TOPIC: Goldenseal prices for 2010

Does anyone have any idea what Goldenseal brought per pound this year. I never dug any this fall and didn't bother to check

I sold mine for 26 per pound.

Is that about the average per year or a lil high. The reason Im asking is because Im trying to put together a budget and see how profitable,if at all, growing this plant may be

It seems like it usually sells for 20 to 25. Some years a little more or less.There is a lot of info on growing goldenseal for profit in Scotts book.

I finished reading it the other night. It seems to me for you to turn a real profit it requires more of a leap of faith than ginseng growing does due to the start up costs

http://smallfarms.wsu.edu/crops/medicinalherbs/organicGoldenseal.html

Check out this farm plan and budget from Sego Farms

Unless he has a special market, I can't see anyone getting that price for wet goldenseal. If so, that is a chunk of change for one acre and just a four year operation!

Hillhopper,
I planted 1 pound of Goldenseal seed this year. That is a bunch of Goldenseal seed. Info about Goldenseal seed and spacing when planting is all over the internet. This is seed I took off of my wild Goldenseal plants. I know many would have a problem with this as there is a big movement now to only harvest wild simulated Goldenseal roots and seed. Some buyers are stating they are only buying cultivated Goldenseal root now and will not buy wild root.
I feel like I did a good thing thou. I left hundreds upon hundreds of very very old wild Goldenseal alone and only took the seed. I filled up a 5 gallon bucket in two days with the red berries an then let them ferment until I could wash the pulp off over a screen. Then I had nothing left but clean little black seeds by the thousands. The seed per pound can cost a fortune.I saw where it was selling for $300 per 100 grams and there are 454 grams in a pound. I do know this, digging wild Goldenseal root takes a lot longer than I had thought in the wild. I wanted to transplant some roots so I dug up a couple dozen and it took me a half hour with a shovel. I saw where one guy says you are digging for nickles.
Back to the seed,in a mature wild patch very little of the seeds will germinate as the patch is so condensed the seedlings do not have room to grow. Plus the roots spread naturally outward and the patch will expand even without seeds germinating.
Here is a good site talking about Goldenseal seed.
www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/wildplan/g..._costs_revenues.aspx

Here is a pic of one of the 30 or more wild Goldenseal patches that I have permission to dig or take seeds from. It is one of my Morel mushroom hunting woods and the Goldenseal is in there everywhere. Next fall 2011 I will have another pound or more of wild goldenseal seed and if anyone wants a little bit let me know and I will send some to you free. 1000 seeds is not a lot in volume but can start a nice patch. If anyone is interested in how to store the seed let me know as it cannot dry out or it will be dead like ginseng seed that has dried out.











Latt

In my neck of the woods I have never ran across a sizable patch to amount to anything. I might be interested in some of the seeds to tinker with, we might could do some trading on some of my wild southern seed I have in stratification if your interested.

Here are a few cool pics from the goldenseal woods and an unexpected little buddy that was watching me.
Latt

Latt