1998 Annual Report for FNC98-215
Chinese Medicinal Herbs as Field Crops in the Ozarks
Summary
With information about growing Chinese medicinal herbs scarce, Lavinia McKinney seeks to research the potentials and optimum farming practices of Astragalus membranaceous, a root crop. While most of her crops are acid-loving native species, she has found that the Astragalus prefers a more alkaline soil condition.
McKinney used a sickle bar mower to cut the woody plant stems. They were then raked off of the beds. A custom-built root digger, able to harvest roots up to 18 inches deep, was created for this crop. The producer found this method to be time efficient and effective, overall.
In 1999 she was able to sell the roots for $17.50 per pound, dried weight. If the roots had been produced mechanically as opposed to her hand gardening method, this would have been a fair price.
McKinney held two, three-day workshops on her farm, which were attended by a total of 25 farmers and gardeners. The workshops focused on growing medicinal herbs.
Full Report Available
Information Product:
Elixir Farm website, www.elixirfarm.com.