Iowa State Bank

BIG PLANS FOR A LITTLE BERRY

by Bob Fitch Verlyn, Mark and Steve Sneller, along with family friend Kevin Flammang, are blazing a new trail in Sioux County agriculture.

When Verlyn Sneller purchased 20 acres west of Orange City in 2015, he decided against putting the land into conventional farming. Both he and Kevin had long been interested in the health benefits of elderberry. “We have lots of people who swear by the juice. They and their kids take it through cold and flu season and never get sick. The government is now doing studies on the antiviral properties of elderberry,” Verlyn said.

Kevin added, “It was a plant that was never recognized. It was considered a weed, but it’s proven to be a ‘weed’ that’s good for you. Elderberry is good for what ails you.”

Elderberries contain a high level of antioxidants capable of providing many health benefits. The berries also have anti-inflammatory and anti-viral properties. Elderberries are used to treat influenza, sinus pain, hay fever, fatigue and much more. (See sidebar story on page 8 for more information.)

Verlyn decided elderberry was the right fit for the acreage. “We stepped into it with both feet,” he said. “We put in 16 acres here, my brother Mark put in 8 acres and Jon Kiel put in 8 acres. We started separately but, last year, Mark, Kevin, my son Steve, and I joined together as one company under the West Branch Elderberries name.” While still operating independently,

Jon Kiel retains a close working relationship with West Branch.

In the spring of 2016, they propagated and grew 36,000 cuttings in a greenhouse. The cuttings were planted in the field near the end of June. Elderberry is actually a small, deciduous tree that can grow 20-30 feet tall. In cultivated orchards, their natural height is limited to about five feet high to help lateral spread and fruit production.

“The person we bought cuttings from in Missouri had told us he would buy all the berries we could produce. At the end of 2017 when we had our first crop, we had quite a few thousand pounds of berries, but the guy backed out. So we put the berries in cold storage,” Verlyn said.

They turned that setback into an opportunity to vertically integrate. They began direct marketing their berries and are in the midst of developing a line of products under the West Branch Elderberries label. In addition to frozen berries, frozen juice and dried berries, West Branch has developed a tonic and a tea made of elderberry and herbs. They contracted with a jam-maker Kevin met at the Clay County Fair who is retailing the product in 90 different stores. Diabetics like the jam because it’s low in sugar. West Branch has even sold elderberry to a winemaker who has produced both a wine and brandy liqueur from elderberry. Local nutrition expert Courtney Sandbulte helps with recipe development.

Age Media Qtr Page Color 1-8-20.pdf 1 1/8/2020 11:21:34 AM Elderberry produces beautiful flowers in July.

Is your grain a HOT commodity?

Call today for conversation without obligation. 712-336-0199

Text TSGC to 72727 to receive grain storage tips and information.

Customized Grain Monitoring Systems Tri-States Grain Conditioning, Inc.

ELDERBERRY OFFERS HEALTH BENEFITS

Numerous medical and health experts recognize elderberry as a fruit which is one of nature’s most versatile solutions for a wide range of ailments. Elderberry has been used for centuries as a medicine and nutritional supplement. The following benefits of the low-calorie elderberry have been identified: • Elderberries have one of the highest antioxidant strengths among edible berries. Elderberries are rich in anthocyanins which are powerful antioxidants that keep the immune system strong and resilient. Elderberries have high concentrations of bioflavonoids which may help deactivate viruses. • Elderberry may prevent or provide relief from minor diseases such as flu, colds, and constipation. Its anti-inflammatory effects may positively impact allergy symptoms. • Some doctors recommend its use for sinus pain, back and leg pain (sciatica), nerve pain (neuralgia), and chronic fatigue syndrome. • Elderberries are an excellent source of vitamins A and C, plus are a good source of B-complex vitamins as well as calcium, potassium, manganese, iron and phosphorus. • Native Americans used it to treat infections, while the ancient

Egyptians used it to improve their complexions and heal burns. • In folk medicine, the dried berries or juice are used to treat influenza, infections, sciatica, headaches, dental pain, heart pain and nerve pain, plus are used as a laxative and diuretic. • Elderberries may have positive effects on some markers of heart and blood vessel health. Studies have shown elderberry juice may reduce the level of fat in the blood and decrease cholesterol. • Elderberry can increase insulin secretion and improve blood sugar levels.

Sources do caution that there is insufficient research to definitively quantify all of the benefits.

Sources www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-434/elderberry www.healthline.com/nutrition/elderberry www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sambucus www.simplyhealth.today/14-health-benefits-of-elderberry/ www.nutrition-and-you.com/elderberry.html www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/ncnu07/pdfs/charlebois284-292.pdf https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/171727/nutrients other purveyors of elderberry juice is we grow them ourselves. We have complete control over the process from start to finish. We wanted to be more vertically integrated to provide a better product for people.”

Between the dried berries, buckets of frozen berries and frozen juice, West Branch ships product to nearly every state in the U.S. They intend to expand their sales in retail stores as more of their products come on line and all the necessary USDA requirements are met. Their current product line can be found at www. westbranchelderberries.com.

“One thing we’ve learned is growing elderberries is not easy,” Kevin said. “Every time you think you know something about the plants, you discover how little you actually know. It’s not like corn, wheat, beans – it’s a different world.” Verlyn added: “This year’s challenge has been stalk borers. They hollow the plant completely out like the marrow out of a bone.” They’ve also faced problems with grasshoppers and drosophila, but, so far, the birds have left the berries alone.

While they’ve gotten advice from growers in Minnesota and Missouri, West Branch has had to experiment to find the production practices which are right for northwest Iowa. “We’ve experimented with several different ways to manage the plant. We’ve cut it low to the ground, we’ve cut it about a foot high, and we’ve just let it grow. The jury is still out on which way is best,” Mark said.

“Because we’re organic, weed control is a real challenge. It’s a big part of our year, especially the first month or two. The plant starts flowering in June and the fruit typically sets in July,” he said. “Depending upon how hot and sunny and how much rainfall you get, there might be some fruit ready by the end of July. But last year, it went late into August and September for harvest. Once the fruit is ripe, you’ve got a very narrow window to harvest. You can’t leave it hang. You’ve got two days at most once it gets ripe. If you let it to go too long, the fruit falls off and it’s useless at that point.”

During harvest, Mark said, “You have to look at every cluster and judge whether it’s ready of not – because the same plant will have clusters on it that are green and some all the way to overripe. You have look at every cluster before you clip it.”