EUROPEAN MUSHROOMS: THE HIDDEN GEM GEPC €5 million communication campaign co-financed by the European Commission to promote mushroom consumption in nine European countries: Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, The Netherlands, Poland, Spain.
IFA ON BUDGET 2025 IFA IFA set out some proposals for consideration by the relevant Irish government departments, leading up to the 2025 October Budget
HORT SCHEMES 2024 gov.ie Two schemes with a total budget of €1.35 million supports...
BOARD OF IRISH AGRI-FOOD REGULATOR Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine Minister announced selection of Chair and Board Members to the Board of An Rialálaí Agraibhia -Office to be formally established on 13 December(Agri-Food Regulator)
CARBON-NEGATIVE MUSHROOM PRODUCTION SYSTEM x University of Stirling scientists have led a project to develop a carbon negative food source in the form of edible mushrooms.
MONTEREY MUSHROOMS SCHOLARSHIPS Monterey Mushrooms Monterey Mushrooms has been enhancing people’s lives for 50 years. Scholarship awards for the 2023-24 academic year.
BREXIT ADJUSTMENT RESERVE FUNDING gov.ie €210,000 of funding from the Brexit Adjustment Reserve (BAR) fund to support the Irish mushroom sector ...
DUTCH MUSHROOM DAYS 2022 CANCELLED mushroomdays The 36th Dutch Mushroom Days, scheduled to take place from 1-8 July 2022, has been cancelled.
M&S APPOINT MONAGHAN PLANT KITCHEN SUPPLIER
M&S appoint Irish based Monaghan Ltd to supply new veggie ball and veggie mince that will expand their existing Plant Kitchen range.
PENNSYLVANIA’S $746 MILLION MUSHROOM INDUSTRY USDA Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding and Department of Community and Economic Development Acting Deputy Secretary Mandy Book stopped at Chester County's To-Jo Mushrooms, Inc., on the Food Fuels Pennsylvania tour .
THE MUSHROOM MACHINE GAMECHANGER Mushroom Machine The Mushroom Machine Gamechanger is NOW available for delivery and can be seen in operation @ https://www.mushroommachine.co.uk/?page_id=658
HYGIENE – AN EVEN BIGGER CHALLENGE THAN EVER By Mark Irwin Just like health and safety, a culture of ownership and responsibility needs to prevail to ensure better standards universally.
IRISH FOOD AND DRINK EXPORTS RECORD €13.5BN 2021 bord bia The value of Ireland’s food, drink and horticulture exports increased by 4% to a record €13.5 billion in 2021, despite the impact of Covid-19 and Brexit on trading.
REVIEW OF THE YEAR 2021 tmp 2021 was a year that started gloomily and ended gloomily, but there were some bright spots throughout the course of the year.
CHAMPIGNONDAGEN JULY 2022 Champignondagen The following is the full text of the recent communication from the Mushroom Days organisers for July 2022. EVENT CANCELLED
SPOREKILL SPOT TEST Ralph Noble and Andreja Dobrovin-Pennington Microbiotech Ltd Project title Use of Sporekill Spot in a Fingerprint Lecanicillium Test
REVIEW OF THE YEAR 2020 tmp Aah the joys of reviewing the year that was - looking back to last year’s review one can marvel at how uncomplicated the scene was - the only disturbance was Brexit. That soon changed…
Megascience of Mycology OBS The study of fungi has long been overshadowed by more glamorous scientific quests. But biologist Merlin Sheldrake is on a mission to change that
A .M. I PRESIDENT ON U.S. MUSHROOM AVAILABILITY tmp American Mushroom Institute President Rachel Roberts issued the following statement on the availability of mushrooms in the US on May 11.
RELEVANT TEAGASC HORT SECTOR DOCUMENTS. Teagasc Teagasc Horticultural Development Department has compiled a document with information available from the relevant competent authorities and some suggestions for producers to consider in the coming weeks.
Monaghan Mushrooms & FareShare MM Monaghan Mushrooms has partnered up with FareShare, the UK’s largest food charity that redistributes edible surplus food from the food industry.
RHI What Now? David Totten With the recent reduction in RHI subsidies it is a good time to consider what the new tariffs mean to the each of us.
RHI What Now? David Totten Good time to consider what the new tariffs mean.
A NEW PRODUCT TO CONTROL COBWEB DISEASE Helen Grogan, Teagasc The following is a modified excerpt from the MushTV factsheet ‘Fungal diseases of mushrooms and their control’ by Nancy Pyck (Inagro, Belgium) and Helen Groga
FOR SALE:
EUROPAC three phase Waste Compactor/Baler,
Mycronutrient Products Compared F.H Parker and S.G Whitehall Ballstone Farm, Quarnford, UK, 2016 This experiment clearly defines the effect of adding supplements to the casing and interface.
Positive Effects of Supplementing Casing F.H Parker and S.G Whitehall The effect of adding supplements to the casing with or without commercial compost supplement.
Controlling Temperatures in compost Stuart Whitehall, Nutrigain Ltd I have spent a lot of time helping growers to control temperatures this summer and this list is not exhaustive but it may be helpful.
2015 CONFERENCE PREVIEW Mairéad Kilpatrick, AFBI Loughgal 2015 All Ireland & UK Mushroom Conference & Trade Show Preview
ECO-WASH dmac Revolutionary Waste Water Treatment System Eco-Wash system
Note the Date! Kieran Lavelle All Ireland and UK Mushroom Conference & Trade Show 2015
CMP INVESTMENT cmp CMP are undertaking an investment programme in 2016
WOOD CHIP OR WOOD PELLETS: PART2 David Totten. Premium Pellets Ltd I wrote an article a couple of years ago comparing the relative advantages of both these types of biomass.
Premium Pellets Ltd David Totten The possibility of supplying pellets to the mushroom industry
LETTER TO THE EDITOR Hasan Kashani The mushroom industry sector in the Middle East
IRANIANS DEVELOP HYBRID MUSHROOM SPAWN INA Researchers at Mashhad Jihad University in northeastern Iran have developed high quality, first generation (F1) mushroom spawn, an official said.
GOURMET COOK OUT By Frank Parker, Nutrigain Ltd In days of yore when petrol was half a crown a gallon and kerosene was two shillings, growers did a very thorough job of cooking out.
THE DANGERS OF H2S IN MUSHROOM COMPOST Teagasc:Dr Helen Grogan, Dr Tom Curran, Balasubramanian Velusami Teagasc has characterised emissions of the toxic gas associated with this activity and developed guidelines to ensure the safety of operators.
UKRAINE MUSHROOM CONFERENCE UMDIS The 1st International conference “Ukrainian mushroom growing: a strategy of success” is finished.
INTRODUCTION OF NEW FARM SAFETY SCHEME Ag The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Simon Coveney TD, announced the introduction of a new Farm Safety Scheme.
Some facts about nematodes Michael Barth, E-Nema For further information or any question specific to your farm, please feel free to write to m.barth@e-nema.de
MUSHROOMS BENEFIT GOUT SUFFERERS iol data supports the observation that increased consumption of foods from plant sources, especially fruit and vegetables, reduce the risk of gout development.
THE SCIENCE IN YOUR CASING Frank Parker, Nutrigain Ltd There are four main casing requirements in order to maximise the potential of the nutrients in the compost.
A LOOK BACK AT 2013 tmp A review of the year through the pages of The Mushroom People.....
IRISH FOOD AND DRINK EXPORTS APPROACH €10 BILLION Bord Bia The value of Irish food and drink exports has approached €10billion for the first time in 2013, according to new figures released by Bord Bia .
MUSH TV Helen Grogan An EU research project led by Teagasc researcher, Dr Helen Grogan, is delivering new technologies to the European mushroom industry.
DISOLITE & OMNICIDE Steve Williams DISOLITE & OMNICIDE-M Proven by the H.D.C, as one of the most effective disinfectants for killing "Trichoderma Aggressivum"
HOW GOOD IS MY DISINFECTION ROUTINE? Frank Parker and Stuart Whitehall There is some interesting information coming in on the subject of testing how good your disinfection routine is.
CONFERENCE 2013: INVESTING IN THE FUTURE tmp The All Ireland and UK Mushroom Conference and Trade Show 2013 was billed as the inaugural event of a newly constituted conference line-up.
HEAT RECOVERY SYSTEMS - THE FACTS DAVID TOTTEN I have done the calculations on the viability of heat recovery in mushroom cultivation several times and could never persuade myself that they were worth fitting.
BLOTCH WORKSHOP Northway On the 04th September Northway Mushrooms, in conjunction with DARDNI, held a workshop on Bacterial Blotch Control at Emyvale, County Monaghan.
IMMC7 immc7 The theme of the conference: Medicinal mushrooms and their products into global healthcare systems in the 21st Century The 7th International Medicinal Mushroom Conference
PRIME TAKEOVER Monaghan Monaghan Mushrooms has reached a definite agreement with the executor of the Limburg mushroom company Prime Champ, about the take-over of Prime Champ from bankruptcy.
DEMONSTRATION OF THE MUSHROOM PRO PROCESSING UNIT MushroomPro A demonstration of the Mushroom Pro processing unit at the farm of Gary Hughes of GPH Mushrooms Ltd, Derrynoose, turned into a bigger event than expected.
THE POSSIBILITIES OF MUSHROOM PRODUCTION USING NEW TECHNOLOGIES Nikodem Sakson The use of quality substrate and in the right amount, as well as the best mycelium breed adapted to the conditions, along with the required quality of casing does not necessarily provide the maximum yield.
MYCELIUM CASING - NEW EXPECTATIONS By Nikodem Sakson The end of this period in cultivation technology and research development in the Netherlands promotes re-examination of the factors affecting the development of mushroom production
MUSHROOM DAYS 2013 mdf May 29th until 31st , 2013
Brabanthallen – ’s Hertogenbosch – The Netherlands
DISOLITE & OMNICIDE-M
Controlling or eradicating disease causing pathogens in any food related industry, is indeed a big headache for all producers ....
AMBASSADOR OF THE MUSHROOM INDUSTRY AWARD tmp The Mushroom Days Foundation who organise The Mushroom Days event in The Netherlands have come up with a new award for the event and the industry.
Chronos BTH becomes Premier Tech Chronos PTC Premier Tech’s Industrial Equipment Group (IEG) is the number one worldwide supplier of Industrial Flexible Packaging solutions and will from now on have a single common brand identity
MUSHROOM COMPOST– THE BASICS AND ISSUES By Nikodem Sakson In Poland the main mushroom cropping is done on shelves with phase 3 compost and harvesting is carried out selectively.
A LOOK BACK AT 2012 tmp Sometimes only in retrospect do patterns and shapes become discernible in the course of a year...
SporeKill – How does it work? Frank Parker The problems of disease in mushroom growing houses means that a section of the workforce are continually and constantly exposed to whatever antifungal and disinfectant substances are used to keep the sheds sterile.
LUMAN Vari-flame: Boilers: David Totten The concept of using biomass for heating has been presented here in Ireland as new technology and in my opinion installations have been over-complicated and overpriced.
HEATING COSTS EXPLAINED David Totten I will explain how to calculate the cost of heating from different fuels and also the size of boiler you need.
ARE LED TUBES THE ANSWER TO LOW ENERGY LIGHTING? David Totten Anyone involved with fluorescent lighting over the past few years will be aware that the new energy saving developments have not done anything for reliability.
MUSHROOM DEBACLE AT SWEDISH ACADEMY the local The row took off after a Chinese translation of a poem written by last year's literature prize winner.
MUSHROOM WORSHIP Carl de Borhegyi Spanish chroniclers recorded that the Aztecs, at the time of the Spanish Conquest, revered three different kinds of narcotic mushrooms
CHINA'S $14M FOR MUSHROOM CULTIVATION MM FIJI: Chinese government gave $14 million to the government through the Agriculture Department for mushroom cultivation
COSTA GROUP ACQUIRE ADELAIDE MUSHROOMS COSTA Australia’s leading grower and marketer of fresh produce the Costa Group has announced its intention to acquire Adelaide Mushrooms.
UK GOES MAD FOR MUSHROOMS mushroom bureau Consider the health benefits as the mushroom has so many B vitamins they could make a tomato blush.
MUSHROOM WORSHIP yucatantimes Mushroom imagery occurred with such frequency and in such indisputably religious context that there can be no doubt as to their importance in the development and practice of indigenous religion.
FEEDING YOUR MUSHROOMS NATURALLY Frank Parker & Stuart Whitehall the MycroNutrient concept dates back to the 1990's, with demonstrated the improvement in quality, yield and mould resistance in mushrooms grown from supplemented compost.
PESTICIDE TRAINING FOR MUSHROOM GROWING Teagasc To book a place on this course and the associated FETAC tests, please apply to Tom Kellegher or Gerry Walsh, Teagasc, before May 1, 2012.
NEW ADVICE SERVICE UK defra Farmers looking for help with how to improve their economic and environmental performance are now able to go to a new one stop shop.
NEW RULES TO COMBAT ABUSE IN DUTCH MUSHROOM SECTOR news Dutch social affairs minister Henk Kamp is introducing tough new measures in an effort to eradicate the exploitation of workers in the mushroom sector.
MORE ON MUSHTV x Project ‘MushTV’ aims at solutions for the mushroom industry to emerging disease threats from Trichoderma and Virus X.
TAZ MUSH PUSH abc Tasmanian marketing campaign for the mushroom industry; and how supermarkets are trying to recreate UK marketing trends.
NORTH’S MINISTER PLUGS AGRI-FOOD SECTOR Dardni Agriculture and Rural Development Minister, Michelle O’Neill, outlined the role that agri-food sector can play in driving export led growth in the local economy.
MINISTER ADDRESSES CONFERENCE Department of Agriculture "The mushroom industry is one of the success stories of Irish agriculture over the past 30 years."
FROM JAPAN TO TAIWAN focustaiwan Japanese company to build second mushroom farm in Taiwan.
US MUSHROOM DATA usda Follow the link to comprehensive data on the US Mushroom industry.
PULSED UV LIGHT BOOSTS VITAMIN D LEVELS IN MUSHROOMS XC Australian mushroom growers are grateful to Xenon Corporation and its pulsed ultraviolet (UV) light technology for boosting vitamin D levels in mushrooms.
PR CAMPAIGN SHOWS THERE'S MORE TO MUSHROOMS
A campaign for The Mushroom Bureau aims to convince women, healthcare professionals and caterers that mushrooms are just as nutritious as other healthy foods.
Mushroom Farm To Create 300 Jobs tmp A mushroom operation in Whitley, near Selby, has planning permission granted to expand its operations. Creation of 300 new jobs predicted.
M DAYS tmp Mushroom Days 2011 event is set to be at least 10 per cent bigger than...
BIG AND BIGGER DD Snippet from a local paper made it to the national press.
BLACK SWAN II Wikipedia The concept that the event is a surprise (to the observer) and has a major impact.
AGRI-FOOD BUSINESS 'COULD CREATE 15,000 NEW JOBS' x The Northern Ireland Food and Drink Association document, published ahead of next year's Assembly elections, outlines plans to develop the sector.
AGRI-FOOD EXPORT REPORT - Implementation Irish Times A group to oversee the implementation of a report on the horticulture sector has been established by the Irish Government.
One Million FETAC Awards Teagasc Teagasc Newsletter no.35 December 2010 compiled by Gerry Walsh, Tom Kellegher and Helen Grogan
VOLUMES LOW IN US
A shortage of fresh mushrooms in the U.S, with some yield losses as high as 25%.
'LOCAL' REBRANDING WITH NEW MUSHROOM CAMPAIGN freshinfo Monaghan Mushrooms, Breffni Mushrooms, Walsh Mushrooms and the Commercial Mushroom Producers Co-operative Society Ltd (CMP) have teamed up to launch the Stock Local, Stock Irish campaign
NEWS ON CANADIAN MUSHROOM FARM DEATHS BCFED Charges have finally been laid against two companies and four individuals in the deaths of three workers at a mushroom farm in Langley on September 5, 2008.
US MUSHROOM COUNCIL UPDATES WEBSITE CD The Mushroom Council’s website has a new look and structure to make it easier to find the latest information about mushrooms
UFU ON NITRATES PROPOSALS UFU UFU INITIAL POSITION ON NITRATES LEGISLATION v EC VIEW AND DARD?DOE PROPOSALS
MUSHROOM FARM DISINFECTION By Frank Parker and Stuart Whitehall, Nutrigain Ltd. We have been prompted to write this article to clear up some misunderstandings that growers may have on the subject of disinfection especially with our own product SporeKill which has a unique product mechanism.
THE AUTRALIAN MUSHROOM INDUSTRY MEDIA REPORT ABC An Australian Broadcasting Corporation feature report on the mushroom industry down under, featuring Doug Schiripa of Adelaide Mushrooms, who has been to Ireland a number of times and Patrick Newenham, originally from Co Cork
HARTE PEAT LAUNCHES BULK PEAT SERVICE David Austin When it comes to casing there is only one question to be answered - "Why didn’t they think of this before!"
SO WHAT IS IT THAT WE WANT FROM A CASING? Carl Bozicek AMYCEL I wanted to comment upon what appears (at least to me) to be currently salient points on casing characteristics.
CURRENCY VOLATILITY Claire Duffy This paper was presented at the 2009 All Ireland Mushroom Conference in May.
CHRONOS AND BTH HAVE JOINED FORCES!
On 17 September 2009, Premier Tech announced the acquisition of BTH, an innovative market leader in the packaging industry located in the Netherlands.
‘GROWING TO A BLUEPRINT’ Colm Feely A look at the growing plan fromthe Farm Manager at Drimbawn Mushrooms -
taken over by Monaghan Mushrooms in 2004 and further developed to what is now a flagship farm for the Irish Mushroom industry.
Survive & Thrive
Delegates at the All Ireland Mushroom Conference and Trade Show in Monaghan heard how Ireland’s mushroom industry can ‘Survive and Thrive’.
5th All Ireland Mushroom Conference tmp A definite buzz and some renewed vigour in the mushroom industry in Ireland after mushroom conference.
REVIEW OF THE YEAR 2008 tmp A year is a funny thing when one looks back on the whole of it from the informed position of its successor.
Ear to the Ground tmp Ear to the Ground carried an entertaining and informative piece on foraging for mushrooms and an attempt at growing oyster mushrooms and truffles on logs.
CALL FOR INQUIRY INTO MUSHROOM FARM TRAGEDY JUSTINE HUNTER BRITISH COLUMBIA: WORKERS' SAFETY
Families call for inquiry into farm tragedy
Relatives of victims in B.C. mushroom farm accident call on WorkSafeBC to 'clean up' industry
Mushroom Worker Fights tmp Michael Phan is still struggling to awake from a coma that followed a Langley mushroom farm accident.
Pesticide Usage Stephen Jess This report presents information from a survey of pesticide usage practices on
mushroom crops in Northern Ireland in 2007. It is the fourth survey of pesticide usage practices conducted on the mushroom sector in the region.
John Garlick - Amycel Statement
It is with great sadness that I announce the death of John Garlick. John died June 13th of a massive heart attack at the age of 57.
ISMS Cape Town Conference in South Africa - Photos tmp In attendance at the ISMS Cape Town conference in South Africa, were many familiar names and faces from the mushroom industry from around the world.
AGREEMENT SEEN AS MILESTONE FOR MUSHROOM INDUSTRY Brian Sheehan A new Registered Employment Agreement between the Services, Industrial, Professional and Technical Union and one of Ireland’s largest mushroom companies is regarded as something of a milestone for the industry.
PROMINENT UK SURGEON TURNS TO MUSHROOMS
A prominent UK surgeon refused to let his fellow surgeons operate on his gallstones. Instead, he turned to a healthy mushroom diet.
Radioactive Mushrooms ! dpa Health News: Belarus exports its radioactive mushrooms to EU, says official
MUSHROOM SECTOR AT 35-YEAR LOW Laura Gould FreshInfo.com The mushroom sector faces an unpredictable year, as exchange rates, soaring oil prices and the Agricultural Wages Board Order all conspire to severely impact on grower returns. Insiders predict that unless prices rise sharply over the next few weeks, there could be a distinct shortage of product on the shelves throughout 2008. Laura Gould reports.
Book Review: The Francisco Arqueros The world has witnessed the disappearance of the old peasantry as this could not survive its incorporation to the world market.
A Timely Reminder? Carl Bozicek, Amycel UK. In general, last year was good for low fly and disease problems. But Taking precautions is a must.
Bord Bia - Export Report Bord Bia Irish food and drink exports maintained their strong upward growth path in 2007.
2007: REVIEW OF THE YEAR tmp The review of 2007 is one that encompasses ups and downs, talk of recession and gloomy predictions for the mushroom industry both locally, nationally, for the UK , Europe and worldwide!
LOCAL MINISTER SUPPPORTS MUSHROOM INDUSTRY tmp Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development Michelle Gildernew took a day out of her busy ministerial schedule and devoted it exclusively to the mushroom industry.
Barry Woodcock (Chairman of Traymaster) Traymaster Barry Woodcock (Chairman of Traymaster) passed away peacefully on December 2nd 2007 with his immediate family by his side.
Disease Control and Disinfectant Rates Carl Bozicek, Amycel (UK) Ltd. This article is prompted by recent discussions on one farm where they were struggling with regular Cobweb problems.
The origins of the Irish Satellite Growing system (I): The crisis of the 1970s Francisco Arqueros IRCHSS The Irish satellite growing system was set up as a response to the crisis of the 1970s and as national initiative promoted in Ireland by the Industry Development Agency (IDA) and the Department of Agriculture and Food through Teagasc.
Stored Spent Mushroom Compost and Hydrogen Sulphide Gas Helen Grogan, Gerry Walsh and Tom Kellegher Hydrogen sulphide gas (H2S) is released from stored organic material that becomes anaerobic such as animal slurry, organic waste and also spent mushroom compost.
Dark Skies Father Zak A craggy Island somewhere in the British Isles - the scene is set for some crack...
SMC TO HIGH-QUALITY MATERIAL KATE ROBERTS & MARTIN SCHWALBE Canadian researcher finds new use for mushroom production leftovers.
The Story of Compost: Part 2 Francisco Arqueros IRCHSS The development of the market for compost in Ireland 1979-2007.
The Story of Compost Francisco Arqueros After covering mushroom spawn in the previous chapter, this chapter will introduce the reader to composting, its principles and general historical development in Europe.
Magic Returns To Mushroom Sector Doris Lee Butterworth Having endured a long period of uncertainty, producers are feeling encouraged by higher retail prices and the uneven balance between demand and supply. Doris Lee Butterworth reports for Freshinfo.com
Oldest Known Mushroom Found?
Reports of the oldest known mushroom found at 100 million years old - but what about the 350 million year old Prototaxites.
Discovery - Two parasites are also embedded in a 100-million-year-old piece of amber found in Burma
SPAWN THE STORY SO FAR: Francisco Arqueros IRCHSS The uneven process of appropriation by industry of basic mushroom inputs (I): mushroom spawn.
A Rambler's Diary Carl Bozicek, Amycel (UK) Ltd. Problems with straw and with prize cocks...
49th Annual Mushroom Industry Conference
The 49th Annual Mushroom Industry Conference will be held June 10-12, 2007, at The Nittany Lion Inn on the University Park campus of The Pennsylvania State University.
DILLON DESIGN - GETTING THE JOB DONE tmp The slogan "Just simply ring Tommy" says plenty - but doesn't give the whole picture of the new arrangements that operate between Dillon Design, Limbraco and their Irish customers.
MAXIMISING CASING POTENTIAL Paul Baxter
Paul Baxter, Queen's University Belfast and AFBI, Loughgall describes the results of research that will provide a rapid analysis tool for mushroom casing to enable suppliers and growers to maximise casing potential.
Review of 2006 The Mushroom People Another year has been composted and it was a year of further change and consolidation within the Irish mushroom industry.
How to find truffles James Delingpole They're rare, worth a fortune and depend on raw sex for their appeal. Tread carefully, says James Delingpole.
GROW YOUR OWN Peta Marshall So 'mushroom' to grow fungi....
Commercial Mushroom Producers Securing the Future Jim Gollogley , CMP Article from April 2006: Commercial Mushroom Producers (CMP) Co-operative Society Limited is the largest Producer Organisation in Ireland representing in the region of 90% of Irish mushroom growers.
4th International Medicinal Mushroom Conference IMMC4 The 4th International Medicinal Mushroom Conference (IMMC4) will be held in Ljubljana, Slovenia between the 23rd and 27th of September, 2007.
WINDS OF CHANGE FOR IRISH MUSHROOM INDUSTRY Francisco Arqueros IRCHSS The final act of the most important structural transformation of the Irish Mushroom Industry since the creation of the satellite growing system
SOLVING BAD SMELLS FROM MUSHROOM COMPOST 'GOODY' WATER Mairead Kilpatrick &Ralph Noble Helping to solve the odour problems associated with compost production.
The results of a HortLINK project that should improve the environment of mushroom composting sites.
Watering And The Spread Of Mushroom Diseases John Fletcher, Ask any grower, read any book on mushrooms, consult any adviser and the message is same. They will all agree that water can spread mushroom diseases.
New Risks of Mushroom Worker's Lung John E. Moore, J.R. Rao, Beverley C. Millar and J. Stuart Elborn New mushroom cultivars:
new risks of mushroom worker's lung!
Articledated June 2005.
BETTER MUSHROOM COMPOSTING Mairead Kilpatrick+Ralph Noble Mairead Kilpatrick, Applied Plant Science Division, DARD and Ralph Noble, Warwick HRI describe the latest developments in a HortLink project aimed at improving the efficiency and reducing the environmental impact of mushroom composting.
Ancient Chinese mushroom stops spread of invasive cancers. Lifeforce Herbs Research published in the scientific journals Integrative Cancer Therapies and Oncology Reports showed that Reishi inhibited highly invasive breast and prostate cancer cells.
"RETHINKING, REBUILDING AND REVISING THE MUSHROOM INDUSTRY” anon The following is a summary of the main points raised at the meetings in Tipperary and Monaghan in mid-July, organised by CMP. Food for thought for the movers and shakers in the industry and for everyone involved in the mushroom industry in Ireland and the UK.
Mushroom Cultivation and Marketing ATTRA This item links to an article by ATTRA. ATTRA - National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service, funded by the US Department of Agriculture, is managed by the National Center for Appropriate Technology. It provides information and other technical assistance to farmers, ranchers, Extension agents, educators, and others involved in sustainable agriculture in the United States.
Quality Standards Issue Raymond Gamble Some departmental guidance on labelling for the mushroom sector. To avoid any problems it pays to know the exact rules and regulations!
Shroom fans can carry on tripping Mark Honigsbaum Law banning sale of psychedelic fungi will not come into affect until July. From The Guardian
Saturday June 18, 2005.
GROWER REVOLT
HELL hath no fury like a mushroom packer scorned.
Phase 3 Compost: Growing In Summer Henk van Gerwen. In Ireland many growers are now switching over to phase 3 compost in bulk.AdVisie “ the mushroom consultants” Henk van Gerwen sets out some of the issues invovled.
Reading the Signs. Carl Bozicek, Amycel UK It is hoped that this article may provide food for thought and provide a degree of amusement, the latter increasingly becoming something of a rarity within the UK mushroom business.
Spent Mushroom Compost – Waste Management Issues DOENI In the course of investigating complaints regarding the illegal disposal of waste, Enforcement Officers have responded to cases in which large quantities of spent mushroom compost have been disposed of, either by infilling or tipping on the land.
Casing and Mushroom Quality Revisited. Carl Bozicek, Amycel UK Discussions upon quality issues during a few recent farm visits have prompted the following article. Some growers, over the course of time, have drifted away from their optimum casing to such an extent that it has become impossible to achieve satisfactory quality at the required yields.
Sylvan Celebrates 5 years of Blender Technology Sylvan Ireland On Valentine’s Day (Feb 14th, 2000) Sylvan Ireland processed its first batch of spawn. Sylvan Ireland has the most advanced spawn manufacturing facility in the world.
Out of darkness Tommy Leighton and Elspeth Waters An Article from Freshinfo.com on the UK and Irish industry.
"Faced with the prospect of a steady decline, the UK and Irish mushroom industry is in need of some major investment, while Polish production continues to flourish." Tommy Leighton and Elspeth Waters report.
freshinfo.com
Review of 2004 themushroompeople 2004 was another year of change and rationalisation within the mushroom industry. Some old friends left the industry scene, as did a few bigger entities.
Natural Gold – Mushroom Nutrient Stuart Whitehall & Frank Parker, IPP Limited Natural Gold is a totally new concept in mushroom nutrition. It is the result of almost 20 years of research and development and over 500 performance trials of approximately 5,000 individual mixtures.
Industry Gathers for Science Update Mairead Kilpatrick Early in October, key stakeholders from the Mushroom Industry gathered at the Northern Ireland Horticulture and Plant Breeding Station, Loughgall to hear the latest results from the Applied Plant Science research and development programme on mushroom compost. The event also heralded the introduction of a new compost analytical service that uses state of the art Near Infra-red Spectroscopy technology as a quality assurance tool for mushroom compost quality.
Summer ‘high’ temperature problems By DAVID SEABY The summer, such as it was, is turning to autumn with a vengeance. Soon warm weather will be a distant memory. However, despite June being the only true summer month, as far as I was concerned, I did come across several severe high temperature growing problems this year. It only goes to show that it doesn’t take days and days of consecutive sunshine to result in damaging yield losses.
The Mushroom Task Force Report (summary)
Republic of Ireland Minister of State, Mr Noel Treacy TD, established the Mushroom Task Force, in December 2003, to 'devise a timebound action Plan' to help ensure the future viability of the mushroom industry in Ireland.
GROWERS PUT SCIENCE INTO PRACTICE Cathal Ellis The ‘Mushroom Challenge’ has been developed by the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise, to assist mushroom growers re-assess their businesses, revise performance targets and identify areas for improvement.
SYLVAN FARM WALKS SUMMARY Dermot O'Morchoe Visit Summary of a number of Shelf farm walks with Henk Van Gerwen on the Farms of Michael Bergin, Danny Malanaphy, Kieran Walsh and Peter Connolly.
Sylvan Farm Walk Dermot O'Morchoe A Farm Walk, with Henk Van Gerwen, was recently held on the farm of Breda and Willie Delahunty in Cahir Co Tipperary.
This five house farm has been operating for the last five years supplying mushrooms into the Tipperary packhouse.
Some key points on bacterial Blotch Martin Duffy Amycel It has come to my attention recently, on visits to mushroom growers, that bacterial blotch, and in some cases pit, have been appearing with some frequency. This is somewhat surprising as blotch is a disease, which is more common in the autumn time.
Radical Mushroom Innovations from Poland Larc Czekiob Wraclow Agricultural Institute professor Larc Czekiob instructs his students to think radical in their horticultural projects. He wants them to utilise their relative inexperience in the expanding mushroom industry by adopting a fresh approach to their thinking, unhindered by the constraints of established methods.
CHALLENGING TIMES FOR MUSHROOM GROWERS Cathal Ellis Northern Ireland mushroom growers have established a reputation for the excellent quality of their produce. The majority of growers belong to the Assured Produce Scheme, which follows the principles of Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points(HACCP) programmes.
AMALGAMATION OF BOARDS A QUICK-FIX TO SAVE CASH Mary Upton TD SPEECH BY Mary Upton TD
Labour Party Spokesperson on Agriculture and Food,
During Dáil Debate on Bord Bia Bill,
Thursday, 19 February 2004
Mushroom Conference Poster - Report 3 David Seaby This is the third and last report on the conference held in Hillgrove in October. My aim is to summarise the information on offer and/or to paraphrase what I felt was written in too technical a way for growers to access.
Mushroom Conference - Poster Report David Seaby The All Ireland Mushroom Conference 16/10/2003 at the Hillgrove Hotel in Monaghan has already received good photographic coverage and a broad outline of events has been presented. I’m going to try and be more specific in this and one or two other articles in the next few months.
Do you prefer hen’s eggs or sparrow’s eggs? David Seaby I’m not promoting a new delicacy, especially since sparrows, once such a common bird in my youth, have for many years been in sharp decline. The relative size of different birds eggs gives a convenient way of discussing how fine or coarse the lumps in the casing layer should end up.
Watch that Dust David Seaby I have recently been on several farms where the level of hygiene looked good. There was great organisation, everything was neat and tidy......
Brown Plaster Mould, measures to limit damage David Seaby We are now starting the season that Brown Plaster Mould shows up.
By the time this article is printed we will be well into the ‘season’ that Brown Plaster Mould (Papulaspora byssina) makes its annual appearance, usually around week 20 (mid May) possibly as early as week 16.
THE LAST STRAW? David Seaby If your farm tends to suffer occasional runs of overlay, there are probably several factors involved.
An Unpopular Conclusion By DAVID SEABY I have often written about Green Mould. My articles have probably been too long, I intend to be brief.
Amycel Farm Walks: Mushroom Farm Hygiene Carl Bozicek The following is a précis of the talks given. The objective was to provide a structured strategy to: assist in the formulation of a hygiene program and/or help solve a specific hygiene problem, to provide information to the owner/grower and identify the need to pass relevant information on to employees.
WET CASING AND TUMBLED STRAWS! David Seaby Seeing the waste involved in a series of cases of overlay always depresses me.
Compost, casing, time and money all lost just because too much mushroom mycelium has developed, particularly across the casing surface, thus preventing pinning.
An Unusual Nest Site David Seaby Sand martins are like small brown swallows in appearance. They also migrate from Africa in spring to nest in Britain and Ireland.
Approved Products for the Mushroom Industry – 2003 Introduction
Generally speaking, using chemicals should be the last line of defence in controlling pests or diseases that arise in a mushroom crop. With increasing emphasis on Quality Assurance, good crop management practice and hygiene should always be the primary control measure. PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE. It is also cheaper and better for the environment.
BROWN PLASTER MOULD UPDATE DAVID SEABY In October I wrote an article, published in The Mushroom People Vol. 3a No. 140, Nov. 2002. In this I posed many questions, aimed at various aspects of the biology of brown plaster mould (BPM).
New Year Notes DAVID SEABY By their labels shall ye know them.
IN scientific papers and in articles for The Mushroom People (M.P. for short) I have frequently used the word Agaricus, being short for Agaricus bisporus, the latin, taxonomic name for the mushroom species that is usually grown in Ireland.
Review of 2002
All in all 2002 turned out to be a less depressing year than the preceding twelve months.
PICKING STRATEGY Sylvan Ireland & Henk van Gerwen The cost of picking is the single biggest cost after compost in producing a pound of mushrooms. Therefore ways of improving picking rates and yield need to be looked at to keep costs under control.
The Importance of Analysing Your Business By Martin Duffy AMYCEL The mushroom industry over the last period has become more and more difficult to succeed in. Costs have continually increased and returns have decreased making mushroom growing less profitable. Many growers have been lost to the industry and existing growers are experiencing a major drop in their income!
Farewell Party for the Glenveagh Lorry Drivers X A great night was had by all in McNamara's Hotel, Moville at the end of August to host a surprise party for the Glenveagh collection drivers – Liam O’Donnell, James McGee and Stanley Dill to mark the occasion of Liam and James’ retirement!
THE NEW PICKING MACHINE
A farm walk was held at the farm of Mr Shaun McGonagle, Glenside Mushrooms, Redcastle, Co.Donegal on September 25th. The objective of the farm walk was to view the latest machine....
AMERICA, THE PLACE TO BE! John Peeters America, the Netherlands, that is. In the Netherlands there is a small town in the south-east, near Horst, called America. Not named after a continent, but long before the big America was so named, after a nearby swamp.
Amycel farm walk on Dutch Shelving
AMYCEL held a farm walk recently on the topic of ‘growing on Dutch shelving’. The farm walk was held on Ashfield farm Castleblaney, Co. Monaghan. The highly experienced John de Gier (formerly of Horst) led the proceedings.
MIANI Press Release.
An ambitious programme of activities has been planned by MIANI for the coming months. The whole industry must address a number of serious issues if we are to sustain a viable future for all.
MOST COMMENTED UPON ARTICLE -Ukrainian Mushroom Market Vitaliy Zhdanov Ukraine is situated in east central Europe. It is bordered by Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Moldova to the west, by Belarus to the north and by the Russian Federation to the northeast and east. To the south lie the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. The capital of Ukraine is Kiev. The population is 48million.
A STITCH IN TIME....INCLUDING VERTICILLIUM David Seaby Growers trying to keep their heads above water, not thinking enough about farm hygiene details, or not having time for them, are the main reasons why Verticillium gets out of control. This would be the short answer to the grower that phoned The Mushroom People and asked for an article on Verticillium.
Recipe for a disaster David Bradley Wild mushrooms could be used to clean up radioactive land, writes David Bradley
Alternatives to Bagged Compost
The Teagasc research and advisory mushroom team have published a booklet outlining the various options for growers thinking of changing from bag growing. The purpose of the study was to investigate the forces driving a change from the successful bag production system and to examine options available to growers.
Quality versus Yield David Seaby There is nearly always a talk at conference urging growers to aim for
quality at all costs. However such talks rarely give a clue as to how best
to achieve this, probably because quality depends on so many interacting
factors.
Unholy Smoke by David Seaby Penicillium must be one of the best known of moulds. But how many know there are over 1000 Penicillium species and that some of these have many varieties. At least one, that happens to be particularly drab and insignificant (even under the microscope) is nevertheless of great interest to mushroom growers.
Approved Products for the Mushroom Industry – 2002
Generally speaking, using chemicals should be the last line of defence in controlling pests or diseases that arise in a mushroom crop. Hygiene should always be the primary control measure. PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE. It is also cheaper and better for the environment.
THE BUCKET HAS LANDED David Seaby Overlay is a layer of dense mycelium on the surface of casing that does not produce pins. It is a subject I have addressed on several occasions. Recently, it appears to be on the increase.
INFORMATION FOR FREE! Brendan Howling A few months ago we looked in general terms at the value of information to us about our business. Here I want to look at just one aspect of this information revolution: how to collect the information.
INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT IN MUSHROOM PRODUCTION Stephen Jess* & Mairead Kilpatrick† The Northern Ireland mushroom industry, comprising approximately 300 growers, annually produces more than 20,000 tonnes of mushrooms, with a market value in excess of £27M. Annual expenditure on insecticide application by the industry is estimated to be £0.9M. Presently, insect pest control is limited to the routine application of insecticides at different cultivation stages, supplemented with fumigant treatments directed at adults.
A new fly pest in mushrooms? Jane Smith HRI and Aneeta Gupta MicroBio Ltd During the course of our work with mushroom flies last year, we received several sticky traps from farms that contained an additional specimen to the usual assortment of sciarids and phorids. We identified this as the sphaerocerid fly, more commonly known as the ‘dung fly’.
Investigation of the Italian Mushroom Industry By Stuart Whitehall, IPP Limited. Recently IPP Limited organised a visit for Irish composters to visit the mushroom industry in Italy. The visit proved to be very successful and gave many people some fresh ideas and innovations to help the Irish mushroom Industry.
Beware Cobweb! David Seaby MOST growers know cobweb only too well. Its rapid, white, dusty to spiderweb like growth across the surface of casing, enveloping and rotting mushrooms of any size it comes across in a mass of mycelium, means this is a fungus that can not be ignored.
Exceptional Performance from Sylvan 737 Brendan Burns Dettie and John McBride, Swans Cross, Monaghan, have been growing mushrooms for 4 years on a five house operation. They began growing on bags but last year they changed to growing on blocks on the floor, with single staging along the walls.
Flies . . . Flies . . . Flies David Seaby Act now to limit fly damage losses in 2002.
In winter, cold, rain and wind minimise fly transfer from house to house.
PRACTICAL STEPS, TO LIMIT LOSSES DUE TO GREEN-MOULD By David Seaby A timely reminder for the Green mould season from Dr Seaby's Feb 2002 article.
In my opinion most serious green mould outbreaks are now due to cross-contamination by Trichoderma, type Th2 on farm.
What would happen if you only had one Mushroom Spawn supplier ? S.G Whitehall, IPP Limited. In writing this small article for your website about the using of more than one supplier for spawn, it struck me that exactly the same reasons apply to any buying decision that you make, both in your business and at a personal level.
What Price Information?
On a business level, how much is information about your own mushroom business and the industry in general worth to you? How far are you willing to go to get hold of it? Perhaps a more important question to answer is what value should you place on it?
Advisie Screen: Advisie During the year1999-2000 AdVisie has conducted research on the
spreading of Verticilium on farms in the Netherlands. The aim of the research was
to find a practical test for Verticilium, make practical handouts for the people on
the farm and instruct them and to findpractical solutions to stop the spreading of Verticilium.
MUSHROOM YIELD MODELS, TO BE OR NOT TO BE? David Seaby Second report on the Hillgrove Mushroom Conference. An interesting presentation was on yield modelling, a subject I have been fascinated by for many years.
MIANI ARRIVAL WELCOMED BY GROWERS
The Initial meeting of MIANI took place in November, and was attended by a large number of participants.
McGeary's Head European Mushroom Pilgrimage For Irish Growers
Top Irish mushroom group, McGeary's dispatched a group of forty mushroom growers on a trip to see the world leading Dutch Technology and mushroom growing techniques in action in February 2001.
POWER PLANT v PEOPLE POWER
Planned new biomass power plant is upsetting locals North and South - but will help the mushroom industry.
Aoife O'Brien said ... David Seaby Aoife O'Brien said, and she should know, being an international high flier, that the Biannual Mushroom Conference at the Hillgrove Hotel is the best 24-hour mushroom conference in the world! - Conference pics inside!
WELCOME TO THE MUSHROOM PEOPLE ONLINE Stalker & co. This new site is experimental and evolving - visitors can send us feedback (go to Contact Us ) with suggestions, comments, or articles for inclusion.
Italspawn - Take a closer look Italspawn This month in the commercial corner we are taking a look at the company ITALSPAWN who have been established in the Irish market for the last 4 years.
Fungal Biotechnology Mushroom Research and Technology Services Group The Mushroom Research Group (MRG) provide technical support, diagnostic, and
analytical services to the mushroom industry. The group provides vital
technical support to Irish mushroom growers and is seen as an essential
service by the growers involved.
MAKE THE BEST USE OF COMPOST, IT'S YOUR BIGGEST EXPENSE David Seaby Some growers don't realise the vital difference between gross and net
income. The latter is what is left after paying all the bills including
interest on loans.
MUSHROOM FLIES David Seaby I was asked to make some observations concerning mushroom flies.
Growers have told me they believe flies often come with compost. How likely
is this?
SALMONELLA KEDOUGOU UPDATE, June 2001 David Seaby The vast majority of growers will have had no problem with this bacterium
contaminating their produce. However a few unlucky ones have lost one or
more crops.
RBA Systems - Press Release RBA Systems A small company based in Holycross, Co. Tipperary, is this week launching a specialised business computer program for Irish mushroom growers.
Fancom climate controls for Heveco Mushrooms Farms Press Release From simple NATO bunkers to High Tech Growing rooms, Fancom has supplied Heveco Mushroom Farms with a variety of controls for their growing rooms.
BIO-SECURITY DOUBT
Britain's foot-and-mouth epidemic may have been caused by a cloud of infected dust blown from the Sahara.
VIRUS 'X' Monaghan Mushrooms Virus X is a serious disease, which has adversely impacted on the profitability of the U.K. mushroom industry.
SEEN A LOT
Elizabeth Mc Whirter has been in the business of growing mushrooms for 14 years, and in that time she's seen a lot of changes in the industry.
ITS TIME TO CONSIDER SUPPLEMENT Martin Duffy, Amycel Margins are extremely tight in the mushroom industry. Mushroom prices have decreased in real terms over the years and virtually all input costs have increased.
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