Herbs Can Spice Up Producers' Cash Flow.

If a crop can return $10,000 or $25,000 per acre, would you try growing it?

It sounds attractive, but is it realistic?

How difficult is it to grow?

Is it compatible with the local soil and climate?

Would different machinery and technology be needed?

There are more questions than answers as Saskatchewan farmers look at the potential of the medicinal herb market, but answers are becoming more readily available, thanks to a four-year project examining herb production in Northeast Saskatchewan.

The project is supported by a $60,000 contribution from the Canada-Saskatchewan Agri-Food Innovation Fund (AFIF) and is coordinated by NorSask Botanicals Inc, Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food, the University of Saskatchewan's Herb Research Program and the Saskatchewan Herb and Spice Association.

Herbs initially selected for the project were Echinacea Angustifolia, German Chamomile, Burdock Valerian, Feverfew, Fireweed, Seneca root and Astragalus.

All herbs are grown organically, in keeping with the requirements of processors and buyers in the high quality market. Plots are set up to permit comparison of direct-seeded and transplanted crops, irrigated and dry land growth, and crops grown with and without plastic mulch.

The project began with demonstration sites on heavy clay soils near Prince Albert and Tisdale, then another site was added near Bjorkdale.

Dianne Horn, project coordinator for the Tisdale area, says it became obvious that root crops like valerian and burdock were not doing well in the heavy clay.

Valerian was proving particularly difficult to harvest. Both of these herbs, as well as Echinacea Angustifolia, are now being evaluated on the sandy loam of the Bjorkdale site, where they are much easier to harvest and clean.

Samples of the herbs are sent to the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of Saskatchewan, where they are analyzed for their content of the desired constituent, such as the Valerenic Acid in the Valerian root. Details of the quality analysis are published in annual reports on the project, and will be supplied in the final report, which Dianne Horn expects to be ready next spring.

The report will be available to producers through the Agri-Food Innovation Fund, and at Rural Service Centres in Tisdale and Prince Albert.

"Our direct seeding demonstration has been particularly important, and so have the demonstrations of plastic mulch and drip irrigation," Horn said.

So far, the sites offer both encouragement and caution for potential herb growers. Results show that the crops generally require intensive management, with constant attention to disease and weeding.

"Weed management is critical," says Horn. "And it is also very time-consuming."

Jo Detilileux, co-ordinator for the Prince Albert area site, adds that experience from the plots is demonstrating the differing needs of the various plants.

Valerian, for example, appears to need to be grown in a rotation on different plots.

Catnip, added to the Tisdale site when Burdock was found to be incompatible, was performing well under dry conditions in 2001.

Detillieux, a committed herb grower offers a reminder that potential producers should try several crops to reduce their growing risk, and should not expect instant returns.

"It may be the third or fourth year before you have a harvest, so the return from that harvest really has to be spread over the plant's life cycle."

Even so, Detillieux sees potential annual returns in the range of $6,000 per acre from medicinal herbs and expects markets to grow with society's interest in herbs as part of health care.

What is next?

How about dandelions and stinging nettle? Today's weed just might be tomorrow's cash crop; both plants have properties that make them potential medicinal crops.

Finding and exploring the opportunities is what AFIF-supported projects like this one are all about.