Unique Income Source

Renne Soberg was raised on his family’s dairy farm in Lakeville, Minnesota, where his family have been farming since the 1890s. The farm, greatly reduced in size after surviving many permutations, is now under Renne’s care. After working in Washington for the USDA, Renne returned to Minnesota to finish his education, and ended up growing medicinal herbs to add another source of income to the farm.

Renne turned to medicinal herbs as an alternate income source because of an increasing global demand for organically grown herbs and a concern for taking the pressure off of unsustainably harvested wild stands. Renne chose an experimental list of herbs to grow by cross-referencing demand with species that are native and naturalized in Minnesota. That list has since been narrowed down due to performance and personal preference, and the main crops are:

* catnip,
* red clover and
* dandelion.

Beginning an enterprise like this requires an abiding interest in herbs and some willingness to make mistakes. Renne found a huge lack of information on growing specific herbs, and had to figure out their culture through experimentation. Supporting him through these trials was and is a network of:

* practicing herbalists,
* buyers and growers,
* university and extension workers,
* seed companies, and more.

This network, built by attending conferences, through word-of-mouth, and via other information exchanges, has helped Renne decide what to grow and how to process his harvest.

Cooperative Strength

An enterprise like this also requires equipment as the scale of production increases, and since there is no existing infrastructure for large-scale herb production here, Renne built his own machines and renovated an old barn to function as a drying area. He now has machines that transplant and harvest and separate leaves from stems. Work that, when Renne’s main tool was a shovel, used to take days, now only takes hours. Still, the main limitations of this operation are time and labor. Renne can sell anything he produces and more.

In order to deal with this and other problems, Renne and other area herb growers have formed a cooperative. The main purpose of the co-op is to exchange information. These growers came together to share what they have learned through experience because of the lack of accurate information in the literature. The co-op includes about 13 members. Among them, they have professional experience in many fields, including:

* organic inspection,
* greenhouse and field production,
* tincture and salve making,
* medicinal practice and more.

The cooperative enables individual growers to research different aspects of herb production. Members provide the start up money for production and research and the rest is supplied by grants. The coop also plans to work on distilling and pressing oils together. Renne is currently working on developing a hardy lavender, and already has a buyer for its essential oil.

For others interested in entering herb production, Renne advises to start small. It is also necessary to plan three years ahead in order to prepare the fields with a cover crop. Seeds are planted the second year, and a profit might be made on the harvest the year after that. Although there is a market for dried organic herbs, the most money can be made on the value added products like oils and salves, so this may be the best area to focus on. However, the product does not speak for itself, and growers must cultivate relationships with buyers and focus on service and quality to make their product stand out.

Urban Farming

Herbs can be grown on small plots on the urban fringe. Renne grows on four acres, which are surrounded on most sides by suburban-style homes. Urban expansion is rolling now in a wave south of Lakeville and types of enterprises like this are important in preserving greenspace as open land is turned into housing subdivisions. Renne’s farm not only provides a place for suburban kids to play, but fosters many species of birds, insects and mammals. The bees from Renne’s hives have increased pollination of many surrounding plants, cultivated and wild, and there has been a fivefold increase in local bird species since he began growing herbs, even as the surrounding land was eaten up by development. An adjacent USDA Waterfowl Production Area, once part of the Soberg farm, also provides refuge for wild plants and animals.

Of course, there are more than ecological incentives to grow herbs. Herbs can be sold dried or fresh, or made into wreaths, salves, and other products. With willingness to experiment and a love of herbs, a person could turn even a backyard garden into a productive enterprise that benefits the landowner and the ecosystem.