A lack of rain on Vancouver Island this summer and fall is making things difficult for mushroom pickers who are usually able to find a bounty this time of year.

Generally, this far into October, collecting mushrooms is literally a walk in the forest. But this year is proving more difficult.

"This is an exceptionally dry year," said Thom O'Dell, a fungi educator who has been collecting mushrooms for more than 40 years. O'Dell even has the honour of naming a new species he and some others first discovered.

"The Cantharellus cascadensis. We named it after the Cascade range where it was discovered," said the Vancouver Island man.

O'Dell says he's finding far fewer chanterelles than he'd expect at this time of year, though he does stumble across some lobster mushrooms.

"It's not the most photogenic," he said with a laugh. "But these are some of the early ones that would normally come up with the summer rain."

O'Dell's problem finding mushrooms is being felt up and down Vancouver Island.

Please read the full article here.

‘fungi stool’ BY satoshi itasaka

In an effort to learn more about natural decomposers such as fungi and bacteria, Japanese designer Satoshi Itasaka unveils the ‘Fungi Stool’. As its title suggests, the stainless steel and wood stool is composed of fungi that grow and bloom, like flowers, into mushrooms.

‘It is no exaggeration to say that the cycles of nature are carried out by bacteria and fungi,’ Itasaka notes. ‘Bacteria and fungi have been the decomposers in the food chain keeping the earth’s environment in a healthy state. They are the ones we should follow for we are constantly putting a burden on the earth in terms of the global environment.’

Preserving fungi decomposers

Satoshi Itasaka’s Fungi Stool highlights the importance of preserving fungi decomposers as they play a crucial role in our ecosystem. It also proposes a more sustainable direction to furniture design. Its seat is made up of a circle of six discs that somewhat resemble mushroom caps huddled next to each other.

‘There are about 100 trillion bacteria in our bodies’, the product designer explains. ‘Therefore, we live in symbiosis with about three times as many bacteria as our own cells. Although we are sometimes tormented by bacteria, the environment in which we live would not be possible without decomposers such as fungi and bacteria. The world is in the midst of a sanitization boom, but I designed a device to learn more about these decomposers, not to get rid of them. I found that the fungi grew unexpectedly in that apparatus. The fungi grew and blossomed like flowers, producing numerous beautiful mushrooms.’

Source: Designboom

AMGA 2022 Conference

The AMGA conference is held every two years and is the principal meeting point for professionals involved in the mushroom growing industry in Australasia and welcomes numerous guests from overseas.
The conference is made up of suppliers, growers, farm owners and well respected national and international speakers. It’s the perfect occasion to gain pragmatic advice from the speakers, connect with other professionals through genuine networking opportunities, and to increase your knowledge of the industry.

One of our appreciated advertisers, GROWTIME, is also present on this conference with a stand. Please find their invitation here below:

Visit us at the 44th Australian Mushroom Growers' Conference
Are you part of the mushroom industry? You are invited to the 44th Australian Mushroom Growers’ Conference, which will be held from October 26 to 28 at the Crowne Plaza Adelaide Hotel. Come up to us and let's talk about the profitability of your mushroom farm!
Where can you find us? Below you will see our location on the floor plan of the event. See you there!

The energy-intensive production of edible mushrooms is currently particularly affected by the impact of the Ukraine war on the procurement of electricity and gas for food production. This became clear once again at an extraordinary meeting of the Board and Advisory Council of the Federation of German Mushroom and Cultivated Mushroom Growers (BDC) on 6 September 2022 in Hanover.

During the intensive exchange with representatives of the Federal Association of Energy Users (VEA), climate control in the cultivation rooms and cooling of the harvested products, but also substrate production as well as hygienisation of the substrate and disinfection of the rooms were named as extremely energy-intensive processes.

Despite this, mushroom farms have so far not been able to participate in the energy cost reduction programme of the Federal Office of Economics and Export Control (BAFA), as they do not belong to the listed sectors. Given the amount of energy required in the cultivated mushroom sector, this is absolutely incomprehensible for the BDC representatives. The board estimates that the electricity and gas price increases alone could generate additional costs of more than 75 million euros for the industry, should the prices for electricity and gas remain at this level or even rise further. Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version).

Please read the full article here. (in German)
Source: Bund Deutscher Champignon- und Kulturpilzanbauer e.V.

The global mushroom cultivation market is expected to grow at a steady rate in the forecast period, 2023-2027. Factors such as growing per capita mushroom consumption and the rise in awareness about the multiple benefits of mushroom consumption are driving the market growth. Surge in demand for vegan and natural food in the diet and increasing health-consciousness among consumers are the prominent factors expected to accelerate the demand for the global mushroom cultivation market.

Also, rise in the efforts by the market players to adopt the latest technologies will boost the commercial production of mushrooms, which is expected to create numerous growth opportunities for the market players in the global mushroom cultivation market during the forecast period.

Global mushroom cultivation is segmented based on type, raw material, phase, form, application, region, and company. Based on regional analysis, Asia-Pacific is expected to hold a significant market share for the next five years, 2023-2027. China is the largest producer and consumer of mushrooms across the world . An increase in the cultivation of mushrooms along with the increasing consumption in the region are expected to fuel the demand for mushrooms in the country. Also, the adoption of the latest technology for mushroom cultivation by the market players is expected to create numerous growth opportunities for the growth of the global mushroom cultivation market in the forecast period.

Major players operating in the mushroom cultivation market are Smithy Mushrooms Ltd., Rheinische Pilz Zentrale GmbH, Monaghan Mushrooms Ltd, Walsh Mushrooms Group, South Mill Mushrooms Sales Inc., Hirano Mushroom LLC, Gourmet Mushrooms, Inc., Fresh Mushroom Europe NV, L F Lambert Spawn Co, Polar Shiitake Oy, and others.

Please read the full article here.
Source: Research And Markets

A mushroom spawn lab, and orchid micro-propagation lab were inaugurated at Serbithang, Thimphu on September 24. Agriculture Minister Yeshey Penjor and Minister Counsellor, Head of Cooperation, European Union Daniel Hachez inaugurated the facilities.

The new lab will develop pure cultures, develop mother culture, produce and supply mother spawn-to-spawn production unit at the National Mushroom Centre (NMC), regional units, and private spawn producers, produce and supply cultivation spawn with a focus on sawdust spawn for shiitake mushroom cultivation and conduct research and trials; and variety release, among others.

NMC Program Director Dawa Penjor said that the facility will go a long way in improving services to mushroom growers and encouraging new mushroom growers to make Bhutan self-sufficient in mushroom production.

“With the organic brand, we are hopeful to find niche markets in countries like India and Thailand,” he said.

Dawa Penjor said that NMC has a variety of seeds but most farmers are more familiar with two kinds, which are normally planted on wood or in soil. “Farmers are more accustomed to planting these seeds as they know more about its production process and it is mostly what people buy,” he said.

Please read the full article here.
Source: Kuensel

Company visit Thursday 29 September Dreumel the Netherlands

Dreumel, a small village in the land of Maas and Waal in the province Gelderland, The Netherlands. Beautifully situated on the river Waal, surrounded by beautiful dykes and vast fields with many livestock and fruit crops. On one of these dykes the company PG Kusters BV is situated. A real family business with 54 years of Kusters family history. Piet and An Kusters became the Philips- Duphar dealership in 1968 with a product portfolio for fruit cultivation.

Over the years, Piet and An steadily developed their business and got to know other markets, including livestock farming and mushroom cultivation. Children John and Silvia are currently running this family business. They continue to build on the solid foundation laid by their parents. The company is strongly characterised by its level-headedness, modesty, honesty, transparency and loyalty. Several employees have been with them for a long time; Martien van Lieshout has been active within the livestock branch for 41 years. Geert Brink ran the mushroom department in the beginning and handed over the baton to Pascal van Schijndel quite a few years ago.

       

Pascal has been active in the mushroom industry for 30 years, of which 20 at PG Kusters BV. "The great thing about our company is that we have short lines of communication, half a word is enough, so we can switch quickly and provide the customer with their products very rapidly". We are always reachable, a lot is possible with us and we solve everything". PG Kusters BV supplies various products to mushroom growers such as slide nets, tunnel cloths, growing mats, foils, pesticides, clothing, cleaning agents and disinfectants. Through years of experience and knowledge within this branch, they have built up a nice loyal customer base.

Owner Silvia: "Our focus is on quality, we are experiencing a calm and healthy growth that we can facilitate with our team. We keep both feet on the ground and make sure we continue organising everything with the right attention and focus. From product to delivery, we have everything in-house. The biggest sales market is the Netherlands, this is where our roots, passion and most of our knowledge lie." Nursery mats and slide nets are runners-up within the company; as an official dealer of Ten Cate Geo, PG Kusters BV handles the procurement, supply and repair of these mats.

Contact details Pascal van Schijndel:
P.G. Kusters B.V., Waaldijk 3, 6621 KG Dreumel
T: (0487) 57 13 42
M: (0651) 64 07 48
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.