A Picking Lorry that is not produced for a grower, but with a grower?
That is correct! This Picking Lorry is developed together with a Dutch grower who had one simple wish:
"Make me a Picking Lorry which is worker friendly too."

The pickers stand as close as possible to the shelving and can reach all heights through automatic
The Compact+ Picking Lorry is designed so that it fits through all working doors, which means no dismantling of the platform or tipping of the frame.

Recently we delivered 60 pieces Compact+ picking lorries to Geurts Champignons in Millheeze, 20 pieces to Agarica in Hoogeveen and 8 pieces to AK Champignons in Hoenzadriel. All those orders are the second batch they ordered because of the good results from the first batch.
The big benefit of those Compact+ picking lorries are that the picker can handle this lorry by herself completely. No help needed from a second person to transfer the lorry to another room. Further they are almost maintenance free and the battery will last for more than two weeks.

Do you want to know more about the picking lorries? See here!

     

TENCATE NICOLON®

In 1956 a representative of the Dutch AKU (Arnhemse Kunststoffen Unie, today part of Akzo) approached mr. Nico ter Kuile about development of technical textiles for marine structures. Discussions between AKU, the Deltadienst and Ter Kuile led to a contract of several thousands of nylon sand bags to close the Pluimpot, The Netherlands in October 1957. In 1964, the brand name Nicolon was invented and today’s company was registered in September 1968 as Nicolon B.V.

Today, Nicolon® Industrial Fabrics is the leading brand for woven and/or coated industrial textile fabrics.

TenCate Nicolon® nets are used in mushroom growing (Growing net R303, R333, R343) composting (Tunnelnet R176, R186, R875 and glidenet R762, R448) and other related applications. A long term knowledge and experience prove that TenCate nets are a reliable and tested contribution to your results.

Photo: Nicolon R303 growing net

TENCATE TOPTEX®

In 1987 the Austrian based Polyfelt company (now TenCate Geosynthetics) launched a project to use civil engineering products for niche applications in agriculture. In 1988 the brand name Toptex® was established and used for covering silage films to prevent damage by birds. The first step into these new markets was done. The high quality needle punched non-wovens out of continuous filaments turned out to be the perfect product to protect valuable crop harvests from environmental damage or loss of quality.

Today, TenCate Toptex® is the technology and market leader in agriculture for, covering straw, compost, wood chips, potato harvests and sugar beet.

Photo: Toptex Straw cover

A team of Western mycologists (fungi experts) spent the past two summers digging deep in Newfoundland dirt to investigate the might of mushrooms and found what lies beneath truly is 'the main character' in most terrestrial ecosystems.

Fungi, which produce mushrooms, are critically important in most earthbound ecosystems as they provide life-sustaining mineral nutrients to plants while decomposing their remains, and recycling both organic and inorganic byproducts throughout the biome as they grow and reproduce.

"A lot of ecologists are beginning to realize that mushrooms really run the world. We've quite naturally spent a lot of our time focusing on things above ground, things that we see like plants, animals, and birds," said Western biology professor Greg Thorn. "But in fact, the plants are very closely associated with fungi, and basically wouldn't be there (above ground) without them."

Please read the full article here.

Source: Phys.org provided by University of Western Ontario

The first person to introduce the cultivation of mushrooms in the town was William Swayne, a Quaker who had been growing carnations for years. Swayne, a mushroom enthusiast, began growing mushrooms to utilize space under elevated beds. After importing mushroom spawn from Europe, he began experimenting. Today, Kennett holds an annual Mushroom Festival in early September.

Throughout the years, the mushroom industry in Kennett Square has grown to an international level. The city has a long history of integrating new immigrants into its economy. Many immigrants in the past have been Quakers, while others have been Latino and Guatemalan. Today, the city is home to a robust food supply, robust healthcare system, and a thriving mushroom industry.

Kennett Squares Mushroom Industry

Today, 65% of all the mushrooms in the United States are grown in the town of Kennett Square, PA. Other towns have indeed produced mushrooms, but only Kennett Square has the title of The Mushroom Capital of the World. However, a little-known fact is that the town became the Mushroom Capital of the World by accident, as settlers from Italy and Mexico settled the area after the Quakers.

Please read the full article here.

Source: Phillybite

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.