ITHACA, N.Y. — Noted ginseng expert Bob Beyfuss will lead a “Growing American Ginseng” workshop and woods walk on Saturday, October 12 from 10:00am to 12:30pm at 4-H Acres, 418 Lower Creek Road in Ithaca, NY. The workshop is offered through Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County.
Home and forest owners can grow this native herb on forest land, in a shady perennial gardens, or in backyard raised beds. The “Growing American Ginseng” workshop is designed to teach participants how to get started growing American ginseng on forested land in central New York. Participants will learn how to determine whether a forested site is suitable for growing wild simulated ginseng. Information on ginseng harvest and marketing also will be discussed. Ginseng seed will be available for sale.
Cost for the workshop is $25/person and includes a copy the newly revised, “Practical Guide to Growing Ginseng” by Bob Beyfuss. Space is limited, and attendees are encouraged to preregister online at http://ccetompkins.org/events.
Beyfuss was formerly statewide American Ginseng Specialist for Cornell Cooperative Extension and the Agriculture & Natural Resources Program Leader for Cornell Cooperative Extension of Greene County. He has written extensively on American Ginseng production, and presents on this and other topics on agroforestry at conferences across the United States and Canada. After retiring from Cornell, Beyfuss started American Ginseng Pharm, a company that grows wild simulated American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) on almost 800 acres in the Catskill Mountains as well as Reishi (Lingzhi) mushrooms (Ganoderma lucidum), and several other varieties of medicinal plants and mushrooms. American Ginseng Pharm aims to help conserve wild populations of plants by fulfilling global demand with cultivated varieties.
For more information about this workshop, contact Monika Roth, Agriculture Specialist with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County, at (607) 272-2292 or MR55@cornell.edu.
–Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County
For more articles out of New York, click here.