He Turns Wees Into Money

1979 - Volume #3, Issue #4, Page #23

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Selling weeds is "big business" for John Link, Galena, Kan., who makes his living collecting and processing them for sale as decorations. His best sellers include some of your worst enemies - jimson weed, red dock, wild flax, acorns, bittersweet and mistletoe, to name a few.
For most of us, weeds are plants out of place. To John, they're plants in place- a cash crop! He relies primarily on a crew of about 100 persons who collect weeds for him at various times of the year throughout the U.S.
One of John's best-selling "weeds" is the miniature cattail. He sells up to 10 million of them per year to florists and other firms. Cattails are gathered from swamps, then dried in his solar-heated drying building and packaged for shipping.
A number of decorative "weeds" he sells to customers aren't found growing in the wild. One of these is Italian wheat, which Link has had to plant, or have grown on contract. Another is broom corn, which is planted and harvested commercially.
Some of the weeds he sells are getting scarce as swamps are drained, or land is used for highway and industrial development. To get enough of them, he sometimes has to plant certain scarce weeds. What are weeds worth as a cash crop? The going rate for cattails is 3c ea. Giant acorns retail for 12c, pine cones for 10c and mistletoe for right at $3.00 a lb. While these prices may give the impression of a fortune just ready to be harvested from the wild, Link notes that there are a lot of expenses connected with selling weeds. He operates two greenhouses, several trucks and even has two air boats for traveling in shallow swamps to collect certain types of weeds. There are hazards to the business, too. Weeds left to dry in the sun, for example, can be blown away by a strong wind. Link notes that he is often suspected of gathering marijuana or other illegal plants and has to prove the legitimacy of his unique weed-selling business.
For more details, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, John Link, Ozark Quality Products, 400 Clark Street, Galena, Kan. 66739 (ph. 316 783-5540).

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He Turns Wees Into Money AG WORLD Ag World 3-4-23 Selling weeds is "big business" for John Link, Galena, Kan., who makes his living collecting and processing them for sale as decorations. His best sellers include some of your worst enemies - jimson weed, red dock, wild flax, acorns, bittersweet and mistletoe, to name a few. For most of us, weeds are plants out of place. To John, they're plants in place- a cash crop! He relies primarily on a crew of about 100 persons who collect weeds for him at various times of the year throughout the U.S. One of John's best-selling "weeds" is the miniature cattail. He sells up to 10 million of them per year to florists and other firms. Cattails are gathered from swamps, then dried in his solar-heated drying building and packaged for shipping. A number of decorative "weeds" he sells to customers aren't found growing in the wild. One of these is Italian wheat, which Link has had to plant, or have grown on contract. Another is broom corn, which is planted and harvested commercially. Some of the weeds he sells are getting scarce as swamps are drained, or land is used for highway and industrial development. To get enough of them, he sometimes has to plant certain scarce weeds. What are weeds worth as a cash crop? The going rate for cattails is 3c ea. Giant acorns retail for 12c, pine cones for 10c and mistletoe for right at $3.00 a lb. While these prices may give the impression of a fortune just ready to be harvested from the wild, Link notes that there are a lot of expenses connected with selling weeds. He operates two greenhouses, several trucks and even has two air boats for traveling in shallow swamps to collect certain types of weeds. There are hazards to the business, too. Weeds left to dry in the sun, for example, can be blown away by a strong wind. Link notes that he is often suspected of gathering marijuana or other illegal plants and has to prove the legitimacy of his unique weed-selling business. For more details, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, John Link, Ozark Quality Products, 400 Clark Street, Galena, Kan. 66739 (ph. 316 783-5540).

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