems
performed better than did either the organic
Using essentially organic methods, the par-
compost or a peat-based medium. A fertil- ticipating farmers noted basil, cilantro, dill
izer made from liquefied fish protein (2-4-2) (and all flowering plants in the umbel family),
performed better than a fertilizer made from also anise hyssop, garlic chives, and mints
liquid fish and seaweed (3-2-2). [Note: The were highly attractive to beneficial insects.
investigator has subsequently gone into busi- They rated strip or border plantings supe-
ness as one of very few organic plug suppli- rior to companion planting. Participating
ers in the U.S.] farmers state that they have changed their
farming practices as a result of the project
Alternative Marketing and continue to share what they learned with
others.
FNE00-348 (2000)
Harvest Home Organics
Education
The project objective was to establish a CSA EW97-005 (1997)
for marketing organic vegetables, flowers, In-depth Training and Work Experience
and herbs. on a Community Supported Agriculture
Shareholders did not find the social and aes- (CSA) Farm
thetic meaning in the CSA system that the A four-day train-the-trainers workshop was
investigator did, but viewed it primarily as a held at Peach Valley CSA Farm in Califor-
source of fresh produce. nia, a certified organic farm, in July 1998.
Participants, mostly from Extension, partici-
Also see FS00-118 (Projects involving pated in the day-to-day operation of a certi-
field production of culinary herbs, fied organic farm.
above)
A post-workshop survey indicated that spe-
cific knowledge of CSAs and related sus-
Homeopathic animal remedies tainable agriculture issues dramatically
increased for workshop participants.
LNE97-086 (1997)
Evaluation and Documentation of LNE96-077 (1996)
Homeopathic Nosodes in Organic and
Sea Change Urban Horticulture Center:
Conventional Dairy Production
Sustainable Agriculture Initiatives
Research and Education project One objective (of seven) was “to establish
The project objective was the measurement and evaluate a specialty herb and produce
of homeopathic nosodes used for preven- operation offering organically grown spe-
tion of mastitis and calf scours in organic cialty items to urban restaurants and food
and conventional dairy production (placebo- specialty businesses.”
controlled, double-blind clinical field trial). In May 1997 the CSA [staffed by resi-
There was a 25% reduction in infections in dents of a Detroit designated Empower-
the treated group. ment Zone and using land leased from the
www.attra.ncat.org ATTRA Page 13

14. Redevelopment Authority (RA)] became a certified Since 1989 soilless culture has become the norm
organic farm with 33 family shareholders. Unfortu- in production of greenhouse herbs.]
nately, the leased land was taken back by the RA, and
Organic Production of Lobelia. Jeff Licht, of Lin-
Sea Change was looking for new parcels after negoti-
colnway Flower Farm, East Central Iowa, pre-
ating one last season on the organically certified land.
sented at the Fourth Richters Commercial
Sea Change began selling organic produce to local res-
Herb Growing Conference, in 1999.
taurants (role of herbs not specified).
Lincolnway raises several acres of lobelia from
transplants, under contract with a major herb
Selected Abstracts: Organic dealer. About 1998 Licht became certified organic.
Herb Production in the U.S. He says, “The biggest problem that we have… is the
Goldenseal [organic production]. Adrianne Sin- weeds.” After trying mulching between rows with
clair and Paul M. Catling. 2001. Cultivat- oat straw, he now uses “soy-based printed news-
ing the increasingly popular medicinal plant, papers between rows,” and weeds the crop at least
goldenseal: Review and update. American three times by hand.
Journal of Alternative Agriculture. Vol. 16, There is no way to dry herb crops in Iowa without
No. 3. forced heat or forced air dryers. He has a well-
p. 138. insulated 20x 30 drying room, with a circulat-
Report on in-depth Canadian research project on ing fan to keep the air moving.
production and marketing of goldenseal. Licht cautioned that crops and sales can be lost if
Ginseng [organic production]. John Proctor. Pre- there is a hitch in the certification process.
sented at Richters First Commercial Herb Field Production of Catnip. Renne Soberg, of
Growing Conference, 1994. Proceedings. Soberg Farms, presented on organic field pro-
p. 25–41. duction of catnip in Minnesota at the Fourth
Field Production of Three Basil Cultivars. Peggy Jo Richters Commercial Herb Growing Confer-
Reed. Presented at the 9th Annual National ence, in 1999.
Conference of the International Herb Asso- He decided to grow catnip as his main crop in
ciation. p. 52. In: Arlene Kestner, James E. 1999, after a buyer inspecting his sample offered to
Simon, and Arthur O. Tucker (ed.). Proceed- buy all he had. In the spring he seeded 750,000
ings of Herbs ’94: Ninth Annual National catnip seeds in a third of an acre, but only 150
Conference of the International Herb Associa- plants germinated.
tion. IHA, Mundelein, Illinois. From this he learned that spring seeding does not
One paragraph on profitability of organically pro- work for catnip. But the weeds came; after cultiva-
duced herbs. tion, he reseeded in August and irrigated heavily.
That fall he had a good stand from seed. As an
Organic Greenhouse Growing Techniques. Com- experiment Soberg also put out transplants he had
mercial greenhouse grower Marjorie For- raised and found that there were pros and cons to
tier, of Meadowbrook Herb Garden, Wyo- both propagation methods.
ming, Rhode Island, presented at the Second
Soberg raises a legume crop to fix nitrogen; red clo-
National Herb Growing and Marketing Con- ver provides a saleable medium-grade herb crop in
ference, Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1987. its own right (flowering tops harvested by combine).
Fortier’s outline of growing techniques was pub- Remember that red clover is a biennial and will
lished in the conference Proceedings. She con- not bloom the first year it is seeded. He alternates
cluded that “Most important points—proper red clover with the catnip in two fields.
watering, good sanitation, continuous moni- Weeds continually get worse. He chops mulch and
toring, adequate ventilation, and good soil—of then sets his cultivator so that he can still cultivate
managing a greenhouse organically are very next to the plant. Most remaining weeds are sepa-
much the same as conventional methods.” [Note: rated out by the harvesting process he uses. If any
Page 14 ATTRA Herb Production in Organic Systems

15. foxtail gets through into the barn, it is manually National Conference of the International Herb
removed. All foreign material must be removed Association. IHA, Mundelein, Illinois.
prior to the cut-and-sift process. Marketing Herb Crops. Renne Soberg, of Soberg
Soberg tailors the herbs he grows to his own pref- Farms, Lakeville, MN, presented at the Fourth
erences. For instance, he will not raise mugwort Richters Commercial Herb Growing Confer-
because the dust does not agree with him. He ence, in 1999, on the topic of marketing.
advises, “Stay out of it if you’re motivated by just Soberg considers organic certification to be a mar-
profits.” keting and quality assurance tool that makes it
possible for him to ask at least two-and-a-half times
Selected Abstracts: Organic more for his herb crops. He says, “Price is a poor
place to compete. One of the real proven methods
Herb Marketing for businesses that have survived for a long, long
Herb Field Production and Processing with GAPs time is to produce an excellent product and then
[Good Agricultural Practices] and GMPs [Good sell service.”
Manufacturing Practices]. Alan De Young of
Van Drunen Farms presented at the fifth [and Medicinal Root Crops. James Quinn, of QBI Inc.,
final] Richters Commercial Herb Growing Con- presented at the Third Richters Commercial
ference in 2000. [Transcripts, p. 49–67.] Herb Growing Conference, in 1998, on the
topic of grow-out trials for herbs sold to a New
In business for 30 years, Van Drunen Farms pro-
Jersey cosmetics manufacturer.
vides a significant share of the dried organic
culinary herbs and some medicinal herbs for QBI originated in Europe as “Island Organics.”
nutraceutical products in the U.S. (where it has One of QBI’s aims was to identify whether herbs
four processing plants, a warehousing facility, and they can grow in the United States compare favor-
offices in Momence, Illinois, and Santa Rosa, Cali- ably with what they were importing. Primary objec-
fornia). A plant producing biological cultures for tives of the trials were:
the nutraceutical industry subcontracts with Bio- • Quickly bring about a reasonable amount of
source in Mequon, Wisconsin. Processing, includ- production for Island Organics’ supply needs.
ing freeze-drying, is 80% of the business, and farm-
ing 20%. De Young comments on the difficulties • Learn about the various types of specialized
of retrofitting an existing facility to Good Manufac- equipment to provide efficient mechanization
turing Practices. Slides from the presentation are for production at all levels.
included in this extremely valuable, detailed inside • Generate reliable field information.
look at the organic herb processing and nutraceu- • Develop a network of growers who could sup-
tical industry. ply product demands for future years.
Nationwide marketing: Building brand identification • Establish regional businesses that can capi-
[relevant to marketing organic herbs]. Philip talize on the increasing need for cul tivated
Moore, presented at the 11th Annual National botanicals.
Conference of the International Herb Associa- The field trials compared soil types and cropping
tion. p. 80–88. In: Herbs ’96: Proceedings considerations; land preparation and soil fertility;
of the Eleventh Annual National Conference seed germination; plant establishment and direct
of the International Herb Association. IHA, seeding; plug transplants; weed control; cultiva-
Mundelein, Illinois. tion and irrigation; crop economics; yields; harvest-
Demographic and economic trends affecting the herb ing; drying; and diseases. Herb root crops raised
industry in the 1990s and beyond. Paula C. included echinacea purpurea, E. pallida, dande-
Oliver, presented at the 10th Annual National lion, black cohosh, ginseng, goldenseal, valerian,
Conference of the International Herb Associa- yellowdock, and burdock. [Note: James Quinn
tion. p. 31–32 [Organic Products in Demand]. regularly consulted with NCAT Agriculture Spe-
In: Arlene Kestner and Arthur O. Tucker cialist Katherine Adam during the late ‘90s and
(ed.). Proceedings of Herbs ’95: Tenth Annual kindly attributes the quote on one of his published
www.attra.ncat.org ATTRA Page 15

16. slides to her: “It’s not what your crop is worth, but Varietal Improvement of Herbs. Conrad Richter pre-
how well you negotiate.”] sented at the First Richters Commercial Herb
Growing Conference, in 1997, on improvement
The most valuable part of this trial was the determi-
of strains of medicinal herbs grown commer-
nation of reliable yield information for these crops
cially in Canada.
over a period of three years, along with price/lb.
offered. Quinn says, “Clearly, if some of these crops He suggested the following herbs, for which
are only bringing $1.00 or $1.50 a pound, it’s very few if any improved varieties exist, for targeted
questionable whether they’re even worth producing. research: ginseng, Echinacea, borage, evening
[This yardstick would eliminate all the above crops primrose, feverfew, goldenseal, catnip, St. John-
from consideration, except for goldenseal, and the swort, valerian, milk thistle, foxglove, chamomile,
two echinaceas.] angelica, sheep sorrel, burdock, comfrey, and nettle.
Richter noted:
Contract Growers Requirements for the Production
of Organic Herbs. An unidentified representa- One of the challenges we face as a herb seed
tive of Trout Lake Farm presented at the First company is that many varietal improvements
are unavailble to us. Established growers who
Richters Commercial Herb Growing Confer-
make their own selections from their crops do not
ence, in 1997, on criteria for contract growing,
offer seeds to other growers or to seed suppliers…
based on Trout Lake’s company requirements
A large grower of narrowleaf echinacea…annu-
for contract growers.
ally destroys over 1000 pounds of seed to inhibit
Trout Lake Farm, certified by Oregon Tilth, was new entrants to the industry. This grower has
started in 1973 near Bend, Oregon, and at its peak apparently judged that it is better to forego over
had more than 1000 acres of herbs in production, $100,000 in seed revenues in order to maximize
with 30 herb crops. Thirty other crops were being his return on roots.
purchased from “outside sources,” including con-
tract growers. Trout Lake Farm has operated since A long-range goal is to develop artificial seeds from
1999 under the corporate umbrella of Amway Cor- arrested somatic embryos that are dessicated and
poration. coated, for those varieties that cannot be grown
from natural seeds.
Resources required for securing a contract to
grow for Trout Lake: Spiritual Agriculture and Organic Medicinal Herb
Production. Emigdio Ballom presented a slide
• Growing and processing capability on an econ- show on his research at the fifth and final
omy of scale appropriate for the crop and the Richters Commercial Herb Growing Confer-
customer base. ence, November 4, 2000. Transcripts, p. 33–
• Human resources: Management experience with 47.
crops requiring the same production methods. Mr. Ballon, with South American university degrees
Availability of hand labor. in agriculture and plant genetics, as well as doc-
• Financial resources: Capital sufficient to cover toral studies at Colorado State University, works at
upfront costs such as dehydrators, other special- Resting in the River Farm, Abiquiu, New Mexico,
ized equipment, purchase of germplasm. where organic methods were being used [not neces-
sarily certified organic]. He is currently researching
• Land and equipment resources: Owned rather germination techniques for Chinese and Ayurvedic
than leased preferred. herbs and the interface of Quechua farming tech-
• Environmental factors present in the growing niques with modern agriculture.
location: Must have ideal climate, soil, water, Value-added Products and Herbal Tinctures. Nick
and freedom from pest pressures and contami- Morcinek, of Faunus Herbs, presented at the
nation. First Richters Commercial Herb Growing Con-
A major goal is to establish long-term relationships ference, in 1997, on the importance of organic
with contract growers. Forward contracting of herb certification in marketing his farm’s herbal
crops can be advantageous to both parties under products and on some herbs with value-
the right circumstances. added potential—goldenseal, hops, evening
Page 16 ATTRA Herb Production in Organic Systems

17. primrose, calendula, milk thistle, orris root, 4. Gail, Peter A. 1998. On the trail of the volun-
bloodroot, North American mandrake (May teer vegetable: Untapped potential profit
apple, umbrella plant), bloodroot, valerian, marketing your weeds. The Business of
basil, and chamomile. Morcinek says, Herbs. November–December. p. 18–19,
Why certified organic? We feature prominently the 26–27.
certified organic logo on materials. For example, 5. University of Kentucky at Lexington.
you might have five thousand pounds of echina-
www.ca.uky.edu/agc/pubs/pubs.htm
cea root that you’ve grown and are meeting with
a broker that wants to buy it. The only difference 6. Staff. 2002. Specialty forest products: It’s all
between your competitor’s product and yours is that in the selling. Sustainable Agriculture.
you can say that yours has been independently Minnesota College of Agriculture, Food &
certified as organically grown. I will tell you now Environmental Science. July. p. 2.
that you will make the sale. Your customers don’t
7. R. Terry Jones
have to accept just your word when you say it is
New Crops Opportunities Center
organically grown if it’s independently verified.
Department of Horticulture
Feverfew—Field Production and Marketing. Richard University of Kentucky
and David Borbely, of AgroPharm Technolo- Robinson Station, 130 Robinson Road
gies, presented at the First Richters Commer- Jackson, KY 41339-9081
cial Herb Growing Conference, in 1997, on 859-257-9511, ext. 234
their vertically integrated corporate farming tjones@uky.edu
venture in OCIA-certified medicinal botani- www.uky.edu/Ag/Horticulture/gardenflowers/
cals, near Simcoe, Ontario. chco.htm
This report provides excellent details on organic www.uky.edu/Ag/NewCrops/nccult.html
production of feverfew on three acres. This venture 8. Missouri Center for Phytonutrient and
adds value to the raw commodity by producing Phytochemical Studies
feverfew tablets for over-the-counter retail sales. M121 Medical Sciences Building
Columbia, MO 65212
References info@phyto-research.org
1. Walz, Erica. 2004. Fourth National Organic www.phyto-research.org
Farmers’ Survey: Final Results. Organic Also: Thomas, Andrew L. 2002. Southwest Cen-
Farming Research Foundation, Santa Cruz, ter launches medicinal herb research on black
CA. p. 11. Also, Brussell, Juli. 2002. cohosh. Southwest Center [MO] Ruminations.
Collaborative marketing through MAICS, January–March. p. 2–3.
OFARM offers organic farmers collective
bargaining power. OFRF Bulletin. Fall. 9. Coffield, Dana. 2002. Simply Organic launch
p. 6. far from simple. The Natural Foods Mer-
www.ofrf.org/publications/news/InfoBull11. chandiser. September. p. 1.
pdf 10. Piscopo, Lauren. 2001. Herb preserve digs for
2. Thompson, Gary. 2000. International consumer funding. Natural Foods Merchandiser.
demand for organic foods. HortTechnol- May. p. 8.
ogy. October–December. p. 663. Also, 11. Falk, Constance, Hildegard van Voorthuizen,
Kortbech-Olesen. 1999. The United Marisa M. Wall, Steven J. Guldan, Charles
States Market for Organic Food and Bever- A. Martin, and Kathryn M. Kleitz. 1999.
ages. International Trade Center. Costs and returns of growing selected
www.intracen.org/mds/sectors/organic/ medicinal herbs in New Mexico indicate
usfdbev.pdf positive return to land and risk likely.
3. Staff. 2002. ATTRA case letter 93539-1. HortTechnology. October–December.
April 22. p. 681–686.
www.attra.ncat.org ATTRA Page 17

18. 12. Falk, Constance, H. van Voorthuizen, M. M. Sustainable Agriculture Program, Minn. Dept.
Wall, S. J. Guldan, C. A. Martin, K. M. of Ag. p. 21–23.
Kleitz. 2000. An economic analysis of First year project results for Renne Soberg’s
transplanting versus direct seeding of medicinal herb project.
selected medicinal herbs in New Mex- Hanks, Mary. 2000. Native Minnesota medicinal
ico. Journal of Herbs, Spices & Medicinal plant production. Greenbook 2000: Energy
Plants. Vol. 7, No. 4. p. 17.
and Sustainable Agriculture Program, Minn.
Dept. of Ag. p. 21–25.
Research Reports: Organic Herb Organic production, harvesting, drying, mar-
Production keting procedures developed and evaluated for
herbs with known strong market potential—net-
Risk Management Report tle, catnip, dandelion, scullcap, pennyroyal,
Brester, Gary, Kole Swanser, and Tim Watts. valerian, licorice, wormwood, and motherwort.
2002. Market Opportunities and Strategic Soberg Farm.
Directions for Specialty Herbs and Essential
Oil Crops in Montana. Prepared for Montana Periodicals
Department of Agriculture and USDA Federal- Journal of Herbs, Spices, and Medicinal Plants
State Marketing Improvement Program. Watts Reports on research in tissue culture, analysis of
and Associates, Billings, MT. 64 p. chemical constituents, nutrient management,
www.ams.usda.gov/TMD/FSMIP/FY2000/ and disease and insect control for the major herb
MT0294.pdf. crops in world commerce. Reports generally not
about organic production. Largest percentage
Richters Proceedings conducted in Egypt, India, Hungary, Sri Lanka,
Berzins, Rita, and Conrad Richter (eds.). 1996. Costa Rica, Morocco, Albania, China, Paki-
Richters First Commercial Herb Growing Con- stan, and other large volume, low cost produc-
ference. Richters, Goodwood, Ontario, Can- ers. Until 2002 the U.S. was the chief source for
ada. 93 p. organic herbs; many certified start-ups now pro-
vide organic herbs to U.S. markets and manufac-
Berzins, Rita, Helen Snell, and Conrad Richter
turers from farms in Mexico, Central and South
(eds.). 1997. Richters Second Commercial America, and the Caribbean.
Herb Growing Conference. Richters, Good-
wood, Ontario, Canada. 189 p. Sample articles
Berzins, Rita, Helen Snell, and Conrad Richter Crockett, Sara L., and Ikhlas A. Khan. 2003.
(eds.). 1998. Richters Third Commercial Challenges of standardization: Marker com-
Herb Growing Conference. Richters, Good- pounds in plant species related and unrelated
wood, Ontario, Canada. 169 p. to top-selling herbs. Journal of Herbs, Spices,
and Medicinal Plants. Vol. 10, No. 3. p. 13–
Lundberg, Norma, and Conrad Richter (eds.). 24.
1999. Richters Fourth Commercial Herb
Kato, Satomi, Dwight D. Bowman, and Dan L.
Growing Conference. Richters, Goodwood, Brown. 2000. Efficacy of Chenopodium
Ontario, Canada. 117 p. ambrosioides as an antihelmintic for treatment
Snell, Helen, and Conrad Richter (eds.). 2000. of gastrointestinal nematodes in lambs. Vol. 7,
Richters Fifth [and last] Commercial Herb No. 2. p. 11–25.
Growing Conference. Richters, Goodwood, Mathe, Akos, and Chlodwig Franz. 1999. Good
Ontario, Canada. 105 p. agricultural practice and the quality of phyto-
medicines. ANNEX 1. Guidelines for Good
Minnesota Green Book Reports Agricultural Practice of Medicinal and Aro-
Hanks, Mary. 1998. Native Minnesota medicinal matic Plants: European Version No. 1, August
plant production. Greenbook ’98: Energy and 5, 1998. Vol. 6, No. 3. p. 101–113.
Page 18 ATTRA Herb Production in Organic Systems

19. Singh, Kiran, and D.K. Singh. 1997. Mollusci- Books
cidal activity of plant derived molluscicides.
Vol. 5, No. 2. p. 67–72. Hartung, Tammi. 2000. Growing 101 Herbs That
Heal. Storey Books, Pownal, VT. 250 p.
HerbalGram Morgan, Lynette. 2002. Fresh Culinary Herb Pro-
Journal of the American Botanical Council duction. Suntec, Ltd, Tocomaru, New Zea-
www.herbalgram.org land. 139 p.
Emphasis on medicinal and industrial use Call 800-888-6785 or 541-757-8477 to order by
herbs, including research reviews. Published by phone.
the American Botanical Council and the Herb U.S. distribution at:
Research Foundation. www.growingedge.com/store
Natural Foods Merchandiser Sturdivant, Lee, and Tim Blakley. 2000. Medici-
nfm@newhope.com nal Herbs in the Garden, Field & Marketplace.
San Juan Naturals, Friday Harbor, WA.
OFRF Reporter 323 p. [See especially p. 57–59; 120–121.]
Organic Farming Research Foundation.
www.ofrf.org Whitten, Greg. 1998. Herbal Harvest: Com-
mercial Organic Production of Quality Dried
Growing for Market Herbs. Australia. 550 p.
www.growingformarket.com Written for the commercial herb grower in Ocea-
Sample article: nia. $125 (Aust.)
Cantisano, Amigo “Bob.” 2000. Organic For more information see:
growers can fertigate! Growing for Market. www.touchwoodbooks.co.nz/therbalharvest.html
March. p. 8–9.
Organizations
Plant Disease Reporter
Bureau of Plant Industry, USDA North Carolina State University Extension
Sample article: www.ces.ncsu.edu
Maruzzella, J.C., and J. Balter. 1959. The Research on medicinal herbs and herb
entertainment farming. Principal researcher:
action of essential oils on phytopathogenic
Dr. Jeanne Davis.
fungi. Plant Disease Reporter. Vol. 43, No.
11. p. 1143–47. Rural Action (Trimble, Ohio), 740-767-4938.
To 1980, available from Supt. Of Documents, United Plant Savers (UpS) (Athens, Ohio),
Washington, DC, or your regional government 740-662-0041.
documents repository library. After 1980, avail- Thanks to reviewers Renne Soberg, of Lakeville, MN,
able in microfilm or microform. (Inquire at your and Holly Born, NCAT.
closest land-grant university library.)
Journal of Economic Entomology
Journal of the American Society of Entomology
www.entsoc.org
Sample article:
Zalkow, L.H., M.M. Gordon, and N. Lanir.
1979. Antifeedants from rayless goldenrod
and oil of pennyroyal: Toxic effects on the fall
armyworm. Vol. 72. p. 812–15.
www.attra.ncat.org ATTRA Page 19

20. Related ATTRA Publications
NCAT’s Organic Crops Workbook
Seed Production and Variety Selection for Organic
Systems
Suppliers of Seed for Certified Organic Production
(Web-only database)
Potting Mixes for Certified Organic Production
Herbs: Organic Greenhouse Production
Integrated Pest Management for Greenhouse Crops
(series)
Overview of Cover Crops and Green Manures
Sources of Organic Fertilizers and Amendments
Plug and Transplant Production in Organic
Systems
Organic Farm Certification and the National Organic
Program
Overview of Organic Crop Production
Ginseng, Goldenseal and Other Native Roots
Lavender Production, Products, Markets, and
Entertainment Farming
Herb Production in Organic Systems
By Katherine L. Adam
NCAT Agriculture Specialist
©NCAT 2005
Paul Williams, Editor
Cynthia Arnold, Production
This publication is available on the Web at:
www.attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/om-herb.html
or
www.attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/PDF/om-herb.pdf
IP224
Slot 231
Version 101305
Page 20 ATTRA