Ready product being loaded on the trucks equipped uniquely by the company with special heaters installed in the trailer tarpaulin preventing the casing soil from freezing when the temperature decreases below minus 10 Celsius.
There are many environmental issues linked to the production of casing soil. It is important to mention the company’s unique method of excavating peat. Unlike other companies, they do not dry out their bogs to take the peat on the surface. Most of the excavated materials are lowland peat, and the company uses special equipment for extraction. The excavated product must be delivered wet, so drying out makes no sense from a technical point of view. When excavation has ended in a certain area, the company creates retention tanks that often feature incentives for birds, such as small islands, to encourage them to inhabit the area. Stepiuk, who is a microbiologist himself, says that microbiology is in the company’s genes. One of the owners is a microbiologist, while another is a farmer. They are all very sensitive to nature and often admire birds at the peat bogs, enjoying observing new species.
‘Our clients can sleep well’ Asked whether they are actively seeking alter- natives for peat or selling them already, Piekar- ski answers that their clients can sleep well for the next 15 to 20 years. The company owns long-term concessions and is still acquiring new ones. However, the large market share in this aspect is not only a blessing but also involves a lot of responsibility for clients who may want to switch to peat-free casing soil in the future. In preparation, Wokas opened their own research and development department a few years ago. Thanks to EU subsidies they started an agenda of research programmes aimed at finding the
best solution for casing soil in the future possi- bly with a reduced peat content or peat-free. The infrastructure of the department consists of two labs, and one research container. Research results are very promising (see Pieczarkalia report in MB127). Piekarski, who talked to us about the alternatives for peat, said that the direction for research is being set by countries where peat is not available. Alternatives could be coconut coir, wood-based materials, com- post, pine needles, rice hulls, leaf mould and SMC, or in the case of some countries also clay. So far research has concentrated on producing casing soil that would have the same chemical and physical characteristics as peat and could be used with the same equipment and ensure a similar yield. Our hosts stressed that peat-free casing soil is currently still in a research phase, which makes it difficult to find growers willing to run large-scale trials for the company in practical situations. This motivated the com- pany to develop its research facility and trial the new solutions on a smaller scale. The biggest challenges of supplying peat-free casing soil according to the company are infections and achieving a comparable yield level.
Brand awareness The company’s goal is to succeed in producing peat-free casing soil, to maintain a strong pace of expansion, and to become increasingly recog- nisable, gaining a well-deserved brand awareness not only in Poland but also internationally. “We are worth being called the BMW and Mercedes of casing soil,” they say.
MUSHROOM BUSINESS 25
‘The direction for research is being set by countries
where peat is not available’
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