CONTENTS 28 FRESH AIR IN ONTARIO
Roel Dreve Publisher
Global Roel Media
Environmental 14 IN CONTROL 8
14 22 28 34 38 42
TONGFA GROUP
Kennett Square Winter Workshop Hooymans: controlling the controllable
Tongfa Group: modernisation through unifi cation OMF invests in indoor composting facility Mixing business and pleasure in Goa My Farm: Basciani Mushrooms (USA) Saving energy with growing room fans
AND: 4 News 6, 19 Cultivation tips AdVisie 19 ISMS News 24 Focus 44 Cultivation tips Delphy 46 Out and about 46 Service
Frontpage: Outdoor composting in windrows is still common practice in the Kennett Square region. Small picture: Lorenzo Piccioni behind the process computer at Ontario Mushroom Farms in Canada.
Photos: John Peeters and Jos Buth. 22
I recently spoke with Hooymans Compost about the complex rules and regulations involved in producing and transporting mushroom substrate. Impressed by the incredible attention to detail that is vital to successfully running a modern compost plant, I expected to hear the usual objections from entre- preneurs about compliance with all the directives and legislation. But no – they see the issue mainly as an “external factor” that is outside their sphere of influence, such as the political situation, or the local residents of the compost plant. “Adapting” to the constraints of these factors is just part of doing business. The latter factor – local residents – is something the major indoor composters in Europe don’t have to lose any more sleep over. It’s true that they have to operate in a heavily regulated, densely population environment, with high labour costs and authorities that strictly monitor aspects such as odour emissions, but by virtue of their innovative processes they can now not only control the bad smells, but – far more than in the past – the end result. And good quality compost is in high demand far beyond the Dutch borders.
Composters in Ontario, Canada did have one huge advantage: plenty of space and a sparse population – literally “external environmental factors”. Just like the exceptionally harsh winters that freeze the straw bales and the hands doing the work. The burgeoning and more assertive local community forced Ontario Mushroom Farms to go indoors and follow fellow composters in British Colombia, who switched to using indoor facilities, Christiaens style. Then appea- red the measuring van from the ‘Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change’ (it’s probably called by another name in the US…) and for seven days a team searched high and low for traces of trimethylamine, sulphur, ammonia, methyl, ethyl and dimethyl. They saw what had been achieved and it was good. The government and local residents could literally breathe easy, but in addition, working indoors is more comfortable, saves energy and gives OMF more control of the production process. Taking such innovative steps is not possible (India), or necessary (US), for every compost producer simply because they operate in entirely different environ- ments. Making good compost is quite an amazing feat under any conditions.
Roel Dreve
MUSHROOM BUSINESS 3
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