People think of Wisconsin as a producer of beer, cheese and Harley-Davidsons, often overlooking that this state's ginseng is known as the purest, highest-quality ginseng in the world. In fact, Wisconsin produces 95 percent of the nation's ginseng, and most of it is grown in Marathon County.
"Historically, Marathon County has always been the hub for our crop," says Butch Weege, the executive director of the Ginseng Board of Wisconsin. "Our records indicate there are ginseng gardens in 10 or 11 counties in Wisconsin."
On May 7, more than four inches of heavy wet snow fell on Marathon County and collapsed most of the shade structures that protect the light-sensitive ginseng plants from the sun. The next night, freezing temperatures damaged or killed a large percentage of the plants that were not already crushed.
Gov. Jim Doyle asked U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to declare a disaster in Marathon County. It is estimated the county will lose more than $15 million due to the storm, and a disaster declaration would allow farmers to receive emergency loans and secure crop insurance payments.
"Wisconsin is internationally known and recognized for its high-quality ginseng," Doyle said in a recent press release. "Replacing the crop that was lost will require growers to incur significant costs to establish new beds, construct new shade structures and other expenses."
Weege believes the request will be approved quickly because disaster relief is provided when there's a 30 percent loss. Weege says they will not know the extent of the damage for another year or two, but he suspects the industry will suffer a 50-80 percent loss.
"We have to wait until next spring to see if the plants return or not," he says.
Weege says snow in May is not uncommon for Marathon County, but this year's snowstorm was particularly devastating for a series of reasons. First of all, Wisconsin had a mild spring this year, causing the plants to sprout early. Once the plants start to grow, farmers have to cover them with shade structures so they are not destroyed by the sun, and the structures couldn't withstand the many inches of wet snow that fell during the storm.
"If we had gotten an inch or two of fluffy snow, it would not have been as disastrous," says Weege. "Or if we didn't have such a mild spring, this probably wouldn't have happened either."
Weege was at a trade show in Tokyo last week, attempting to create new opportunities for Wisconsin ginseng growers.
"We've got to go on here with life," says Weege. "We've been working on this for years."
There are multiple reasons why Wisconsin is successful at ginseng production. First and foremost, Wisconsin has the ideal climate and mineral-rich soil conditions for growing healthy ginseng roots.
Additionally, Wisconsin ginseng contains very high ginsenoside levels. Ginsenoside is the active ingredient in ginseng and Wisconsin Ginseng generally averages much higher levels of ginsenoside than ginseng grown outside of the United States.
Finally, Wisconsin ginseng also offers a unique taste that's very bitter, which in the case of ginseng, is desirable.
Ginseng is a key ingredient used in traditional Chinese medicine. In Western cultures, it is widely used as a dietary supplement and botanical element.
There are two types of ginseng -- Panax quinquefolius (American ginseng) and Panax ginseng (Asian ginseng). Some take American ginseng for a cooling effect and Asian ginseng for a heating effect.
American ginseng is a white root with medicinal properties believed to relieve stress, increase stamina and increase resistance to colds. Asian ginseng is known to increase stimulation.
A recent pilot study at the Mayo Clinic showed positive results for cancer patients who used Wisconsin ginseng to reduce cancer-related fatigue. Patients taking large doses of Wisconsin ginseng showed improvements in overall energy levels, reported higher vitality levels and less interference with activity due to fatigue. They also reported an improvement in overall mental, physical, spiritual and emotional well-being.
Ginseng can be planted on a piece of land only once, and it takes 3-6 years to reach maturity. Wisconsin has about 200 ginseng growers, with about 1,400 acres in production. In 2007, the state's ginseng farmers harvested 400,000 pounds of ginseng.
Molly Snyder started writing and publishing her work at the age 10, when her community newspaper printed her poem, "The Unicorn.” Since then, she's expanded beyond the subject of mythical creatures and written in many different mediums but, nearest and dearest to her heart, thousands of articles for OnMilwaukee.
Molly is a regular contributor to FOX6 News and numerous radio stations as well as the co-host of "Dandelions: A Podcast For Women.” She's received five Milwaukee Press Club Awards, served as the Pfister Narrator and is the Wisconsin State Fair’s Celebrity Cream Puff Eating Champion of 2019.
