I material to satisfy expansions at farm level, but also very significantly for simplification of the process. As mentioned the full composting process can be as long as 6 weeks! This makes for a very unwieldy, difficult to manage process, therefore Allen’s moniker - Master Alchemist. The objective of the 5 new bunker expansion is that the composting process can be shortened and simplified. Being a contributor to this strat- egy I have no doubt that it will be successful. In addition to the bunker expansion, 4 new phase II tunnels are being added to expand the phase II throughput of the organization and the associated farms. Although the group has not ventured into phase III composting processing for financial reasons, the desire is there. Being a large volume producer makes the phase III option very attractive, but given the very com- petitive, low profit margin nature of the USA mushroom industry these significant capital investments must occur slowly and carefully.
Spent compost benefi ts All of this describes the breath and depth of Laurel Valley Compost and Soils, but wait, there’s more! The ‘soils’ part of the name bares strong consideration as well. Laurel Valley has been a leader in the spent mushroom substrate (sms) processing initiative that has come to reap fantastic benefit for the organization. Not only does Laurel Valley take all of the spent compost from all the associated farms, it processes the material, markets it, and sells it for profit. Glenn Cote with his soils manager Joe DiNorcia have taken this ‘bastard child’ (sms) and developed it into a stand alone profit center. In fact ‘soils’ has become competitive with the
“The objective of the new bunker expansion is that the composting process can be shortened and simplified.”
compost operation with respect to profitability, which makes one think, ‘what is the priority here?’ Glenn Cote talks glowingly about the soils operation regarding what has been done to take a significant cost center and reverse that into a significant profit center via intelligent manage- ment, processing, and marketing. Talk about vertical integration?! I was told that when talking to soils customers Joe and Glenn relate that they develop the soils for the consumer, but it just so happens that they are able to grow mushrooms out of it as a by-product!
At the end of the day, there is no priority. Quality phase I compost begets quality mushrooms and quality spent compost processing begets quality soils. All this reinforces my article ‘Friends of the Environment’ in Mushroom Business 65. The movement of compost through Laurel Valley has become a fine example of extracting valuable food product from waste raw materials. Then when that process is finished, taking the waste from the mushroom production cycle and gener- ating valuable soil amendments and additives to complete the cycle. Soil to wheat to mushrooms to back to the soil.
So once again, bigger is not necessarily better, but who is to say that you can’t have it both ways.
The ‘old way’.
Spent mushroom substrate processing.
MUSHROOM BUSINESS 43
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