34
MY FARM Berg Champignons (NL)
In each edition of “Mushroom Business” we publish an interview with a grower. The emphasis here is on the farm and cultivati- on methods. This edition offers a portrait of Berg Champignons, owned by Paul van de Berg in Boekel, the Netherlands. We spoke to farm manager Arjan van Dooren.
By John Peeters
The grower “I started working here some nine years ago on Saturdays and during my school holidays. I really enjoyed the work then too; varied tasks and showing your own initiative was valued. When I left school, and didn’t have a clear cut idea of what to do, it so happened that Paul needed to take on a full time help’. He asked if I was willing to follow professional training, and I readily agreed. So I ended up in mushroom growing more
or less by chance, but the work fits me like a glove! It really feels like ‘my’ farm, and when things are not going well it affects me personally. The compost quality is very unreliable at the moment, which can put me in quite a bad mood. However, hopefully that will get better soon. Paul has more time to concentrate on other things now, but he helps me steer production in the direc- tion we want. He has his hands free to help on his other busi- ness that he set up in Wankum, Germany, with some local, fellow growers. I sometimes find it dif- ficult to organise the planning and cope with the stress that comes along with inferior quality mushrooms. I organise harves- ting here, and am responsible for every mushroom that leaves the farm. Maintaining good relati- ons with our customers is very important, so that you can always pick the right quality in the right packaging. There’s lots to love about this job – the freedom and the fact that no two days are the same. Plus you quickly see the results of any changes you make in the cultivation process. We have harvested our third flush mechanically for ages, it’s hardly any work at all. We only skip the third flushes for a while if we notice any diseases.”
Arjan van Dooren: “It really feels like my own farm!”
Cultivation Berg Champignons comprises 12 growing rooms each with a growing surface area of 220 square meters. The farm ap- plies a six-week cycle with three flushes. The first two flushes are picked by hand for the fresh market, with the third flush harvested mechanically in grade 2-3-80 for the mushroom preserving concern Lutèce. Two rooms are filled each Thursday with a total of 40 tons of com- post from CNC. The compost is already spawned with Sylvan A15, and a supplement is added in a ratio of 13 kg/ton. The filling weight is around 90 kilo/m2. The compost is cased with a 5.4 centimetre layer of CNC casing soil called ‘Hollandse Nieuwe’ on a filling machine from Hendrix in
Merselo. After filling, some two litres of water/m2 is sprayed on the first day, with a further two litres in two sessions on day two. Everything is then left alone for almost 24 hours before another 12 litres is sprayed in three-litre sessions spread over two days. Cooling down starts on day six with the air temperature being lowered to 20 degrees Celsius in 72 hours. In the same period, the CO2 is reduced from 3000 to 2000 ppm and the RH from 96 to 90%. After this time has elapsed, the status of the beds, and the number of pinheads in particu- lar, determine how the further management of the temperature, RH and CO2 progresses. The air temperature ultimately reaches 16 degrees. The first mushrooms are picked on Saturdays, with the intention of not having to pick on Sundays, so that harvesting the first flush can start on Mondays. Water is never applied directly on the mushrooms. When the beds are cleared – usually on Thursdays- 14 litres of water is sprayed on the beds in seven hours. The temperature is raised to 19 degrees before dropping to 18 degrees again the next day to encourage the second flush. Thursday is also usually the day on which the second flush is cleared from the beds, and when 10 litres/m2 of water is sprayed. The third flush is harvested a week later, usually on Saturdays. The first two flushes produce a total of around 28 kilo/m2, with the third flush yielding around seven kilos. Most of the mushrooms picked for the fresh market are medium grade, with 20% giants and 15% fine grade. No chemical agents are used, instead all the gaps and crevi- ces are well-sealed and glue is smeared by the outer doors to discourage sciarids. Climate control on the farm is managed by a Trucoz/VBE computer, and watering is done using an auto- matic installation from Vullings. The farm employs 14 full-time pickers, supplemented by tem- porary workers when required. Berg Champignons holds Fair Produce certification.
◗
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44
