The Farmers Journal was noting that the price of mushroom compost was soaring at the start of October. The raw material for the compost, straw, is currently at eye watering prices on the market.
An 8 by 4 bale of barley straw was going for €130 at the start of October. Nothing beats the quality of the straw based mushroom compost, so the talk of substitutes is probably not that realistic when looking to ensure quality end product.
The Journal also headlined that the mushroom sector needs to import more than 77,000 straw bales - that’s a fair bit of the golden stuff to be bringing in. Stalker wonders what the tariffs and barriers might be on straw in the event of such a contingency next year?
Growers have also been told that compost will cost them €230/t this year, an increase of €30 on last year. With costs going up, prices for the fresh produce ar sure to follow.
