Why lavender farming? Producers are increasingly turning to commercial lavender farming for a variety of reasons. Many want to diversity their farms and create new streams of revenue. Others are more likely beginning growers who may be turning to lavender production after a long career in another field. For these reasons, many new growers have very little experience in lavender production and some often have no farming background whatsoever.
At the same time, rural areas are experiencing a surge in the demand for natural and cultural consumption, much of it is driven by a desire for value-added agriculture, direct marketing and rural experience tourism. People want to ‘know’ their farmer, they want to ‘put a face on food’, and they want to experience agriculture first hand by spending leisure time on a farm or visiting a farm for an educational opportunity.
In this way, lavender is an ideal crop suited to diversification for many small and mid-sized farms. The versatility of the herb for culinary, aromatherapy, and agritourism purposes presents a number of business models for beginning farmers to consider that can satisfy consumer demand and generate rural vitality. The one challenge all farmers face is they are new to the lavender farming game. France, China, New Zealand, Bulgaria have control over major supply chains. U.S. farmers must grapple with the development of new, localized markets since global supply chains are out of reach.
If you are commercial grower of lavender or a curious enthusiast who is still dreaming of fields of purple haze, this website has something for you. We hope you will find useful resources – from general, how-to grow information to national grower studies. Whether you are interested in learning more about the presence of lavender in the region or if you would like to know more about becoming a member of the GLLG, contact Dr. Wynne Wright at wrigh325@msu.edu.