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By PAUL MACOMBER
Southern Oregon has the potential to become a major player in the cultivation of medicinal plants, herb growers say.
"This is one of the best areas in the West Coast for growing herbs," said Mark Wheeler, owner of Pacific Botanical. He's been growing medicinal herbs for 17 years in the area and now farms 50 acres near the Applegate River.
"We have a nice long season, a dry fall for harvesting seeds and roots and a cool, moderate winter that lets us grow species that usually grow in a warmer climate," he said.
He knows of at least 13 or 14 growers in the area, including eight in the Williams area, where he farmed for the first 9 years. He moved to Fish Hatchery Road to obtain better water resources.
Some are small operations where families supplement other income with an acre or less of herb gardens.
"It's very labor intensive, but it brings in more money than hay or cows," Wheeler said.
But he cautions that herb farming isn't a fast way to get rich.
"A lot of these herbs are perennials and it may take two or three years before you can harvest a crop," he explained.
He advises people to establish a market before putting in a crop. Potential buyers, including Herb Pharm in Williams, can provide counsel on the marketability of a product and sources of seed and information.
George Tiger, Oregon State University extension agent, says he generally consults Wheeler with local herb questions. There's no Oregon herb commission.
"We're a very small industry," Wheeler said. "The average person eats 1,500 pounds of food a year and a couple of ounces of herbs."
Ed Smith, co-founder of Herb Pharm, says he anticipates a larger market for herbal medicines in the years ahead.
"We have several large commercial crops of herbs that are essentially weeds in Southern Oregon," he said.
Harvesting St. John's wort can generate a decent income for a family, he said, because it brings $4 a pound.
"Compared to vegetables and fruit, herbs have a much greater value," he said. "Echinacea brings $6 a pound compared with carrots for 30 cents."
Smith said he sees a growing demand for medicinal plants.
"If 20 percent of the people start buying echinacea, I'll need four times as much and I can't grow that much," he said.
Some herbs are worth up to $30 or $40 a pound.
The values make small farms practical, he said, adding that marginal soil can support many herbs some even benefit from poor soil.
"We had some visitors from China who told us astragalus root (which benefits the immune system) is purposely grown in poor soil because it makes better medicine," Smith said. "If you grow it in good soil, you'll just get a better looking plant."
"It only took us 10 years to figure out how easy it is to grow echinacea," he said.
He refers people to the International Herb Association. A magazine, "The Business of Herbs," also provides useful information, he says.
"It's one thing to have a product and another thing to sell it," he said.
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