Spring Harvest is underway!
The harvest has started and the farmers are delivering their Rhodiola rosea to the ARRGO Processing Facility in Thorsby, Alberta. Six years or more of hard work culminates in many trips to Thorsby with the flatbed trailer. Thanks, Brett and Micha. Your roots look amazing!
Each net bag holds 600-800 lbs of roots, tops and dirt. Most of the plants are dug with a potato digger and then manually picked up one at a time and cleaned before placing in the bag. Depending on the size of the plant, there will be 300-500 plants in a bag. Brett and Micha are hoping to bring in 60,000 plants this spring. That’s 120 bags or more of bending, picking and cleaning!
A closer look at the plants shows lots of spring growth. The plants have bolted and are blooming. To make processing easier, the farmers are asked to mow their fields before the plants are dug. Rhodiola makes a crown or dome above ground, so a real close shave with the mower deck is not recommended. The rest of the shoots will have to be removed by the processing crew.
Brett and Micha’s roots were tested before harvest, and their results were excellent. Rosavins and salidroside are all in the highest range. There are markets waiting for their harvest. A spring harvest to be proud of. Thanks to all the ARRGO growers for the all the work!