Marathon County is ground zero for the American ginseng industry, growing 98 percent of the country’s crop. But that may be in jeopardy if buyers start to walk away from deals in response to Chinese import tariffs.

Driving through central Wisconsin, it’s impossible to miss the shade structures that go on for acres through this somewhat remote part of America’s heartland. After miles and miles of livestock and corn, the farmland here looks different. Wooden stakes hold up mesh fabric to create the 80 percent shade that ginseng needs to grow. Originally foraged in forests, this niche crop is cultivated by recreating the tree cover environment in which it thrives.