Any word out there?

Not many have a good idea at this time. The Chinese are being very closed mouth.

Thanks Don.

my local buyer quoted 700.00 lb dry and said it would only go up.

Just sold wet at $160 for average root, and $300 for 1oz roots and bigger. This buyer wants it green and NOT washed at all. I probably gained 5% in weight by not having to wash it.

Fellas I hope the market holds for your buyers to make money. I sell to a Chinese buyer and he is not very optimistic about this market. He told me to be very careful and not get into heavy high priced buying until he tells me the markets he has, needs Ginseng. There was a very large amt. of Ginseng bought at very high prices last year and the Chinese have not been able to move all the root they bought last year at high prices. The U.S dollar has also strengthened since last season and this will also have a down ward effect on the market. Good luck fellas and I hope you can keep getting high prices. 160 on average green root sounds about right. That would probably come out to around 550 or 560 dry. Then if you had a few 1 ounce roots it may raise your average another 15 to 20 dollars.

That's really odd Don. Talked to 5 different buyers with in the last few days and they all say this market will do nothing but rise. The buyer I sold to can't buy green fast enough. His out let is picking up everything he has every week and says he isn't even close to having what he needs. I believe his buyer is Korean. I've also heard that parts of MN and WI had some pretty bad frost damage. Dig may be way down in those regions. I almost hope your Chinese buyer is right though. It doesn't need to be any higher. That just brings out the slob diggers who never give a thought to 10 years down the road.

The Korean buyers mostly buy the green root I think. i don'y have any Korea buyers, because I have turned down the ones that have called wanting green root. I fear the Korean Buyers may be planting our seng and if they are, it will eventually kill our market.
All I sell is dry seng. I don't see enough of those 1 ounce roots to even waste my time messing with green root.
Lot of the bigger buyers around here are a little skittish about this market. I mostly sell to 1 Chinese buyer.He pushed hard last year and we bought a lot of root. He is very quiet at this time. I will let you know when and if he gets to pushing.

Sold another batch today. Buyer said it looks like a big dig here. Prices were still the same as last week. If the weather holds we'll be digging root well into Oct. 90% of the plants are as green as grass, and some of the berries are still a little green. Trees aren't starting to change at all either.

Big dig here to Dave.

Heard that a MN buyer dropped from $220 to $200 for green.

I'm digging good root in timbers that normally don't produce much. Plants are still mostly green and its darn near the first of Oct. Last year at this time it was almost all over for the season.

sold dry Wisconsin root for 725.00 lb on 9-24

Dying out here most I dug today was yellow.This area has not had much rain all summer and 30 miles to the south everything still green quess Im going to have to travel.

Really turning now about 60 miles to the north. A big wind or rain and the hard maple leaves will drop all at once. That will knock the leaves off a lot of 'seng up there in a hurry. Still mostly green down here and to the south. BIG dig. Dug a little over 4 lbs today on a hill that's normally only good for a couple. OLD stuff, average age of 25-35. Hundreds of young plants. Be a good hill again in another 10 years. Hope I'm still on the green side of the grass by than!

Any info on prices? Not a big digger any more but I got some drying in the house right now. Selling green might make a few guys a little more money at times. But boy I love the smell of drying ginseng and just stopping and looking at it. Every root I dug was earned the hard way on steep rocky bluffs. Seems I mostly hunt south slopes these days.

There looks to be big trouble brewing in the major Ginseng belt. We can't get the Chinese to buy Ginseng. I offered a 100 pounds early this week and my buyer is not breaking the door down to get it. He won't commit to another 100 pounds even if he pays for the 100 I offered him. Lots of dealers going down on prices to the diggers here. Might only be a small snag, but I have watched this same thing happen the last time seng was up to a 1,000.00 a pound in the previous year. I don't like what I see at this time.

In a way that's welcome news Don. Too many in experienced diggers out there hoping to get rich.

Those bluffy, south hills can put out some giants can't they hammer. That extra sun in the right conditions sure seems to produce big roots. Those little brushy "swails" between the bluffs can be tough to get to, but hold some monsters.

I was kinda iffy on even hunting any this year because of the lack of any info......glad I held off.

Any news on Seng prices? My season is just about done. Rain and wind have really made the woods a rough walk. Most stalks are bare and on the ground and the trees have lost a lot of leaves as well. Was a good season just hope prices are good

The buyers here in northwest Arkansas have stopped buying altogether. I have a page where I'm posting news on prices and the market for this year and if any of you with information would post there, I'd appreciate it.

Don, would you post what you said your people told you? I have a buyer in PA who stated he is still buying and paying top dollar, but our locals aren't planning to pick up again this year at all.

Here's the page: 2014 Ginseng Root Prices

My buyers just came in today and bought seng from me. After the sale we talked about prices in the comming weeks. From what I understand there is a real big dig this season. I can testify to that also. Most every dealer in Indiana that is still buying is paying 500.00 per pound to the digger.I don't know of a buyer in Indiana that is paying anything close to 700. Illinois is about the same. Kentucky is also close to that. Dealers can't get 700 at this time. The Chinese don't really want to pay prices like they did last season. My buyers want to buy my next barrel of root for at least 50 dollars a pound cheaper and maybe 75.00 per pound cheaper.
To make things much worse, I got robbed thursday night by some scumbag. They broke my lock and hasp off of my main shop and my drying shed. Mostly what they got was some real big woodsgrown Ginseng. If anybody in Southern Indiana hears about or sees some Ginseng that is extremly big. please PM myself. Indiana DNR has been alerted as well as the Evansville city Police. You could also contact the DNR if you can give information about these people.

Called a Mn buyer yesterday who said they were paying 700. Is regional there much difference in quality of ginseng Don? Sorry to hear about the robbery. Would think if they try to move the root they will get caught.

The quality of your typ Seng is better. It is lighter in weight and has nice black dirt rings and mostly bulby Ginseng. even your typ may have trouble when the buyers try to sell.

any news on prices. i also have a buyer in PA that will give me top dollar only because i have old old root. $700 per pound. my question is, does he know something or does he hold it till price reaaly goes up?????

At this time it is hard to tell what Ginseng is worth. I would sell Ginseng at 700 a pound and be able to make good money on the root I have bought. At this time I don't have anything solid to go on.

DON
Any news on the robbery?

Not anything to speak off. Probably never catch the sucker. I got just a little to relaxed on my security. I am slowly making the place a lot harder to steal something from and get away with it. Cameras, motion detectors, lights and things that will wake me up to at least get a shot at the thieves.

So sorry to hear about your shop Don !!! I hope they catch them, had to be someone that has been there and knows what ya have and where... Or just lucky...but karma and the good Lord will catch them.

I sold for 675.00 Lb last week and he said, he was paying 800 a week before. But said market was to keep dropping due to lots of root being sold everywhere. This guy is an asian buyer with no middle man.

Sold at Cumberlands for 800 yesterday. Kind of sad to see them go a little like a bunch of fur . Had them drying in the house and enjoyed looking at them and the smell of drying ginseng. Root hunting has gotten tougher with getting on land and it being dug out.Doesn't help I'm getting a lot of miles on these legs. LOL Don't have any patches planted or anything. Just walked the bluffs a half a dozen times this fall. Only had a pound and a quarter dry. More of a hobby than it once was for me. But seeing a big yellow twenty leafer beats shooting a big buck any day for me. And I still probably made thirty bucks an hour walking in the woods with little gas burned.

Any updates on price

tensions in the west? or with the west?

sold mine a few days ago for $900 lb.