Saskatchewan medicinal herb growers hope to overcome supply problems by working together.
A meeting of 18 farmers in Arborfield, Sask. last month laid the seedbed for a new pooling system for marketing and profit sharing. Twelve of the farmers agreed to meet through the winter to plan strategy and co-ordinate which medicinal crops members should grow.
“Herb brokers deal in quantities of 500 pounds to one ton of product at a time. This is a very large quantity for an individual to supply, especially considering the high risk and the highly labor-intensive nature of production,” said Leroy Bader, of Saskatchewan Agriculture’s Tisdale office.
Getting agronomic information promises to be an early focus because growers need to know more about conditions necessary to raise the unique crops.
Demand increasing
An aging population’s effect on North American demographics has increased demand for medicinal herbs such as calendula, milk thistle, tansy, valerian, yarrow, echinacea, hyssop and comfrey.
“The crops must be organically grown,” said Richard Valois, of Zenon Park. Valois has been raising medicinal plants and studying potential markets for four years.
