Wisconsinites are coined as ‘Cheeseheads’. The state license plates say America’s Dairyland. But believe it or not, in other countries we’re known for other commodities, such as ginseng.
Wisconsin is the No. 1 producer of ginseng in the nation. And across the globe, Wisconsin ginseng is known as the top-quality stuff. Bob Kaldunski is a grower from Marathon. He’s been producing ginseng for 40 years – his wife’s family had been growing ginseng since the early 1900s. Kaldunski is also the president of the Ginseng Marketing Board. He shares how things are looking in the field today and how inflation is impacting producers.
He says the crop is doing pretty good thanks to fair weather in his area of the state.
“We were actually getting a little dry, and that’s something you don’t hear ginseng farmers talking about too much because we like dry weather. But it was getting a little dry. The soils were getting a little warm and a little dry. But now it looks really good. We’ve had a good year,” Kaldunski says, applauding the timely rains.
July is actually the critical month for ginseng, he explains.
“We want to keep the soil temperatures as cool as possible, and July can be a time when the soil temperature can really peak and we have the peak daylight. Your diseases can really get aggressive,” Kaldunski says. “But then comes August, and then you get your cooler nights, your daylight shortens, everything just cools off quite a bit. And usually you make it to August, you’re okay, you’ve made the season because your disease pressure and everything seems to really settle down a little bit.”
August is when the ginseng berries ripen — red balls throughout a green garden. Kaldunski says storms make him nervous because the plants can get taken apart. Once a plant is damaged, it doesn’t heal itself.
The last week of September is when ginseng harvest can begin. The majority of the industry starts harvest in October.
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