Mushroom farm as a form of business
Today, small business is gaining momentum more and more, especially in the field of agriculture. The popularity of such a phenomenon is justified by minimal material costs and, at the same time, by good demand and profit. Many, planning to build their own small production, pay attention to the uniqueness of the product being sold, which will definitely provide income or, at least, attract attention. An excellent option would be a mushroom farm - an idea that is not widespread, but extremely profitable.
Mushroom farm as a form of business
Benefits of Selling Mushrooms
- Mushrooms are a very popular product today. Moreover, all their types have found their admirers: both forest ones and more whimsical, gentle ones.
- The main fact supporting the cultivation of mushrooms is the underdevelopment of this business in Russia. A very narrow circle of people is aware of the concept of "home mushroom farm".
Therefore, having started organizing a farm at home and completely with your own hands, you have great chances of success, especially as a private seller.
What mushrooms to choose
Research results show that champignons and oyster mushrooms are the most popular in our country. The first mushrooms can be found in absolutely any store, the second ones are not so widespread, but, nevertheless, they are recognizable and loved by the consumer.
Irina Selyutina (Biologist):
When choosing a type of mushroom and studying the technology of its cultivation, it is imperative:
- take notes on issues that are important to yourself;
- find out what diseases the selected species are susceptible to;
- Find courses that will allow you to become better acquainted with mushroom growing technologies;
- try to get advice from people who have been in this business for a long time.
In the future, continue to study the literature on this issue, tk. science does not stand still.
There are two strategies at play here:
- Stop at champignons due to their powerful popularity. This can give you good earnings, but it is difficult to talk about the volume of demand, because it is always easier to just go to the store next to your home.
- Create a mushroom business based on oyster mushrooms, because in this version, the start-up costs are much lower. However, the mushrooms themselves are much cheaper than the first ones.
When choosing types of mushrooms for growing, you should pay attention to the fact that oyster mushrooms are considered more "capricious" in growing, maintaining humidity and lighting in the room. In addition, they emit some gaseous compounds, which, if a person stays indoors with mushrooms for a long time, may feel signs of suffocation or develop broncho-pulmonary diseases.
Champignons, although they do not emit harmful compounds into the air, i.e. are safe and cost-effective, but they also have their drawbacks - high competition and short shelf life.
Any of the solutions can, as they say, shoot and bring a stable income to the mushroom picker. Another issue is an organization that requires substantial purchases: mushroom composts, mycelium, equipment, building a farm. The development of a business plan for champignons "from scratch" will cost significantly more.
What is needed for mushroom growing
It should be noted that all consumables for the mushroom farm, for example, mushroom mycelium and any other equipment, will be needed in relatively small volumes. Therefore, it is better not to start your business too large-scale - it may not pay off.
Where to begin
Mushrooms can be grown in the basement
To organize a mushroom business, you need the following:
- Choose a spacious, preferably basement, room with good ventilation.
- Purchase mycelium and compost, or make your own.
- When breeding champignons, it is better to buy mushroom mycelium in bulk from trusted suppliers - this will significantly reduce the cost of business with expensive mushrooms. But with compost, the situation is completely opposite. It can also be found ready-made, but in the case of self-production, less money will be spent on individual components. For a home farm, this will be even more useful, because it will be possible to independently regulate the concentration of fertilizers. To make compost for mushrooms, in addition to the mycelium itself, you will need to find absolutely any standard substrate. However, experienced mushroom growers warn that for beginners, self-collection of the substrate from the components is a rather difficult task, therefore it is better to first purchase the packaged ready-made material.
Room selection
Any building is suitable for growing mushrooms: be it a barn, basement or warehouse. The main thing is that she should be her own, because high rental costs may not pay off.
Irina Selyutina (Biologist):
If you have planned to place your mushroom mini-farm in the basement, then when preparing it for this, it is important to disinfect:
- Fumigation with a sulfur stick.
- Whitewashing the walls and ceiling with a mixture of lime and copper sulfate.
- Spraying with 4% formalin solution.
- If fruit flies are present, treat the basement with chlorophos.
- As additional protection, use a box with sawdust soaked in disinfectants at the entrance. Change the content every few days.
The area should be divided into four functional blocks:
- Prep chamber: there is a reservoir used for pasteurization.
- Mushroom mycelium germination chamber (incubation): this is where the "mystery" occurs - the mycelium grows and spreads over the substrate.
- Forcing compartment: here the mushrooms themselves, their fruiting bodies will form. Unlike other sections of the farm, this should be brightly lit for most of the day.
- Storage mushroom harvest.
For all parts, there are general requirements, the observance of which significantly affects the quality of the product.
Firstly, it is important to constantly monitor the temperature: it should be in the region of 13-16 ° (15-18 ℃ in the place of germination).
Secondly, when choosing a room, you need to take into account the possibility of installing devices there for lighting, shock absorption and ventilation. It is important not to forget that during their growth, mushrooms release a large amount of carbon dioxide. Therefore, ventilation must be powerful and of high quality.
Thirdly, one of the most important components of a mushroom farm is equipment that humidifies the air by creating artificial fog. All mushroom clans feel bad, "breathing" the usual, familiar air for us, as it is too dry for mushrooms.
All of the above nuances may seem like a trifle, but, in fact, they constitute the development of a home farm, affecting the correct cultivation of goods.
Outcomes
If you follow all the basics of building a mushroom farm, a business associated with even such a complex product will bring a stable and fairly large income.
You can achieve even greater success in mushroom growing by finding a number of regular customers who trust you and the quality of your goods.
