Scottsbluff businessman, Dave Hergert, is the president of U.S. Chicory. The new Nebraska plant will be the only chicory processing plant in not only the United States, but also in North America. Hergert, who has invested $2 million into the project, told reporters Monday at the ground breaking that the plant will be completed in August and ready to process the first-ever commercial crop of chicory in the Panhandle, by October.

Hergert says developers and contractors are now in the process of finalizing the layout of the facility. Dryers for the processing will be shipped to the site in May. The chicory itself is going into the ground this week. Four hundred and fifty acres will be planted in Banner County, beginning Tuesday. Another 450 will be put into the ground west of Alliance and the Pandhandle Research and Extension Center will be planting 50 acres on their farm. A total of 900 acres will be planted this spring.

Planting is in full swing around the panhandle this week, as rain clouds have subsided, leaving good moisture in the ground. Here, a farmer east of Scottsbluff discs under cornstalks as flocks of seagulls flutter in the furrows. About 500 acres of sugar beets have been planted so far. The new crop of chicory was planted in Banner County on Tuesday.  Photo/Kay Grote

All the processed chicory, which will be dried and ready to be marketed within weeks from its harvest this fall, has already been contracted to the Nestle company. Nestle, which is in the process of buying Ralston Purina, contracted 900 acres for this first year, for a total of 3,500 tons of processed product. According to Hergert, the target amount is between 8,000 and 9,000 tons in the next few years.

As for the local facility, Hergert will employ 20 regular workers, with others added during the harvest.

Chicory, which is rich in inulin used in pet food and other feed products, is grown, harvested and processed much like sugar beets. However, chicory does seem to be more disease resistant than do beets.

Hergert feels that chicory could be a viable alternative crop for area producers. He also feels the factory and the potential for a larger chicory market will be beneficial to the local ag economy. Growers can expect to yield about 20 tons per acre with chicory, with an approximate return of $1,000 to $1,200 per acre. The cost of planting chicory, however, is about $100 per acre more than sugar beets.

The Panhandle Research and Extension Center in Scottsbluff has been experimenting with their own chicory crop for about six years now.

Dave Hergert talks to Lary Hubbard of KNEB Ag-News and other members of the press Monday as construction workers begin ground work at the new Chicory plant site. Photo/Kay Grote

Dave Hergert, president of U.S. Chicory, spades the earth at the site of his new Chicory plant located southwest of the sugar factory in Scottsbluff. Hergert said the plant will begin construction immediately, with the completion date set for August of this year. Photo/Kay Grote