Yarrow Flower Market Potential and Harvesting II
Answered by: Richard Alan Miller
Question from: Peter Hreese
Posted on: August 7, 2000

Thank you for the prompt reply, I can send you last year’s certificate, but it will be some time before I receive this year’s certification. However this poses no problem for other such crops as flax and borage as OCIA forwards all pertinent information to the buyer.

We have never harvested a crop like this before, If you have any information on harvesting I would appreciate it.

We have harvested such things as fescue grass and Alsike, but never Yarrow.

Please fax the COG paper to me. Send samples when they become available to Northwest Botanicals, Inc., 493 Coutant Lane, Grants Pass, OR 97527, U.S.A.

I also have markets for Flax and Borage (COG), so feel free to also forward those as samples I might represent into the marketplace. I take a 10% commission for sales and collections.

Harvesting yarrow flowertops has classically been done using a comb-type scoop, similar to those used for cranberries. They now even have automated devices for larger harvest operations. Yarrow can also be taken with a finger-like comb with a vacuum pickup.

I suggested a bean-type combine harvester, as I think this would also work well. You would have to fiddle with it to get fewer stems and more flowerheads, of course. You might even want to sift it using a 298-D type Clipper. This has a scalping-type action using a rotocone, to remove unwanted stem (winnowing).



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