INDIAN HEAD, Sask. – With a little extra wheat straw, a vacant building and some water, farmers could have a high-value crop growing on their farms year round, according to government researchers.
The Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration recently focused on a mushroom project at its Indian Head Shelterbelt Centre.
“It’s a bit of departure from our normal work, but diversification of income is very important to the Prairies so we are looking in some non-traditional areas,” said Norine Nichols of PFRA, who was explaining the system to farmers attending a bi-annual field day in Indian Head.
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When most consumers think of mushrooms, they think of the button variety, which are produced in high volume operations that keep prices low and do not allow room for smaller growers to compete.
However, there could be a niche in the exotic mushroom market. Mushrooms such as the oyster variety have a loyal following in the gourmet and restaurant markets and are staples in oriental cuisine.
Sell to restaurants
Brian Petrie, a St. Adolphe, Man., Shitake mushroom grower and tree farmer, says he has little trouble selling his entire monthly production of 135 kilograms to restaurants and exclusive food stores in Winnipeg, but acknowledges the business can be cyclical.
Only two major oyster mushroom growers operate on the Prairies, supplying the needs of the two largest retail food chains. Industry experts say the market is anything but saturated.
Bill Chalmers, owner of Western Biologicals in Aldergrove, B.C., says the number of exotic mushroom variety growers producing $500 per month or more “would be a couple of hundred.”
“There is a movement away from small agriculture. Anyone getting into it now is definitely bucking the trend,” said Chalmers.
He recommends farmers look at local specialty stores and restaurants as markets for exotic mushrooms such as the oyster, Shitake, Enoki and Reishi.
“A ton of straw can produce 500 to 1,000 pounds of mushrooms, and there is a lot of straw I am sure is going to waste in Western Canada,” said Chalmers.
A Saskatchewan Research Council report shows a projected cost of $3.08 per kg of oyster mushrooms raised. Wholesale prices in Sask-atchewan vary between $7.70 and $10 per kg with retail prices reaching as much as $19.
Mushroom farming is relatively simple. It requires a temperature and humidity controlled growth room, air circulation and subdued lighting. A sterile process and easy-to-clean tables and floors are also required.
The production of oyster mushrooms like those in the PFRA study requires fresh wheat straw, rice bran and calcium carbonate. The mixture is boiled to pasteurize the material. It is placed in sterile plastic bags to form large dumplings approximately 30 centimetres across.
Mushrooms in the making
Mushroom spawn, the seed, is introduced to the new material and the blocks are placed in the dark for two weeks. A creamy white mycelium colonizes the material, the temperature is lowered, the lights turned on and the blocks exposed to the air.
After a couple of days the temperature is returned to the normal 20 C and the blocks will begin to produce mushrooms, taking only a few days to grow from small warts to their full five cm diameter.
The blocks can be recycled, depending on numerous factors, up to six times with each block yielding as much as three kg of mushrooms per growth cycle.
When calculating the size of growth room, Chalmers said about 9.75 kg of mushrooms can be produced per square metre of growth room every eight weeks. Shelving up to five tiers high can maximize this space.
Petrie cautions prospective growers about several pitfalls that can cost time and money. The more information that can be gained before starting, the greater the chance of success.
“But it’s like growing any crop, some of it you can only learn through experience,” he said.
