Chicory has a list of names longer than its stems: blue daisy, blue dandelion, blue sailors, blue weed, bunk, coffeeweed, common chicory, cornflower, hendibeh, horseweed, ragged sailors, succory, wild bachelor’s buttons, wild endive, and witloof. Most of us have it in our pastures and fields, and many of us probably think of it as a weed. But here’s a little information that might help you think differently – and maybe even add it to you list of valuable forages.
Thousands of years ago, chicory was eaten in Egypt. The plant originated in the Mediterranean and began to travel the world as a salad green. Fresh leaves are still sold as radicchio in Italy and the French produce a green they call whitloof chicory, Belgian endive, or French endive by forcing chicory roots to sprout while deprived of light. Beyond its use as a salad green, chicory roots have been commonly roasted and used as a coffee substitute or additive. They can also be eaten raw or boiled, or dried and ground, and used as seasoning.
Chicory came to North America in the 1700s and was a cultivated plant for about 200 years. In 1950 or so, it lost its status as a purposefully planted crop when it became more economical to import chicory. While it was under cultivation, it escaped its planted fields and spread throughout southern Canada and the United States. Chicory now grows along roads and highways, and can also be found in pastures, fields, and lawns. It grows in all soil types, but prefers lime-rich soils. Since it doesn’t tolerate cultivation, its spread is somewhat controlled. It spreads by seed, with each plant producing about 3000 seeds.
It is a high quality forage crop that contains tannins valuable to address parasites in small ruminants, and as a plant, it does well in rotational grazing systems. Its leaves have protein levels are between 20-30%, and it has a digestibility level of about 90%. Flowers, though lovely, and their stems are lower quality forage.
Given all this, you may be want to consider chicory an alternative forage crop, rather than a weed.
Oh yeah – need to teach your livestock to eat this? Here’s how!
Gelsemium sempervirens Though the profuse bell-shaped, yellow flowers that adorn the lengthy, twisted vines of Carolina jessamine are truly breathtaking, they conceal a deep, dark secret. They, along with the rest of the plant, are capable of murder. But no worries – just don’t eat it and you’ll be fine! And you’ll be thrilled with the spectacular show this plant puts on each spring. Really. Don’t let our silly drama scare you off. G. sem
Trachelospermum asiaticum An almost-ubiquitous ground cover in much of the American South, Asiatic jasmine is actually not jasmine at all, though it is Asian, with origins in Korea and Japan. It takes the second half of its name from its fragrant flowers, which – under ideal conditions – perfume the air in springtime. This fast-growing evergreen vine is appreciated for its ability to quickly cover a patch of land with a thick carpet of twining vines, even in shady areas
By Tiffany Towne, Nutrena® Poultry Expert – Some people love a summer heat wave, or for that matter, sweating it out in a sauna. Not backyard chickens. For our feathered friends, steamy summer days can mean trouble. But the right care can help your girls keep their cool and stay productive throughout the season. Here’s how to keep chickens cool in extreme heat. Do Chickens Sweat? Flock owners often wonder: Do chickens sweat to keep cool? The answer is chickens cannot sw
The company is one of several making the move amid concerns that the overuse of these antibiotics, used by some producers to spur growth and prevent disease in animals grown for meat, is partially responsible for the rise in multi-antibacterial-resistant superbugs. “We think this move is the most responsible approach to balance a global health concern and animal well-being,” Worth Sparkman, a representative for Tyson, tells Modern Farmer in an e-mail.