COMPOST
Layout of a compost yard.
you need to make substrate. The price of straw can vary by as much as 50-100% per year, which has a very significant impact on your compost cost price. The main cost items are raw materi- als, electricity and labour. Try to identify in advance what your cost prices are, especially in worst-case scenarios.
Take into account (potential) future environmental investments
when choosing a location.
Pitfall: Cost prices and margins are often calcula- ted based on a certain number of kg/m2 or a cer- tain compost output. As a variability in yields of 10% or more is a frequent occurrence in mushroom growing, factoring these figures into your calculations is advisable. A substrate company will usually be financially healthy if its capacity utilisation is 95% or higher taken over a year. So also make calculations with a tempora- rily lower capacity utilisation.
• Permits.
The environment and surrounding area of a compost yard is becoming increasingly impor- tant, and local authorities are placing ever- higher demands on expansion plans and greenfield construction. For substrate compa- nies, odour and noise nuisance, water and energy consumption must all be taken into account. For mushroom growers, the main
points are the quality of accommodation used to house the workforce and noise nuisance. Depending on the climate, you may have a higher availability of water at the company at certain times of the year than you use during the composting process. Make sure you can/are allowed to store this water or can dispose of it. It is also good idea to be aware of the maximum number of permitted transport movements. And also take any future expansion plans into consideration.
Pitfall: A potential pitfall is investing in expan- ding a substrate company but failing to take situations in the future into account when you may be forced to invest in roofing and air purifi- cation systems. Odour nuisance is and remains a problem associated with substrate production. This is often overlooked when choosing a loca- tion to establish the compost yard. Pumping water/water consumption is limited in many countries. Find out how much water you will need in the future and whether you will be per- mitted to pump it from the ground.
In Mushroom Business 106 we will examine all the aspects involved in designing a compost yard in more detail, in part 2.
When investing in a high tech operation. like here at Ontario Mushroom Farms in 2017 (see Mushroom Business 82), you need to have the knowledge, the people and the funding.
36 MUSHROOM BUSINESS
The environment plays an increasingly significant role when building and operating a compost facility, even in Canada! A biofilter, also at OMF.
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