USA Bigger ánd better
Laurel Valley Compost and Soils near Kennett Square, Pennsylvania has always been a big phase I compost producer, but as many a mushroom grower would say, ‘size does not matter, it is all about performance’. Well over the years Laurel Valley has become even bigger, is becoming known as a high quality mushroom compost producer, and even more unique to the American industry, is becoming a technologically progres-
sive operator as well. By Ray Samp
T
welve years ago the operation was teething the transition from conventional rick composting to bunkers and producing ~2,500 tons
of phase I compost per week, and having a rough time of it. Over the years the operation has fully implemented and digested the bunker compost- ing system (via a hybrid composting process), moved into being the major phase II compost supplier in the USA (via Christiaens phase II tunnels), and is now into its second major phase I expansion and third phase II expansion. The operation now produces in excess of 5,000 tons per week making it the largest and one of the best commercial compost producer in the western hemisphere.
Cooperative operation Laurel Valley is a compost cooperative owned by a group of mushroom farmers in the Kennett Square area. Almost all of the compost is used by cooperative farms John C. Leo and Sons, C-J Mushrooms, Pietro Industries, Phillips, Basciani, and Regester Mushrooms. Some of these farms also market mushrooms through the Country Fresh sales and marketing cooperative, making them a vertically integrated organization. Laurel Valley is managed by GM Glenn Cote under the watchful eye of President Clint Blackwell, while Composting Manager Allen Fella orchestrates the alchemy that has been the Laurel Valley way. The operation formulates in the traditional Penn- sylvania method via a blend of timothy/orchard grass hay, wheat straw, and stable bedding along with poultry manure, cocoa shells, cottonseed hulls, and urea. The active composting portion of the process takes ~12 days with 10 days of which being on air. The interesting part of the process is that these 12 days are preceded by ~4 weeks of
42 MUSHROOM BUSINESS
preconditioning, which in reality are essential to the quality of the finished product. It must be said that over the years the quality of Laurel Valley compost has ebbed and flowed, but progressively improving. In a cooperative, there can be many cooks in the kitchen leading to good times and average times, but in the end positive performance has won the day and Laurel Valley is cruising just in time for the most recent expansion. Whereas coop member farms had been producing in the 35 kg/m2 (7 lb/ft2) range, recently they have been producing in the 40 kg/ m2 (8 lb/ft range in 3 flushes), which makes it much easier to fund an expansion.
Shortened and simplifi ed The expansion is in part for volume of phase
Construction of the bunker expansion
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