Shitake Mushroom Production - Small Farms / Alternative Enterprises

Shiitake
Mushroom
Production
Clay Olson
Taylor County
Linda Landrum
NFREC-SV
History
•
•
•
•
•
Cultivated in Asia for over 800 years
Third most widely produced mushroom in the world
One of the top exported products from Japan
Production began in US in early 1970’s, continues today
Three production approaches
*Nutrient amended sawdust block
*Log production using forced fruiting
* Log production utilizing natural conditions
and/or irrigation (this type is recommended for smaller
producers)
5 Steps to Growing
Shiitake Mushrooms
Step 1- Ordering good quality culture, called spawn
or inoculum
• Strains are specific to type of production
i.e. sawdust, forcing, soaking or irrigated
• Can be purchased in sawdust blocks, grain blocks
or in hardwood dowels(plugs)
• For Florida…
* Wide range C- 41, C-15
*Warm-weather CS-24, CS-125
*Cold-weather CS-16, CS-11,
CS-118
Step 2-Obtaining suitable
hardwood logs
• Deciduous oak species are best (such as turkey, black
jack, water & laurel)
• Straight , green wood preferred
*can use main trunk or larger branches
• Cut during winter months (Oct-Feb)when sap down
*use pieces 2 to 4 inches in diameter
& 3 to 6 ft in length
• Cut no more than 2 weeks prior
to inoculation
• Avoid damaging the bark (allows
other non-desirable fungi to enter)
Step 3
Inoculating the logs
• Inoculate in shady area as direct sunlight damages
spawn
• Drill holes 3 to 4 inches apart in rows spaced 6 inches
apart around the log (Logs average between 35-40 holes each)
using a high speed drill
*use 12mm drill bit for sawdust spawn or 8mm bit for
plug spawn
*Depth of the hole depends on thickness of tree bark.
For turkey or black jack oak, hole needs to be an inch
deep – for water oak ¾ inch is enough. Same depths for
either plugs or sawdust
Step 3
Inoculating the logs
• Carefully pack the holes with sawdust spawn or place
hardwood dowel in hole
• If using sawdust , you must pack the spawn down into
the hole with a 3/8” dowel rod
• Seal over hole with melted paraffin
wax to keep out competing organisms
*Use camel hair type brush as
plastic bristles melt in hot wax
Step 4- Allowing Shiitake
to colonize the wood
• Stack logs in a vertical position to increase water
absorption
• In Florida, irrigation during periods of drought, high
temperatures and windy weather will be necessary
* About 20 minutes, 2 to 3 times per week
• Logs MUST be in deeply shaded area(60%) to produce
Step 4- Allowing Shiitake
to colonize the wood
• Takes from 4 to 9 months to colonize log (called
spawn run) depending on climate and strain to
begin fruiting
• Logs will usually fruit for 2 or 3 years without
additional inoculation depending on size of
log and conditions
• Yields will vary but each log can
produce up to 5 lbs. of product over
a three year period valued at
$8 per lb. in a retail market venue
Step 5-Harvesting , storing
and packaging your
mushrooms
• Harvest when caps are about 2/3’s open, cutting the stem
flush with the bark using a sharp knife
• Mushrooms can be:
* stored fresh in a cardboard box at 36-41F for up to a month
but loss in quality starts occurring after 4 to 5 days
*dried either whole or sliced but price received will be
substantially lower. Additionally, you will be required to have a
FL Food Permit, certified kitchen and a
Food Managers License to do this.
• Packaging should allow for air exchange
to inhibit bacteria growth
Step 5- Marketing your
mushrooms
 Freshness, color and shape main selling features
 Develop good customer relationships
• Retail Considerations
*Less complicated
* Higher returns
*Less expensive
*Eliminates the costs of “middle man”
*Allows for market research
*Use direct market venues such as farmers markets,
specialty stores and restaurants
Step 5- Marketing your
mushrooms
• Wholesale Considerations
*Useful when zoning prohibits home sales or home base is too far from
consumers
*Greater sales volume potential
*Frees producer to focus on production
*More expensive than direct distribution
*Less control over product
*Wholesalers will buy dried product at about ½ price
of fresh
*Price Taker rather than Price Setter
 Having a consistent, quality product throughout most of the
year is desirable for either marketing venue!
Risks Affecting Production
• Severe weather conditions like hot, dry
periods so irrigation is critical
• Pest damage from termites, squirrels, mice ,
birds and deer
• Poor quality spawn so buy from reputable
companies and use strains best suited for area
• Inadequate labor to inoculate/
harvest/sell crop
Economics of Producing
Shiitake Mushrooms
• Know your costs!
• Start up costs for a 4,000 log operation average about $2,000
per year. These include hardwood logs, high speed drill and
bits, food grade wax and applicator, spawn, aluminum tags,
inoculation tool, shade cloth, water trough and refrigerator.
• Variable costs include labor for production & harvesting, fuel,
electricity & packaging.
• Production costs average about $3/lb. of fresh product.
Currently, direct markets are paying up to $8/lb. so this could
be a profitable enterprise.
• Be sure to consider all variable and fixed costs
to get a more accurate cost of production.
Resources
• American Mushroom Institute
http://www.americanmushroom.org/index.htm
• Mushroom Growers Newsletter
http://www.mushroomcompany.com/index.shtml
• Florida MarketMaker
http://fl.foodmarketmaker.com
Questions?