On Thursday, November 13th, over 90 people gathered for the 10th annual Medicinal Herb Grower Buyer event. Hosted by N.C. State Extension, N.C. Cooperative Extension, and the Mountain Horticultural Crops Research and Extension Center in Mills River, North Carolina, the event brought buyers and farmers of medicinal plants and mushrooms together for networking and business opportunities.
Western North Carolina is home to several native medicinal plants that have a long history of providing economic benefit to growers and foragers. Ginseng, Goldenseal, and Black Cohosh have been harvested for generations in the Appalachian Mountains, and are widely used today in herbal products and by health practitioners and herbalists. Chinese medicinal herbs, collectively, are a new and emerging crop to North Carolina gaining interest throughout the state. With geography and climate similar to parts of China, where many of these crops grow naturally, North Carolina holds potential for the expansion of these crops to a commercial level.
Located at NC State University’s Mountain Horticultural Crops Research and Extension Center, the Alternative Crops and Organics Program is dedicated to creating sustainable and organic production methods for a range of crops, including herbs, vegetables, and various specialty crops. Ongoing research includes trials on the best varieties, planting methods, soil conditions and harvest times to maximize yield and potency, as well as pest and disease management. This growing season, three Buncombe County farmers participated in research trials growing several species of Chinese medicinal herb species of interest to the larger herb industry. This project will continue for the next two years as growers continue to learn production and post-harvest methods to ensure high market quality.
In addition to local support and research, North Carolina is also home to three Medicinal Herb Growers groups led by Cooperative Extension agents.
The Western NC Medicinal Herb Growers Group was organized in 2013. They meet periodically in the western section of the state on working herb farms and share hands-on experience growing, harvesting, and marketing herbs.
The Piedmont Medicinal Herb Growers Group, organized in 2022, meets similarly at area farms to show support and gain further knowledge on all aspects of herb growing.
The Sandhills Cut Flower and Herb Growers Group is the newest to the state. Serving counties in the eastern portion of North Carolina, this group is led by Amanda Bratcher, Extension Horticulture agent for Lee County.
If you are an herb grower, or interested in learning more about growing herbs in North Carolina, contact your local N.C. Cooperative Extension office. Agents are available to provide research-based information from NC State University on this and a variety of other agricultural topics.
To join the NC Extension’s WNC Medicinal Herb Growers email list contact Meghan_Baker@ncsu.edu with “WNC Medicinal Herb Growers” in the subject line.
Find more info on the NC Medicinal Herb Growers Groups
