Chicory farming new option for farmers
Business Farmer
By Kara Eberspecher, Editor
Two years ago, U.S. Chicory began operation in Scottsbluff, Neb. It is the only chicory plant in North and South America.
This new crop is predicted to catch the interest of more farmers after a few years, but there are currently only six chicory growers, all of them located between Alliance, Neb. and Torrington, Wyo.
Chicory is often compared to the sugar beet. Both plants are grown and harvested around the sane time.
They are very similar in appearance, and used for some similar purposes. However, chicory has health benefits that the sugar beet does not.
Chicory is a long-chain carbohydrate and it supports the body's ability to absorb calcium.
Raftilin inulin and Raftilose oligofructose are fibers extracted from chicory root that cannot be digested by the small intestine. Instead, they are fermented by bacteria in the large intestine, leading to the increased absorption of calcium and other minerals.
Both inulin and oligofructose are added to multifunctional food, beverage, and nutritional supplement ingredients.
Nestle Food Corporation approached Dave Hergert, owner and president of Hergert Milling in Scottsbluff, with a proposal to open a chicory plant.
According to Hergert, he was selected because of research done by the University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension office, which had grown test plots of chicory and were studying the plant.
After two years of operation, Hergert is very happy with his decision to become the only producer of a crop that is still very new to the United States.
"We don't see chicory as a competitive crop to sugar. It's more of a complimentary crop. It gives farmers another option," Hergert said.
Ron Schlagel saw growing chicory as an opportunity and just completed his first harvest.
He said the potential return per acre for chicory is higher than other crops, such as corn, which Schlagel also grows.
"It's a totally different crop and it takes time to learn how to harvest it," Schlagel said. "This year went fair and there are things we will do differently next year."
A prerequisite for growing chicory is having a well.
Since chicory seeds are planted 1/4 to 3/8 inch deep, they require immediate irrigation and a water supply that remains steady throughout the growing period.
The drought this summer left farmers short of water, but it was the heat that affected chicory.
According to Hergert, chicory grows best when it's cooler. It is too early to tell if this year's crop was average, but it wasn't bad, Hergert said.
Whether or not chicory will become a popular crop among Nebraska and Wyoming farmer remains to be seen.
Schlagel remains confident in his choice to be a pioneer in the growing of chicory.
"Is it doable? You bet it is," he said.
