BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Illinois specialty growers can diversify their crop offerings and expand their businesses through the cultivation of fresh ginger. Fresh (i.e., baby) ginger is a premium product, often retailing up to $20-25/lb. Ginger is harvested towards the end of the growing season, before any light frost. For farmers, ginger sales in cooler times can bring in extra revenue right before winter, a financially tighter time. However, the best practices of ginger production in Illinois are poorly understood.
Recently, the Illinois Extension's Ginger Growers Group—a collaborative group of small farmers, Extension Educators, and others—has been working to identify these best practices so that ginger rhizome can become a more viable option for Illinois specialty crop farmers.
Come learn more about ginger production and get a behind-the-scenes look at Illinois Extension’s ginger research, Tuesday, September 23, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Attend the Ginger Rhizome Production Field Day at Useful Yard Company and Epiphany Farms Estate! During two fun and informational tours at two locations, attendees will learn the ins and outs of fresh ginger production as best as we currently understand it, with particular emphasis on planting technique, spacing, irrigation, fertility management, intermittent disease issues, harvest protocol, and more.
During the evening, attendees will hear from Chris Stenger, owner/operator of Useful Yard Company in Bloomington, where he will share his experiences of growing ginger rhizome for several years. Then, participants will travel to Epiphany Farms Estate, where they will hear from Ken Myszka, J. Balmer, and Nick Frillman on their ginger production experience on the farm this year.
By the end of the tour, participants will feel more confident to start their own ginger-growing journey and be provided with resources to join the state-wide, ginger-growing coalition next season if interested. Don’t miss out on the chance to see local experts in action. Register today at go.illinois.edu/GingerFieldDay!
If you will need accommodation to participate, please contact Nick Frillman at frillma2@illinois.edu or call our office at 309-663-8306. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to meet your access needs.
University of Illinois Extension develops educational programs, extends knowledge, and builds partnerships to support people, communities, and their environments as part of the state's land-grant institution. Extension serves as the leading public outreach effort for University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences in all 102 Illinois counties through a network of 27 multi-county units and over 700 staff statewide. Extension’s mission is responsive to eight strategic priorities — community, economy, environment, food and agriculture, health, partnerships, technology and discovery, and workforce excellence — that are served through six program areas — 4-H youth development, agriculture and agribusiness, community and economic development, family and consumer science, integrated health disparities, and natural resources, environment, and energy.