Mairéad Kilpatrick, AFBI Loughgall has outlined for The Mushroom People a preview of the presentations at the 2015 All Ireland & UK Mushroom Conference taking place in the Hillgrove Hotel, Monaghan on Thursday 15th October 2015. 

 Furthermore, 40 exhibitors are now confirmed for the Trade Show including not only a number of local familiar faces but also welcoming for the first time new interest from suppliers right across Europe. The farm walks on Friday 16th are always a highlight of the event and this year is no exception. At Monaghan Mushrooms, Tyholland Farm growers will have the opportunity to view the full 

production cycle with ‘picking grazing’ and environmental controls highlighted. While at C&L Mushrooms in Mayobridge, Gerard and Mary Fegan will showcase their renewable energy technologies, advanced post harvest cooling systems as well as growing facilities filling approx. 100 tonne of Phase III compost per week.  

MushTV saw a network of 18 compost producers, grower associations, businesses and research organisations from across Ireland, United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Belgium and Poland, working together to tackle real industry concerns and find practical ‘solutions for the mushroom industry to threats from Trichoderma and Virus’. In numerous knowledge transfer events across Europe earlier this year, the significant research results of this work were 

discussed in detail. In this talk, Helen Grogan, Teagasc and Mairéad Kilpatrick, AFBI, distil the results of the research into key messages for composters and growers to maximise practical adoption by the Industry. 

Hydrothermal Carbonization (HTC) is the Earth’s process to recover carbon and convert 

organic material into new plant life, nutrient rich soil, peat, and coal.  HTC material recovery uses the same principles of heat and pressure in a water based environment to turn any organic matter, into a carbon neutral biofuel, carbon sequestering biochar, or healthy engineered soil.  Because HTC processing is agnostic to organic composition and its 

moisture content, it is a very efficient self sufficient recovery process for Spent Mushroom Substrate, along with other unwanted agricultural and waste material streams.

Tim Dolden from Loritus International, working in collaboration with Golden Mushrooms and CMP, will outline an EU grant enabled project to install and operate a large scale HTC system as an integral component within Golden’s mushroom production.  This project aims 

to demonstrate higher rates of efficiency, environmental impact, and profitability.

With expansion over the last seven years Codd Mushrooms in Tullow, Co Wicklow now comprises 38 mushroom growing rooms with a staff of 225. As you can imagine, managing such a large production unit and workforce has its own unique set of challenges. In her talk, Hazel Codd will outline how the farm has used, reviewed and updated production management tools – PDAs and Tablets - to make the job just that bit more manageable.  

These examples of information technology and innovation in practice are definitely key to efficient production management.

After a “lifetime” in the Mushroom Industry in Ireland, Gerry Walsh, Teagasc now retired returns to give his own inimitable view of 45 years of Irish Mushrooms 1970 to 2015. From production in the old wooden fish boxes of the 70s through the first tentative bulk peak heats in Ireland, to the origin of the bag system, its rapid expansion in the 1980s and 1990s and crisis in 2002, right through to the current modern technologically advanced Industry we 

know today. This is a journey not to be missed!

What more appropriate way to follow a trip down memory lane than to indulge in a little horizon scanning abroad? Brendan Burns, Sylvan, casts his eye further afield to outline the four main mushroom production systems and their different technologies from all around the world. Innovative systems include: Phase 4, single tier picking lines, under bed cooling and heating and the pros and cons of each, relative to construction and production costs. He also offers us a glimpse at a recently constructed farm in China that uses 1500 t Phase 3/wk - aiming to grow 500 t mushrooms/wk!

Innovation can benefit food companies by helping them adapt to changes and to stay relevant to consumers. The starting point for innovation needs to be the final customer, the consumer.   The Consumer Lifestyle Trend Programme identifies the biggest trends shaping people’s lives over the next 3-5 years. By keeping up with trends and understanding what’s coming next, the programme helps companies and producers within the food & drink industry to better prepare for the future needs and wants of their consumers. 

In this 2015 update, Michal Slawski, Bord Bia, takes a fresh look at the big forces at play in the world, and broad shifts in consumer attitudes, values and behaviours in Ireland and the UK, and explores how these developments are driving trends in consumers’ lives. 

Once the trends are identified and understood, the implications for the food and drink industry in Ireland and the UK can be considered, and the opportunities that might exist for business’s can be established. 

Including an update on the Just Add Mushrooms campaign, that continues to deliver sales for producers in particular in the UK. 

Stephen Allen – Head of Marketing - joined Monaghan Mushrooms in 2007 and is 

responsible for the company’s marketing activities across all its markets.In his talk he’ll outline three ways that all those involved in our industry can help achieve what we all want and that is, to get people to eat more mushrooms.

He’ll be outlining WHY consumers buy and eat mushrooms and HOW they prepare them and cook them.