Growing Mushrooms in Missouri Workshop

There will be two mushroom growing workshops in Northeast Missouri - October 2 & 3. The focus will be on growing oyster, winecap and shiitake. Each person will take home an inoculated log.

The workshop on Friday, October 2 will be at the Missouri Department of Conservation office in Kirksville from 9-3.  The workshop on Saturday, October 3 will be at the Macon Expo Center in Macon from 9-3 and is coordinated by Max Glover in the Shelby County Extension Center. The speaker is Gregory Ormsby Mori, education and outreach coordinator for the University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry.

Pre-registration is required by September 25 and is limited to 30 participants. Cost is $15 and includes lunch.  No late registrations accepted. Call the Adair County Extension Center at 660-665-9866 or the Shelby County Extension office at 573-633-2640 for a registration form or download it at http://extension.missouri.edu/adair.

Agenda

8:30 - Registration/Coffee

9:00 - Introductions, review of agenda and workshop objectives, participant concerns/questions.

9:30 - Fungi–mentals: What are mushrooms? Overview of fungi life cycle, relation with plants & forest ecolology.

10:00 - Species and methods for forest farmed mushrooms.  An introduction to 3 common species grown in agroforestry/permaculture practice (Shiitake, Oyster, Winecap) and 3 growing techniques (logs, totems,straw/woodchip beds).

10:45 - Morning Practice session. Group A: Shiitake Log Inoculation; Group B: Oyster Totems and Winecap Straw Beds

12:00 - Lunch

12:45 - Afternoon Practice session: Group A: Oyster Totems and Winecap Straw Beds; Group B: Shiitake Log Inoculation

2:00 - Getting started. Things to consider, for both the hobbyist and small farmer, for growing mushrooms: sourcing materials, costs, setting up a growing area, management & marketing.

2:45 Discussion, review, wrap-up