In the processing facility.
After it has been extracted, a train carries the peat to the transloading station (see centre pages).
At the extraction site. The organic matter in the upper layer, and the loam the peat was formed on mixed in the lower layer makes these fractions unsuitable for use.
and brings the number of production halls there to two. Casing soil is mixed, stored and loaded in one hall for bulk deliveries to Germany, Den- mark and Poland, while the other hall is used for packing casing soil for export to more distant destinations.
Piles of casing soil
Various piles of casing soil are ready in the hall waiting to be taken to customers. Customers can choose from diverse mixes, but can also have a specific blend made for them. An enormous mixing machine, specially constructed for Top- terra, stands guard at the front of the hall. Peat, taken from the huge piles dotted around the site, is loaded into this machine from outside. The various types of peat are mixed in the machine. The material is passed through a sieve to remove coarse particles, in many cases pre- served bog-wood. The new machine also sieves out lumps caused by frost which previously had to be removed by hand. The pH of casing soil should ultimately read 7.3, so a thin layer of pure lime is added to the acidic peat to reach the desired level. “This must be dosed with the utmost accuracy”, says Swinkels. The other hall is full of loads of casing soil for the export market. “Here we tend to use more frozen material. It gets lighter as it dries”, explains Swinkels. Drying helps lower the freight costs. “Otherwise all you are doing is exporting 90% moisture – which is a shame for an expensive journey to Australia. Drying also prevents water seeping into the container during shipping.”
The secret of success
The piles of peat at the site are separate batches taken from Teufelsmoor, but include material
sourced from other suppliers. The required quality is obtained by carefully mixing material from these separate piles. Swinkels explains that the secret behind their success is all in the mix. “Each batch has its own characteristics. To visualize these we take samples from each batch for careful analysis. That provides a lot of data, but the most important ingredient is instinctive gut-feeling and experience. I carry a virtual map of all the characteristics in my head and use that knowledge as the basis for the blends. It’s the sum of 30 years of experience in the field.” The huge number of different piles and batches on the site is another secret weapon. Swinkels: “A large mass of material forms the foundation for continuity. It allows us to make better choices so we can always put together a good mix – also in terms of moisture content. It’s vital that we supply growers with the same, consistent quality product 52 weeks a year. It’s impossible to achieve 100% success, but we can hit 90%. The weather influences mean the raw materials are not always stable enough. But we don’t concede defeat. Our aim is always the highest possible quality.”
In Swinkels’ view, the weather is the Achilles heel in casing soil production. “In dry weather the cycle has to be completed faster, otherwise the peat dries out too much. Frost brings extraction to a standstill, so in those conditions you have to ensure sufficient stocks to keep deliveries moving.” The new loading dock for trailers is the end station for casing soil for the local market. The correct number of cubic metres is weighed out per customer, and the moisture content adjusted if necessary. At the moment about 80 lorry loads of casing soil a week leave the premises on their way to customers.
MUSHROOM BUSINESS 33
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