By Darrell Blackwelder, For Salisbury Post Most home gardeners regard purple coneflower as a colorful, blooming flower in perennial gardens throughout Rowan County. However, another attribute is its medicinal qualities. Grown as a medicinal herb, echinacea is a successful agent used to fight colds and flu-like symptoms. With the current flu vaccine shortage, alternative cold remedies are creating great interest. Scientists are just learning the benefits of the herb. With its success as a cold fighter, its medicinal properties are being tested for a number of other ailments from bladder problems to cancer research. Ironically, Melody and Mark Hartsell of Hartsell Farms received a grant this summer to grow a 1 acre research field trial of echinacea. The grant was provided by N.C. State University from the N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund Commission as part of a project aimed at developing the N.C. medicinal herb industry. The department's funding source was the U.S. Department of Agriculture Specialty Crop Block Grant Program. Hartsell Farms was one of 17 farms in North Carolina to receive this grant. Special funding allowed growers the opportunity to experiment with this new crop, learn new production methods, and adapt existing methods and equipment. A major component of this project is to keep costs to a minimum, so the medicinal herbs chosen were ones in which existing farm equipment could be used. Crops such as echinacea show great promise as a cash crop for specialty producers. Large growers grow the herb commercially in Mid-Western states, Wisconsin, and in other countries such as Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The Specialty Crops Program at N.C. State University is attempting to introduce promising new crops to replace tobacco and as a supplement for small producers. Echinacea was a challenging crop for the Hartsells. Organically grown from seed, the plants were grown in a greenhouse and transplanted by hand on black plastic mulch beds. Liquid fish emulsion was used as the primary source of nutrition supplied to the plants via a drip irrigation system. Being an organic crop, no chemical pesticides for weeds or insects were used to produce the crop. All parts of the echinacea plant including leaves, flowers and roots are used in this research trial. The Hartsells are attempting to harvest the leaves this fall before a hard frost. Harvested leaves are meticulously picked and then allowed to dry in a local tobacco barn. This process is similar to the method tobacco is harvested and cured. Maintaining leaf quality is very important in this process. Harvested leaves must contain a specific level of bioactive components (phenols); have the correct color, leaf texture, total ash and moisture content before it qualifies as an herbal supplement. Some companies go even further with their requirements, testing for heavy metals and microbial levels. Specialty and alternative crops such as echinacea offer new and exciting opportunities for local producers. Other specialty crops such as California poppy, dandelion, and valerian are being produced by other N.C. growers. Grants and government funding of this type of research is necessary for growers to find niche crop. Darrell Blackwelder is an agricultural agent in charge of horticulture with the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service in Rowan County. For archived garden columns or other information, visit the Rowan County Master Gardener Web site at www.rowanmastergardener.com, e-mail Darrell_Blackwelder@ncsu.edu
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