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Greg Duskey, an expert ginseng
grower in Appalachian Ohio, passes on his experiences through
a program that trains area growers and ag educators in specialty
crop production. He works for a program that aims to increase
incomes in the economically depressed area. Photo
by Jana Pryor |
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In the sixth year after
sowing ginseng seed, part-time Ohio farmer Greg Duskey began, cautiously,
to examine his product. As he had expected, Duskey was still too early
to harvest his wild-cultivated ginseng.
After seven or eight years,
the root finally has enough character to look like wild ginseng,
said Duskey, who has gathered the valuable herb from the foothills of
southeastern Ohio since he was 12. Now, he helps educate others about
how to grow ginseng in the wild for a nonprofit organization, Rural Action,
which is trying to improve quality of life in Ohios stretch of Appalachia.
Rural Action received a SARE professional development grant to increase
knowledge of medicinal herb cultivation among agricultural educators.
Highly prized by Asian cultures,
particularly the Chinese, for a variety of uses, from improving concentration
to relieving fatigue, ginseng remains a hot commodity. Along with other
medicinal herbs like goldenseal and black cohosh, ginseng grows well in
the mature forest of the Appalachians, where a rocky, rolling terrain
is inhospitable to most crops.
But while ginseng has been
harvested for centuries in Ohio, few know how to grow it in wild-simulated
conditions, the true route to value in the ginseng market. Wild-cultivated
roots fetch as much as $500 a pound, while roots grown in tilled beds
underneath shade cloth which lack the crooked appearance of its
wild cousins garner about $8 a pound.
Since Daniel Boone, ginseng has been part of the culture in Appalachia,
said Colin Donohue, of Rural Action. Harvesting ginseng at
the end of summer is part of the turn of the season.
As wild ginseng gets scarcer,
however, those looking to raise their incomes in an economically depressed
area welcome opportunities to cultivate it in their woods. Such factors
as shade, planting depth, soil management and harvest time become crucial
to raising the right root for the marketplace.
Rural Actions economic message is opening doors in what has been
a closed community. Investment in what some regard as a savings
account is also a hobby, Donohue said. Many people
here like spending time in the woods and the promise of good returns
from limited investment, no new equipment and no land requirements
other than using your woodlands.
The profit-making potential, as well as the production know-how,
will be passed throughout the region thanks to workshops hosted
by Rural Action for agricultural educators. Duskey co-presented
four workshops in 2002, reaching about 40 growers and 70 agricultural
educators. His co-presenter, a West Virginia extension educator
who specializes in ginseng production, tells them in a classroom
setting about growing techniques and markets. When they go to
the woods, Duskey takes the lead. He shows participants the best
growing locations, outlines cultivating tips, conducts a planting
demonstration and answers as many questions as are thrown at him.
Duskeys tie to the
community helps gain grower acceptance. A fifth-generation farmer in Morgan
County, Duskey is close to harvesting and selling his first crop of ginseng,
making him something of a rarity. Hes known among area farmers,
and his training role allows Rural Action to reach out to people who often
distrust government programs and perceived outsiders. Im just
a local Joe in the community, and people see me as such,
Duskey said. I can build a rapport with folks in the local area
and it works well. Even though he has a graphic design business,
Duskey finds time to work with growers on Rural Actions behalf because
tapping into the valuable ginseng market has the potential to elevate
the economy in the entire area.
A direct result of Rural
Action workshops was the formation, in 2000, of The Roots of Appalachia
Growers Association (RAGA). The group of medicinal herb growers shares
research, cultivation techniques and marketing ideas, and now participates
in Rural Actions education efforts. Rural Action continues to home
in on its goal to increase the number of farmers who can make a profit
from ginseng and other herbs. Staffers attend county fairs and events
to mingle with farmers, trying to gain their acceptance and willingness
to hear their message. They are sure that one of the regions main
assets, its forests, can yield high-value crops that can sustain small
growers and their communities.
We go out and establish
relationships, rather than just advertise a workshop, Donohue said.
Weve got lifetime residents of that township at the fair,
talking to people they know.
Gradually, the organization
is achieving acceptance. At one Rural Action herb workshop, 175 people
attended, many of them the early adopters, but also others
who want to learn more. Developing growers as educators has gone far toward
earning trust, as has the organizations focus on generating economic
opportunities.
If theyre struggling to make a living, I want to work
with them, not with large, off-site farmers who want to increase
their opportunities, Donohue said. We work with rural
people who are part of the fabric of their communities.
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Audience
Appalachian woodlot owners in southeastern Ohio |
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Educating Team
Rural Action, Trimble, Ohio www.ruralaction.org |
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Challenges Addressed
Distrust of outsiders.
Little access to profit-making jobs
Steeply forested terrain |
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Connection Strategies
Promise of profitable new markets
Attending county fairs and farmer gatherings |
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Teaching Methods
Training and supporting program assistants from within the community
One-on-one assistance
Development of a growers association for peer learning |
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