Northern New York Agricultural Development Program field trials indicate that fresh market baby ginger produced by regional growers can sell for four times the price of conventional ginger sold in stores.

The market potential of ginger as a season extension and profit builder for northern New York growers was evaluated as part of the Advancing Season Extension and Protected Culture Efficiency Project funded by the farmer-driven research program.

The project also included enterprise budgeting for growing the high-value alternative high-tunnel crops of ginger, turmeric, summer lettuce and basil.

The term “protected culture” refers to the use of high tunnel and greenhouse structures that allow growers to better manage the impact of such elements as temperature, humidity, light and moisture.

Six North Country growers including one in Potsdam hosted field trials for the project.

Some farms in the six-county NNYADP region currently grow ginger on a small scale for community-supported agriculture or farmers’ market sales.

“Buyers indicated they enjoy the pleasant, light and surprisingly fresh taste of the northern New York-grown ginger,” said Cornell Cooperative Extension regional marketing specialist Bob Weybright, who conducted the project survey evaluating market opportunities for northern New York-grown ginger.

“Small volume, high margin ginger sales for fresh market sales appear feasible for farmers with high tunnel or greenhouse structures,” he said.

But should every grower start planting ginger?

Weybright says that, in the detailed project results not available on the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program website, the limits of the survey and the high return income opportunity noted in the survey should be taken in a larger context: the results do not necessarily support large-scale production expansion without evaluating value-added processing costs to extend crop value beyond the short fresh harvest window.

This project responded to grower-identified needs and opportunities on extending the growing and sales seasons in northern New York and draws on previous projects identified by the farmer leaders of the NNYADP to help growers maximize productivity and profitability.

The Advancing Season Extension and Protected Culture Efficiency Project is posted at www.nnyagdev.org.

The farmer-driven Northern New York Agricultural Development Program provides grants for on-farm research and technical assistance projects in St. Lawrence, Essex, Franklin, Jefferson, Lewis and Clinton counties.

Funding for the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program is supported by the New York State Senate and administered through the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets.