Ninety per cent of mushrooms grown year-round in Canada are Agaricus (white, button, cremini, portabella), and despite their small stature, mushrooms carry a significant health punch including antioxidants, prebiotic fibre, naturally occuring vitamin D and, for example, a portabella mushroom contains roughly the same amount of potassium as a banana.
Tag Archives mushrooms
Mushrooms a booming business
Dundas-area farm representative of sector’s growth over the years
Suspect in California farm worker shootings appears in court
Early evidence suggests workplace grievance, authorities say
Redwood City, Calif. | Reuters — A California farm worker accused of shooting seven people to death near San Francisco, some of them his co-workers, made his first court appearance on Wednesday after he was charged with murder in the state’s second deadly gun rampage in recent days. Chunli Zhao, 66, the lone suspect in […] Read more
Do mushrooms really use language?
New research shows some fungi species may communicate via electrical impulses
Nearly all of Earth’s organisms communicate with each other in one way or another, from the nods and dances and squeaks and bellows of animals, through to the invisible chemical signals emitted by plant leaves and roots. But what about fungi? Are mushrooms as inanimate as they seem – or is something more exciting going on […] Read more
Mushrooms offer new products and opportunities
Fungi are the newest trend in plant-based alternatives
The popularity of pea and soy-derived proteins as food ingredients is growing rapidly due to strong consumer demand for alternative proteins and meat substitutes. Mushrooms are a promising plant-based ingredient emerging along with those foodstuffs. Why it matters: According to Natural Products Canada, fungi can transform solid matter, changing both its chemical composition and its […] Read more
Two Ontario farms to test automated mushroom harvesting system
Creating a system that can select the right mushrooms without bruising is the challenge
The vision of an automated harvesting system for the mushroom industry recently took a significant step closer to becoming a reality. The federal government, through its national supercluster for advanced manufacturing, Next Generation Manufacturing Canada (NGen), announced almost $4.2 million in funding to improve the mushroom harvesting system that Putnam,Ont.-based Mycionics Inc. has been developing. […] Read more
Fulvic acid produced from mushroom compost
Ontario company creates sustainable crop additive that boosts plant responses
As the focus on soil health and environmental sustainability grows, new products can help farmers improve their soil as well as boost crop nutrient and water use. BioLiNE Corp., located near Alvinston in southwestern Ontario, is producing biostimulants — products that when applied to crops, stimulate the plants’ natural processes. It was founded in 2016 […] Read more
Mushrooms exposed to UV light produce Vitamin D
Research results could lead to value-added opportunities for producers
New research shows UV-C light treatment increases Vitamin D2 in mushroom caps and stems in both white and brown mushrooms. Why it matters: These new findings provide farmers with the opportunity to better manage their post-harvest handling and storage and can add value and nutritional benefits to consumers. Mushrooms are the only produce containing Vitamin […] Read more
U.S. mushroom giant buys major Manitoba grower
Loveday Mushroom Farms joins South Hill Champs
A major player in the North American mushroom business expects to expand its reach in the U.S. Midwest and Canada’s Prairies with a deal for a storied Winnipeg producer. South Mill Champs, formed in 2018 from the merger of Philadelphia-area producer South Mill and Aldergrove, B.C.-based Champs Mushrooms, announced Tuesday it has expanded to include […] Read more
Federal ag supports ‘too little, too late’ for mushroom growers
Timing of programs for TFWs, surplus food purchases leaves aid out of reach: CMGA
Ottawa — Members of Parliament sitting on the committee dealing with agricultural issues continue to hear concerns over the federal government’s response to COVID-19. During the Commons standing committee on agriculture and agri-food’s online meeting Wednesday, representatives of the Canadian Mushrooms Growers’ Association raised “grave concerns” over the support CMGA members have received. CEO Ryan […] Read more
Consumer curiosity expands mushroom sector
Specialty mushroom production makes up only two per cent of total Canadian production, but interest is growing
Glacier FarmMedia – The specialty mushroom market has been growing steadily for years. Ryan Koeslag, chief executive officer of Mushrooms Canada, said figures indicate a 25 per cent increase annually in specialty mushroom production, although given there are relatively few growers, the numbers aren’t as large as that figure might suggest. Statistics Canada data indicate […] Read more
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