Stéphane Doutriaux from MycoSense discusses Spotlight at the AMGA conference
Can simple technology help boost picker performance? Listen to Stéphane discuss new technological advancements for mushroom picking the Australian and New Zealand Mushroom Growers Conference 2024.
Read more about Spotlight and MycoSense in issue 11 of the Mushroomlink magazine.
MushroomLink Bulletin November
In this edition:
CONSUMER DATA: Explore the latest Nielsen report
MARKETING WEBINAR: Join the HI team as they unpack the Nielsen report
FEATURE ARTICLE: Studying the microscopic metropolis in compost
MUSHROOM HEALTH SCIENCE WEBSITE: Website now live
HORT FRONTIERS NEWS: Venture capital fund announced
Nielsen report November 2024
The latest mushrooms comprehensive review by Nielsen has been released, which covers the 52 weeks to October 6 and is available on the Hort IQ site (not a member yet – sign up here)
https://www.hortiq.com.au/resource/?resourceNumber=HIQ0000179.
Alternatively, these can also be found on Harvest to Home site: https://www.harvesttohome.net.au/fruitmushroomnuts/case-studies/comprehensive-reviews.
Some key findings:
Mushroom value and volume sales have declined this year at –2.6% and –2.3% respectively, with price per kilo remaining the highest at $13.22 this year.
All consumer metrics are trending down for mushrooms this year, with no obvious trigger driving declining value sales.
Price increases are driving the growth across the competitive set.
The number of households buying mushrooms online remains stable this year, there are however less shoppers buying in-store.
Sales for loose mushrooms are slightly growing this year, while pre-packed mushrooms are in in decline.
The next report will be updated in May 2025.
Hort Frontiers announcement good news for mushroom growers
This week’s announcement of the world’s first horticulture-focused venture capital fund is a significant boost for the mushroom industry, offering new opportunities to tackle key challenges and enhance growth.
The world’s first horticulture-focused venture capital fund has been launched to help combat the rising costs of farming and declining fruit and vegetable consumption in Australia.
Led by Hort Innovation, the grower-owned not-for-profit research and development corporation in partnership with Australian-headquartered investment firm Artesian, a non-levy co-investment fund of up to $60 million is on offer to high-growth, early-stage startups. The aim is to fast-track innovative products and services from inception to market readiness.
Hort Innovation chief executive officer Brett Fifield said now more than ever, the need to diversify investment approaches and bring onboard new thinking to benefit industry is critical.
“The Australian horticulture industry is facing unprecedented challenges - high production costs, labour issues, extreme weather impacts to name a few,” he said.
“On top of that, Australian fruit and vegetable consumption dropped by up to 8 per cent to June 2023, compared to the year before.
“To address these challenges head on, Hort Innovation has partnered with Artesian to build bigger, bolder investments in innovation and create a flexible investment framework to accelerate research and development.
“By investing in startups, we are enabling fresh ideas, never-before-seen technologies, and new ways of thinking to make growing easier, more sustainable and cost-effective, and lift consumption.”
Artesian will manage the Hort Innovation Venture Fund, with initial investments in eligible businesses to be made over the next five years.
Key Hort Innovation Venture Fund focus areas include:
Increasing productivity: Helping Australian growers to become more adaptable, resilient and financially sustainable. This may be in the use of AI to predict what to do and when to do it, new automation options, or the use of satellite technology to guide decision-making.
Sustainability: to deliver new innovations Australian growers of fruit, vegetables, nuts, turf and nursery plants can employ. For example, enhancing monitoring capabilities to optimise water use and viable options to reduce chemical use.
Consumption: to drive demand and meet changing consumer preferences and encourage healthy living. For example, naturally breeding produce that is nutrient dense, with a long shelf life while being aesthetically pleasing.
Workforce: Opportunities to upskill existing industry participants and expand local career opportunities in horticulture, particularly in the science and technology arenas.
Artesian CEO Jeremy Colless said the firm was excited about the partnership with Hort Innovation, emphasising its potential to drive impactful investments in cutting-edge technologies that will deliver sustainable, long-term benefits for Australian produce farmers and consumers.
“Delivering the world’s first horticulture-specific venture capital fund with Hort Innovation is a significant milestone and an example of how Artesian works with leading industry, corporate, government and institutional investors to develop tailor made solutions that address innovation challenges,” he said.
Mr Colless highlighted the collaboration as a unique opportunity to elevate productivity and innovation across the agriculture sector, fostering resilience and advancing Australia's position as a leader in sustainable horticulture.
Artesian currently has more than $1.2 billion in assets under management including through technology and venture capital investments across energy transformation, agrifood and natural capital, healthcare and emerging technology segments.
Mushroom grower Georgia Beattie, founder, Bulla Park Mushrooms, praised the programs focus on real outcomes for growers.
"Frontiers has an unapologetic focus on commercial outcomes and impact for Australian growers. Its approach is inherently open-ended, which is essential for fostering true innovation," she said.
Macadamia grower Henrik Christiansen said the new structure is really valuable for growers to provide feedback on what solutions can be ramped up for commercialisation.
"The industry can choose what we back, and the tech developers we partner with are going to get quality feedback to integrate into solutions. That’s the value Hort Innovation can bring to the equation."
Mushroom grower Georgia Beattie
MushroomLink Bulletin October 2024
In this edition:
NEW ISSUE OF MUSHROOMLINK: The Spring issue is out now
THAT’S A WRAP: NZ conference
UPDATED WEBSITE: Our updated site makes finding what you need easier
MARKETING CAMPAIGN LAUNCH: Missed out? Recording link available to Australian growers
MUSHROOM FUND ANNUAL INVESTMENT PLAN: Available to download
MUSHROOM HEALTH SCIENCE WEBSITE: Launching this Thursday
MushroomLink Magazine Issue 10
We hope you enjoy this issue, with its usual mix of R&D news, the latest in technology from around the world, and pest and disease updates.
You can subscribe to an e-copy of MushroomLink magazine here or view previous issues here
Click here to download the magazine
Articles
Levy funded project updates
Marketing
Growing & Tech
Pest & Diseases
Nutrition and Food Safety
Post harvest
Dr Agaricus and ethylene
Ethylene gas is both a friend and a foe of fresh produce. Traditionally, mushrooms were believed to be insensitive to ethylene, but recent research suggests otherwise. Studies show that ethylene exposure can accelerate mushroom deterioration, affecting browning and cap opening. Promising treatments using 1-MCP, cinnamon essential oil, and (ethylene absorbing) potassium permanganate have shown the potential to slow these effects and extend shelf life. With more research underway, we may soon better understand ethylene's role in mushroom quality during storage and retail.
Imported enoki mushrooms and contamination by Listeria monocytogenes
The bacterial pathogen Listeria monocytogenes can cause severe disease in susceptible populations. As a result of stringent hygiene practices on Australian farms there have been no recorded detections of the bacteria in more than 8 years and 160 tests of Agaricus mushrooms However, the same cannot be said for imported enoki mushrooms, with frequent detections of this dangerous microbe both here and overseas. Find out why and how imported enoki mushrooms get contaminated, and the best option for you to stay safe.
Measuring mushroom quality - Subjective vs objective quality assessment
A mushroom that looks perfectly good to one person may be substandard to another. There is a lot of talk about shelf life testing and quality – but how do we define the end of shelf life for a mushroom? How can we ensure consistency when different people are reporting on quality at different times? In this article, we discuss some methods to help turn subjective into objective.
Media and marketing update May to September 2024
Australian Mushrooms will be launching a new campaign to drive top of mind awareness and consideration amongst light – medium buyers. Live from October, the campaign will include Digital TV, Broadcast Radio, PaidSocial Media, Earned Media (including activity in Mushroom Month and celebratingSummer), Retail Outdoor, Digital Audio and Retail Media.
Mushroom people development strategy
Like many industries across Australia, the mushroom industry is facing challenges in attracting, developing and retaining labour, including skilled and specialist workers. The industry has also been challenged by significant consolidation in recent years.To address this issue, the mushroom industry’s first People Development Strategy was developed to provide a plan for workforce development in the industry.
Nutritional powerhouse: The final year of Australian Mushrooms’ MU20003 project
As this ambitious three-year Hort Innovation mushroomR&D levy investment MU20003 (Educating the food industry about Australian Mushrooms), enters its final year, the industry is buzzing with anticipation on the results of the first institutional case studies. This project, centred on educating the food sector about the unique nutritional benefits of Australian grown Agaricus bisporus mushrooms, has been a significant undertaking aimed at transforming menus acrossAustralia.
Studying the microscopic metropolis
Dr Michael Kertesz and Dr Meghann Thai, together with Honours project students, have been studying the microbiological goings-on inside mushroom compost, seeking to understand species diversity and richness, nutrient pathways, nutrient inputs/losses and a whole lot more. These comprehensive investigations have yielded a wealth of data that provides valuable insights into the diverse, rich, and varied processes taking place in compost. By understanding processes that are invisible to the naked eye, this research opens a window into their complexity and significance.
Red pepper mites - A vector of Trichoderma Aggressivum
Compost green mould is a virulent disease of mushroom cultivation systems that is persistent and extremely difficult to completely eradicate. Severe infections can result in complete crop failure and be financially devastating for the business. This article describes the relationship between red pepper mites and T. aggressivum, and considers other factors that help perpetuate compost green mould.
KENON MUSHROOMS:Pioneering innovation in Australian exotic mushroom production
With the current landscape of consumer behaviour heavily impacted by the cost of living crisis, brands must adapt their marketing strategies to stay competitive. Aligned with the 2022-2026 Mushroom Fund Strategic Investment Plan (SIP), the Hort Innovation marketing team has devised a new three-pillar strategy. The key components of the strategy are win the mind, win at point of purchase and win the future.
Established in 2005, Kenon Mushrooms has grown from a boutique operation into Queensland’s largest Asian mushroom producer.
Shaking up the way oyster mushrooms are produced in Australia, Kenon inoculate 2000-5000 bags per week (available for sale to other exotic growers). With locally made bags, inoculated with Kenon’s own spawn, these are some of Australia’s only truly home grown oyster mushrooms, with a yield of up to 300g oyster per 1kg substrate from the first flush.
Read more about Kenon Mushrooms and their innovations in MushroomLink Issue 10
The Future of Casing
As the future of imported casing material is uncertain, a recent Hort Innovation levy-funded project reviewed the viability of existing alternatives and new research into future materials.
As the future of imported casing material is uncertain, a recent Hort Innovation levy-funded project reviewed the viability of existing alternatives and new research into future materials.
Best Practice in Mushroom Supply Chains
Recently contracted project MU22011 is developing guidelines for best practice management within mushroom supply chains, from farm to retail store. The project aim is to ensure that shoppers are presented with fresh, unbruised, and all-round glamorous mushrooms every time they go shopping (Figure 1). With many, if not most, purchases decided in store, good quality is a key strategy to reverse recent drops in sales.
Recently contracted project MU22011 is developing guidelines for best practice management within mushroom supply chains, from farm to retail store. The project aim is to ensure that shoppers are presented with fresh, unbruised, and all-round glamorous mushrooms every time they go shopping. With many, if not most, purchases decided in store, good quality is a key strategy to reverse recent drops in sales.
Food Safety Update; Harps and Compost
Stringent food safety requirements have left some Mushroom farmers concerned regarding the requirements for compost pasteurisation. The Australian Mushroom growers association has collated evidence around the typical composting process, including information on included times and temperatures used, plus supporting data demonstrating that this eliminated human pathogens.
After submission to the HARPS stakeholder committee, this composting process has now been formally recognised as an alternate treatment process.
Stringent food safety requirements have left some Mushroom farmers concerned regarding the requirements for compost pasteurisation. The Australian Mushroom growers association has collated evidence around the typical composting process, including information on included times and temperatures used, plus supporting data demonstrating that this eliminated human pathogens.
After submission to the HARPS stakeholder committee, this composting process has now been formally recognised as an alternate treatment process.
Recent Advances in Managing Trichoderma
Trichoderma is a genus of fungi found in virtually every soil, everywhere, and is often the number one enemy of the healthy, productive mushroom farm. New research is now shedding light on not only why this fungus is such a problem during Agaricus production, but also some potential new control strategies.
Trichoderma is a genus of fungi found in virtually every soil, everywhere, and is often the number one enemy of the healthy, productive mushroom farm. New research is now shedding light on not only why this fungus is such a problem during Agaricus production, but also some potential new control strategies.
AI isn’t just for harvesting - a new home grown tech start up
Combining an interest in mycology with 30 years’ experience as a mathematician, grower John Ward was eager to apply his knowledge in the growing rooms of his exotic mushroom farm nestled in Victoria’s high country. John has helped developed AI technology that can monitor mushroom growth stages through image recognition and sensors.
Combining an interest in mycology with 30 years’ experience as a mathematician, grower John Ward was eager to apply his knowledge in the growing rooms of his exotic mushroom farm nestled in Victoria’s high country. John has helped developed AI technology that can monitor mushroom growth stages through image recognition and sensors.
