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Following this fascinating lecture was Dermot O’Morchoe, an independent Irish consultant and advisor on harvesting strategies; “Graze picking, a system already widely applied in Europe mainly due to the high labour costs there, is ultimately the path towards better quality at supermarket level. It is crucial that growers have a clear picture of where they want to steer pinheading. Use handy tools to help count the number of pinheads, and create a training programme for your pickers that will monitor the actual results. Harvesting should be considered an art, not simply picking mushrooms.”


De great pools and gardens of the Interconti- nental Hotel in San Juan, venue of the 23rd NAMC.


consumers making positive comments about your products online.” She was followed by Bart de Leeuw, Chad LaFazia, John Pecchia, Ray Samp and Clay Taylor who formed the panel for a debate on composting. The diversity of the panel members on stage raised expectations of an interesting debate. Unfortunately, proceedings quickly got mired in a discussion about a minor detail in compost preparation, and the allotted time was too short to get the benefits of what could have been a promising subject. The use of switchgrass, a typical North American perennial grass, as a substitute for straw in compost preparation, was an interesting idea, as well as the use of biofilters in Europe. The day finished with a visit to the expo.


Unearthing the hidden microbes Saturday morning’s schedule featured the ‘Andrew O’Neil Memorial Lecture’ that on this occasion was given by Australian researcher Dr. Michael Kertesz. His lecture concerned the microbiological aspects of composting. “As many of you are aware, the composting process, particularly in phase I, is still hidden in a mys- terious box, and we have attempted to lift the lid on it. As a researcher you try to predict what will happen if you take certain actions. But with this process, making predictions remains a tricky matter.” Kertesz explained that micro-organisms mainly survive on nitrogen, and that opportu- nities can be found in adding various sources of nitrogen, but that the results witnessed under lab conditions were completely different to those seen in practical situations. Kertesz proceeded to run trials at Elf Mushrooms in Australia, and discovered that in excess of 32,000 different bacteria are active during the composting process. He believes that an important bacterium is pseudoxanthomonas taiwanensis, which plays a major role in degrading sugars during the composting process. Another thread of his lecture concerned the presence of bacteria in casing soil, whereby it is not only pseudomonas putida that encourages pin formation. Sterile casing soil will not produce any pinheads.


Compliments and emotions Stephen Allen from Monaghan Mushrooms explained the details of the company’s marketing concept. “We closely monitor consumer behaviour and use that as the founda- tion for our strategy.” The future of agriculture was the subject chosen by Krysta Harden, Deputy Secretary for the US Department of Agriculture. “I don’t know all that much about you mush- room growers, but believe me, I truly admire your sense of solidarity, innovation and vision. Our farmers, 1% of the population, ensure that the other 99% has enough to eat, we depend on your efforts. The USA must be independent from the rest of the world regarding our food supplies.” She gave a political reply in answer to a critical question raised by a grower about how to deal with personnel after the introduction of strict new regulations regarding Mexican immigrants. “Rest assured that your interests are being taken into account.”


After a presentation by trial attorney Elliot Olsen on the legal aspects of food safety, a visibly emo- tional Curtis Jurgensmeyer took to the stage. In a story with a tear and a smile, he gave a potted history of the adventure and misadventure that have befallen his farm, JM Farms in Oklahoma, since 1979. Everything was plain sailing to start with, but after 2002 mistakes were made, and a series of misfortunes struck the company (accidents, illness, hurricane damage). “With the help of our advisor Ray Samp, and persever- ance, we recovered. We went to the brink and back, and here we still are!” Jurgensmeyer had to regularly interrupt his tale, and was rewarded afterwards by a standing ovation. In the evening there was a cocktail reception and dinner with a great band. Unfortunately the weather forecast meant the party was held indoors and not by the pool. The next NAMC is planned in 18 months’ time in Canada.


Photos: Roel Dreve


More photos on the middle pages & www.mushroombusiness.com


MUSHROOM BUSINESS 11





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