Daniel Dajewski of Agro-Projects discusses the differences between the US and European mushroom markets, and outlines the significant changes the American sector needs to undertake to modernise.

The first European cultivated mushrooms were grown in 1650 in France, while the first American ones were in 1892 in Pennsylvania. While the strategies for mushroom growing differ between continents, differences are becoming fewer as American growers look for Agro-Projects and other European partners to assist with modernisation.

The US sells almost 340,000 tons of mushrooms annually, according to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service for 2020-2021. This figure is nearly the same as Poland,3 but the figures for the US in 2022 appear to be much higher – up to 500,000 tons.

The European Mushroom Growers Group (GEPC), whose members are 10 EU member states, produced 1,095,000 tons of mushrooms in 2020. Based on new facilities in Europe, built courtesy of the Polish contractor Agro-Projects, those volumes are continuously increasing: three farms have already appeared in France, as well as some in Poland, Romania, Belarus and other countries. According to European experts, production from EU members in 2022 is set to be around 1,160,200 tons.

Please read the full article here.
Source: New Food Magazine

"It was destined for me to be here," former Bronco Jake Plummer told CBS4's Romi Bean.

These days, Plummer is about as far away from a football field as you can get. The former Broncos quarterback spends his days hard at work at the MyCOLove mushroom farm in Fort Lupton.
jake-plummer-mushroom-farmer-former-bronco-qb.jpg
CBS

"We're talking about community, collaboration and connection. One of our main goals and missions here at MyCOLove is to put a lot of intent and love into the mushrooms that we're growing," Plummer said.

The process of growing mushrooms is complicated and lengthy. But for Plummer and his team, it's a labor of love.

"We're growing these mushrooms and extracting them so people can have a different approach to their health and wellness," he said. "That's a real powerful thing. So we handle it with extreme care and diligence."

Plummer's passion for medicinal and functional mushrooms stems from the benefits he's experienced in his health and wellness journey.

"I haven't been sick at all," Plummer explained. "I sleep really well now. I feel less fatigue, less stress. My gut health, my body, my digestion, my energy levels, pain in my joints has gone away."

Please read the full article here.
Source: CBS News

In the second quarter of 2022, inflation dominated the performance headlines for the produce department for total fresh vegetables and fresh mushrooms.

Inflation provided a boost to dollar sales, but units and volume were down across the board. Retail sales of fresh mushrooms reached $311 million, down 4.2% from the second quarter of 2021, according to IRI/210 Analytics data, the American Mushroom Institute BB #:162412 reported today.

While mushrooms are not immune to the undercurrent of inflation, prices increased at a below-average rate during the first half of 2022. The retail price per pound for total fresh vegetables increased 8.1% versus 5.1% for fresh mushrooms.

According to data insights provider IRI Worldwide, 93% of Americans are concerned about inflation and 81% are applying money-saving measures when buying groceries. To cope with inflation, consumers are adjusting the way they shop, swapping name brands for generic brands, or skipping higher priced items altogether, shopping at discount stores, using coupons more, and other tactics.

But as American Mushroom Institute President Rachel Roberts explains, mushrooms are made for this moment. “Because mushrooms can offer ‘meatiness’ and a flavor boost to a dish, provide increased health benefits to recipes, and are versatile in variety, texture, and tastes, they are a smart and valuable addition to grocery lists.”

Please read the full article here.
Source: Blue Book Services & The American Mushroom Institute

More than half of the mushroom in Ukraine is grown on Phase 3 of compost – that is the result of a reduction in volumes.

According to information received by UMDIS agency from compost producers of Ukraine, demand for Phase 3 compost has decreased slightly compared to the same period last year.

At the same time, production of Phase 2 compost has more than halved due to reduced demand.

As a result of these changes, already in the summer of 2022, the volume of champignon mushrooms produced on Phase 3 compost will exceed the volume of champignon mushrooms grown on Phase 2 compost.

We will remind, as a result of Russian aggression, at the end of February-March, the majority of compost factories in Ukraine stopped soaking new batches of compost, and resumed this process only at the end of March, gradually increasing volumes.

In May 2022, the volume of compost orders in Ukraine reached approximately 60% of the pre-war level typical for this period.

However, the period of low prices for champignons in June and the whole summer negatively affected the optimism of mushroom growers, so today the production of compost in the country is about 50% of the level of the same period last year.

At the same time, the Grikar-APS compost plant in the Kharkiv region and the Agrotandem-Plus compost plant (Mriya SE) are not working.

Thus, 100% of compost for sale in Ukraine is now supplied to the market by 4 compost production companies: Agaris Miko Ukraine (Ternopil region), Agaris Miko Center (Cherkasy region), VG Farming (Veres, Cherkasy region), World of Straw (Mykolaiv region).

Phase 3 compost is offered by both Agaris and World of Straw plants.

Dear All!

My name is Ulrich Tiemann and since April this year I started working for e-nema. I received a very cordial welcome, plus a lot of support and training from the e-nema team.

It is great working here. Having a background in agriculture, international food trading and sales, I am working myself into the mushroom industry now. I do look forward to getting to know you. Through my work, I aim to support you and add value to the mushroom industry with the help of entomopathogenic nematodes, which e-nema produces at an industrial scale.

Hope meeting you soon!

GROWTIME would like to inform all of their customers (both current and future) that their headquarters has a new location.

"In our new location we have the office and production facilities where the innovative products for mushroom farms are being created.
Amongst the products we are especially proud to demonstrate here our flagship mushroom picking trolleys, known for its efficiency and durability".

They like to welcome you anytime at the address:
ul. Lotnicza 21, 86-300 Grudziądz, Poland





  

What is the absolute moisture content of the air? Or the enthalpy of the air? More and more growers have a handy app that reads out these values. I always ask: “What do you do with this data?” I don’t always get an answer. Because it’s not about the numbers. The best way to understand this is to use a sponge as an example. It’s much clear and you can combine it with the Mollier diagram. Use this link to download the coloured Mollier diagram (pdf).

The truffle is a tuberous fungus that grows underground, on the roots of various tree species such as oak, poplar, or hazelnut bushes. Truffles grow from truffle spores that are spread by insects and maggots, among other things. Furthermore, the truffle also uses the nutrients of plants and trees.

The truffle looks like an irregular tuber with a diameter of a few centimeters. Pigs and wild boars love truffles and are therefore used to search for truffles. Due to the fact that these animals have usually already eaten half the truffles and cause a lot of damage, dogs are now also trained to search for truffles.

Truffles are very expensive. This is because the truffle cannot be grown, but must be sought. It's a real delicacy and comes therefore with a price. Truffles come in many varieties and each truffle has its own season. The season of the white and black truffle runs from November to January and the summer truffle from March to October.

Truffles also have health benefits. Some varieties contain antioxidants and white truffles are also said to have anti-inflammatory properties. They are full of phosphorus, calcium and protein. They contain hardly any fat and they are naturally sugar-free.

So truffles come with a price tag, but they are well worth it. Because they are so aromatic, you only need a little bit. Truffles are often used in Italian dishes. The taste of the truffle can be described as unique!