1055 PRODUCTION AND MARKETING OF SPICES, TEA HERBS AND MEDICINAL PLANTS IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST
Concurrent with the development of the U.S. market for certified organically-grown produce, there has been a growth in the production and marketing of organically-grown botanicals. This activity has been centered in the Pacific Northwest for the past 20 years. The current global market for biologically-grown botanicals has been stimulated by public interest in alternative and traditional plant-based medicines. Trout Lake Farm has organized efforts to stimulate the production and marketing of medicinal plants and spices. The efforts include R&D, growing methodologies, quality assurance, drying, and processing. Research of many ornamentals has revealed potential uses for them other than strictly ornamental. Cultivation is necessary to avoid extirpation of fragile and threatened wild medicinals. The use of organic growing practices is necessary, particularly for specialty crops which have no EPA level inclusions for pesticides. Increasing domestic production of temperate and subtropical herbs and spices helps reduce U.S. imports.