In the U.S., Wisconsin might be known for dairy, but worldwide its our ginseng that's made a name for the state.
The recent snow storms wiped out nearly the entire 2010 ginseng crop in Wisconsin, and that's putting area growers out nearly 10 million dollars.
Governor Jim Doyle recently requested that both Langlade and Lincoln counties be declared disasters by the U.S. Agriculture Secretary. That's in addition to Marathon county which he already made a request for shortly after the storms.
If the request is approved farmers could receive low interest loans and crop insurance. The only problem is, the ginseng crop takes so long to grow, it could take months before farmers know exactly how much they lost.
"Some of this we're not going to know until next year, whether the crop goes dormant and comes back again next year or whether it's permanently damaged," said Tom Cadwallader, an Agriculture Development Educator.
He says with the set back this year, ginseng prices could already be increasing. That could make it harder for people around the world to buy the plant.
While many of the larger farms in our area will be taking a big loss, they should be able to survive until funding is available.
Unfortunately many smaller farms might be forced to close if they can't make ends meet.
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