U.S. Chicory is the brain child of Dave Hergert, owner of Hergert Milling. He has been working with researchers Bob Wilson and John Smith at the University of Nebraska Panhandle Research and Extension Center for the past two years exploring the possibilities of the crop in the Panhandle.

Hergert has secured a five-year contract with Ralston Purina to supply chicory for its line of dog food. At this time, U.S. Chicory is the only domestic grower of chicory. Ralston has been importing its requirements from Europe.

He imported a $30,000 chicory planter from France and custom planted more than 900 acres of the sugarbeet-type crop this spring. The plants resemble sugarbeets, and the same equipment, with few adjustments, can be used to plant and harvest them.

The crop will be processed within 48 hours of harvest at the new facility on East 19th Avenue and East 7th Street, just west of Western Sugar, in Scottsbluff. The chicory will be weighed in, washed, sliced and dried in preparation for shipment to Ralston Purina in Missouri for processing into dog food.

Hergert expects growers will see a return of approximately $1,000 to $1,200 per acre. The cost to raise the crop is expected to be about $100 per acre more than for sugarbeets.

According to UNPREC researchers, chicory should fit in well with the sugarbeet industry in the North Platte Valley. They said it is extremely well adapted for success in the Panhandle. Although chicory resembles sugarbeets, the two are not related. The only similarity is they are both roots.

"We havent found anything that affects chicory prior to harvesting," said Chuck Hibberd, UNPREC director. Because it is not related to sugarbeets, the diseases and pests that have plagued that crop do not impact chicory. Its long white roots are susceptible to white mold, but only after harvest. The inulin in chicory acts as a natural antifreeze, so the plants withstand freezing temperatures quite well. The plant does not spoil over the winter and may be used for livestock feed in the spring. However, if left in the ground during the winter, the inulin breaks down and becomes useless to pet food processors.

"In the six years weve grown chicory, it has been the most consistent crop of all weve worked with," Hibberd said. "It is incredibly tolerant and fits well in this area."

"Were shooting for 30 tons per acre, and were looking at growing our own seed, which is imported from Europe right now," Hergert said.

The new plant will have about 20 full-time employees, with more part-time help required during harvest and planting, since Hergert will sell and distribute seed from the same facility.