When choosing a mushroom picking trolley, it is worth paying attention to those elements of its construction that will affect the comprehensive picking of mushrooms from each shelf of the shelving.

Including the bottom and top shelves of the shelving, access to which is usually a bit more difficult due to their location. So what is worth paying attention to when choosing a trolley?

One comprehensive trolley or an additional one?

As producers of mushroom farm equipment, we often encounter a situation where two types of mushroom picking trolleys work in parallel in a mushroom farm:
● one, used for picking starting from the second / third shelf to the last shelf of the shelving
● second, the low one, used only for picking from the bottom shelf.

Comprehensive trolleys, i.e. those that can easily handle picking from the entire height of the shelving, have an advantage for several reasons:

● along the entire length of the shelving, it is much easier to move with one trolley than to struggle with the necessity of avoiding and maneuvering two trolleys
● trolleys are devices that need to be serviced, and it is less time-consuming and more profitable to service one device than two, and it saves space when it is necessary to move them out
● however, work time savings, people's efficiency and ergonomics are crucial: naturally, with a good picking organization, we will need fewer people to pick in a given time (comprehensive trolley).

Ergonomics, ergonomics and ergonomics once again...

Before choosing the right mushroom picking trolley, it is worth comparing the physical qualities of the trolley, including:

● appropriate construction and location of the seat so that the physical work of the picker is as little tiring as possible
● distance from scales, containers and remote control / control panel so that the number of unnecessary movements is limited to the maximum
● lighting on the trolley mounted in a way that allows good lighting of each shelf of the shelving, both in a sitting and standing position
● the possibility of adjusting individual structural elements of the trolley, among others for people of different heights.

Minimum height of platform lowering / lifting

It is worth paying attention to the maximum and minimum height of the trolley:
● some of the trolleys available on the market do not allow the platform to be lowered to such a low height that picking mushrooms from the bottom shelf is actually efficient or physically possible at all, and not in name only.
● there are also trolleys whose maximum platform height is not sufficient in relation to the height of the shelving, especially when the picker is rather short.

Summary

From our experience, the key factor in choosing a mushroom farm trolley should be aspects related to the ergonomics and construction of the trolley - so as to enable comprehensive and efficient picking from the entire height of the shelving (including the bottom and top shelves).
The best solutions are usually more expensive than the underdeveloped counterparts of other suppliers, but in the long term, they will provide much higher profitability, and real return on investment (low maintenance costs), because the key cost of the mushroom farm is people's work, and thanks to the right solutions we can ensure they are less fatigued and, consequently, more productive, leading to higher profitability of the mushroom farm.

About the author:
GROWTIME is an international manufacturer of mushroom growing farm equipment.
GROWTIME specializes in the production of mushroom picking trolleys, with the focus on increasing the harvesting efficiency thanks to the solutions used in them. See the company's offer at growtime.eu.

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