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OfflineRogerRabbitM
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Re: Update [Re: aris]
    #13927966 - 02/08/11 03:11 PM (13 years, 1 month ago)

Quote:

aris said:

The local "Tool Rental" told me they only had the larger types of chipper because anytime they had a "stick" or yard chipper, somebody broke it by putting something too big in there. Soooo no $30 per day chipper rentals.  Only $150 per day, way too big, doesn't work rentals and you need a trailer hook up for it too.

I too wonder which variety of "chipper on the cheap" folks are having good results with.

I wish I could put a whole pasturizuer load thru something like a giant dish disposal.




I just bought this chipper/shredder and have had it for about a week now.  I would recommend it to anyone with a small mushroom farm.  It will shred straw into 1" lengths as fast as I can dump it into the hopper, about 2 minutes per bale or less.  It also shreds the woodchips and bark I get from the lumber mill into a nice mulch.
RR


--------------------
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"I've never had a failed experiment.  I've only discovered 10,000 methods which do not work."
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OfflineQultivator
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Re: New Commercial Gourmet Grower [Re: solarity]
    #13931378 - 02/09/11 12:53 AM (13 years, 1 month ago)

Get on craigslist or the local "want ads" and find a proper gas powered or commercial-grade electric chipper/shredder. Something with more than 3 horsepower will be more than enough for quickly processing straw on a regular basis, but if you plan on making woodchips, you'll probably want a 5-10 horsepower model.

I didn't mean to suggest that those consumer-grade electric shredders wouldn't work for hobbyist use, feeding a handful at a time of straw only...but they'd be likely to break under repeated use.

If you want to buy commercial-quality strains, try Aloha Medicinals.

Also, you are probably going to want to find a larger sterilizer setup than just two 21 quart pressure cookers if you plan on filling a 200sqft grow room with enough substrate to "go to market".

Quote:

solarity said:
Quote:

GroboClone said:
No doubt, 200 sqft will not be enough. This is just for phase 1, to test the market. Once things get serious I'll most likely get out of the city. We have 160 acers not to far from town. I've also been tossing around the idea of converting a pig barn.




Good plan with the pilot. I have just finished mine. Taught me a lot!

FYI by my calculations I need to grow and sell min 1,760lbs/month to break even on a real business basis. Based on a 2.5 month life cycle and 20% yield that's 22,000lbs of substrate in operation at any one time... to break even...
Your mileage may vary.




I'm not sure what Solarity's calculations actually are, but I completely disagree with his "go big or it won't work" sentiment. The viability of any business has to do with the efficiency of the operation, market conditions (demand, interest), profit margins, resource availability, and many other factors that are unique to any given regional economy or business plan. 1,760 lbs a month of what kind of mushroom? To whom are you selling them at what price? (the price of Shiitake, for example, can vary from $4 to $18 a pound here in WA) What is the cost of your substrate and the running cost of your operation? How many people do you employ, if any? 20% yield...do you mean biological efficiency? Are you kidding? No, no, no. It seems like throwing around numbers and making blanket statements about how big a farm needs to be to succeed is a little pretentious...especially when the person making such statements does not actually have a farm that produces 1760lbs a month and is using a fruiting area smaller than 200sqft, claiming in the same way as the OP that he plans on starting a commercial grow operation--> http://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Number/13866079#13866079

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Invisiblesolarity
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Re: New Commercial Gourmet Grower [Re: Qultivator]
    #13932182 - 02/09/11 06:35 AM (13 years, 1 month ago)

Quote:

I'm not sure what Solarity's calculations actually are, but I completely disagree with his "go big or it won't work" sentiment. The viability of any business has to do with the efficiency of the operation, market conditions (demand, interest), profit margins, resource availability, and many other factors that are unique to any given regional economy or business plan. 1,760 lbs a month of what kind of mushroom? To whom are you selling them at what price? (the price of Shiitake, for example, can vary from $4 to $18 a pound here in WA) What is the cost of your substrate and the running cost of your operation? How many people do you employ, if any? 20% yield...do you mean biological efficiency? Are you kidding? No, no, no. It seems like throwing around numbers and making blanket statements about how big a farm needs to be to succeed is a little pretentious...especially when the person making such statements does not actually have a farm that produces 1760lbs a month and is using a fruiting area smaller than 200sqft, claiming in the same way as the OP that he plans on starting a commercial grow operation--> http://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Number/13866079#13866079





Not sure what your issue is here :shrug: I clearly stated above that those were MY numbers, based on my costs, my market mix, and my mix of produce. Those numbers have come from a couple of months of study, and hard information from the pilot program -the one you linked to. FYI means " For Your Information" - to inform the OP and share the results of MY calculations.

I would strongly suggest that any potential commercial grower look at their own numbers in detail before commiting to anything - I have previously posted a very basic calculation to help with that.

You have mentioned going commercial, I would be interestd in what your numbers say - You are right, there are lots of variables!

Oh, and Yield is % of wet substrate turned into mushrooms, it is the term used by commercial growers in the UK and Europe. Sorry, I thought it was universal.


--------------------
Commercial exotics farmer for 8 years - now sold up!

Edited by solarity (02/09/11 07:41 AM)

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Offlineneriwa
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Re: New Commercial Gourmet Grower [Re: solarity]
    #13941337 - 02/10/11 07:16 PM (13 years, 1 month ago)

i'm looking to sell 300 lbs a week this summer.  I'll take photos if i succeed haha

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Offlineb3jamboree
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Re: New Commercial Gourmet Grower [Re: neriwa]
    #13949759 - 02/12/11 03:38 AM (13 years, 1 month ago)

As a grower who made a living farming mushrooms for 2 years let me warn you: it is a shit ton of work. If you like being paid $200 bucks a week for 80 hours of work it may be a job for you.

My best advice: forget about oysters; they are way too much hassle to grow on a large scale. Shiitake are a better mushroom all around; price, shelf life, general gourmet value.

I think the least laborious, most sustainable method would be a huge shiitake log farm. You could just add thousands of logs every year and by the third or fourth year you would be making a killing.

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Offlinefaffle
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Re: New Commercial Gourmet Grower [Re: b3jamboree]
    #13950073 - 02/12/11 08:18 AM (13 years, 1 month ago)

Quote:

b3jamboree said:
As a grower who made a living farming mushrooms for 2 years let me warn you: it is a shit ton of work. If you like being paid $200 bucks a week for 80 hours of work it may be a job for you.

My best advice: forget about oysters; they are way too much hassle to grow on a large scale. Shiitake are a better mushroom all around; price, shelf life, general gourmet value.

I think the least laborious, most sustainable method would be a huge shiitake log farm. You could just add thousands of logs every year and by the third or fourth year you would be making a killing.



????? maybe you should have charged more for your mushrooms....I was able to produce 2 lbs per hour with one pasteurization barrel.  Sold everything at farmers market for $16/lb.  Even if we assume half of that money went toward expenses, it's still $16 per hour.  I think too many people here charge too little for their product. Setting your prices too low is the WORST thing you can do.  It's a complete waste of effort.


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OfflineCryogenicz
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Re: New Commercial Gourmet Grower [Re: faffle]
    #13950344 - 02/12/11 10:03 AM (13 years, 1 month ago)

If you grow a good product, you can charge more. I never can find nice looking oysters for any price.. They are always small, or rotting. If you can produce large oysters, good color, young but large oysters, you could do well.

-Graham


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Invisiblearis
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Re: Update [Re: RogerRabbit]
    #13979110 - 02/17/11 02:25 PM (13 years, 1 month ago)

I just grabbed a fixer-upper.  This thing might be a classic!. 

A 7 HP mighty max chipper used for $50.  Currently it only stays running for a 15-30 seconds before loosing power :frown:  hope it just needs the carb cleaned. 

Wish me luck!!



Quote:


http://www.kk.org/cooltools/archives/2008_07-full.php

MacKissic Mighty Mac Chipper Shredder

I bought a Mighty Mac shredder/chipper about 25 years ago, have used it -- heavily at times -- all these years and, with a few engine repairs and turning the shredder blades around once (they are 2-sided), it's worked flawlessly on our 1/2-acre homestead. This is a "hammermill" chipper with free-swinging hammer blades for the top-feed hopper, as well as a chipper, a side feed where you put in larger branches (it will grind up a 2x4) at a 90-degree angle to the balanced flywheel blade that runs on the same axle as the shredder blades. If you get one of the bigger professional type units you don't need a separate grinder, but for home-style operation, I wouldn't fool with any of the lower-cost feed-it-in-the-top units. You don't really need to shred stuff like oak leaves (they compost nicely as is), and the smaller shredders tend to choke on stuff such as 1-incg diameter branches. This unit has changeable screens so you can adjust from fine to coarse output.

-- Lloyd Kahn


 

Edited by aris (02/17/11 02:40 PM)

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Invisiblesolarity
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Re: Update [Re: aris]
    #13980043 - 02/17/11 05:16 PM (13 years, 1 month ago)

That thing looks great!
Could just be either a blocked fuel filter (some times a bit of steel wool inside the pick up tube!), or a blocked tank vent. Either way a bargain!


--------------------
Commercial exotics farmer for 8 years - now sold up!

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Invisiblearis
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Re: Update [Re: solarity]
    #13980118 - 02/17/11 05:27 PM (13 years, 1 month ago)

These are just the sort of tips i needed!

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Invisiblesolarity
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Re: Update [Re: aris]
    #13983208 - 02/18/11 05:42 AM (13 years, 1 month ago)

Glad to help!

If anyone else is looking and want something designed for the job, search for "bedding chopper" or "portable bale chopper". Good for small square bales and paper - but wont deal with wood etc.


--------------------
Commercial exotics farmer for 8 years - now sold up!

Edited by solarity (02/18/11 10:42 AM)

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InvisibleGroboClone
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02/21/11 [Re: solarity]
    #14000607 - 02/21/11 11:04 AM (13 years, 1 month ago)

Thanks for the input everyone. I am going to hold off on the straw until I can find a good shredder.

All the cultures are coming along nicely. The Pearl Oyster from Ralph_E is the fastest and has overtaken the other two. The plates have been transfered, master slants are colonizing and some rye jars as well.



For the first round I'm going to use hardwood fuel pellets in 12"x24" autoclave bags. Would the sawdust be enough or should I also find some wood chips?

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InvisibleGroboClone
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Filter Bags [Re: GroboClone]
    #14004643 - 02/21/11 11:04 PM (13 years, 1 month ago)

Here are the filter bags I made up today. I took an old peanut butter jar and cut the bottom off. I passed a flame over the edge to smooth it down so it wouldn't rip the bag. The lid is cut out and a standard jar insert slips right in.



I use N95 respirator filters for all my jars. I get them from an automotive paint supply place. They aren't cheap, I think the wholesale cost is around $35 per 24 filters, so it helps to have a friend in the industry :smirk:.  They are only 95% efficient down to .3 microns but I have hundreds in circulation, some for years, and haven't noticed any increased contamination. You can get filters that are more efficient, N99 (99%)  N100 (99.97%), but I would imagine they would be even more expensive. The ones I get are 90 mm in diameter and fit a Wide Mouth jar perfectly and I usually cut them down to fit standard 70mm jars.

I also went out to get some wood pellets but none of the bags said anything about hard wood on them. Are they all hard wood or to they have to mention it specifically?

Edited by GroboClone (02/21/11 11:49 PM)

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Offlinepepper
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Re: Filter Bags [Re: GroboClone]
    #14006097 - 02/22/11 06:51 AM (13 years, 1 month ago)

Quote:

GroboClone said:
Here are the filter bags I made up today. I took an old peanut butter jar and cut the bottom off. I passed a flame over the edge to smooth it down so it wouldn't rip the bag. The lid is cut out and a standard jar insert slips right in.



I use N95 respirator filters for all my jars. I get them from an automotive paint supply place. They aren't cheap, I think the wholesale cost is around $35 per 24 filters, so it helps to have a friend in the industry :smirk:.  They are only 95% efficient down to .3 microns but I have hundreds in circulation, some for years, and haven't noticed any increased contamination. You can get filters that are more efficient, N99 (99%)  N100 (99.97%), but I would imagine they would be even more expensive. The ones I get are 90 mm in diameter and fit a Wide Mouth jar perfectly and I usually cut them down to fit standard 70mm jars.

I also went out to get some wood pellets but none of the bags said anything about hard wood on them. Are they all hard wood or to they have to mention it specifically?



That's a neat idea.:toast:


--------------------
 

Trade list    OR    :pm:<-------

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OfflineRogerRabbitM
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Re: Filter Bags [Re: GroboClone]
    #14006149 - 02/22/11 07:19 AM (13 years, 1 month ago)

Quote:

GroboClone said:


I use N95 respirator filters for all my jars. I get them from an automotive paint supply place. They aren't cheap, I think the wholesale cost is around $35 per 24 filters, so it helps to have a friend in the industry :smirk:.  They are only 95% efficient down to .3 microns but I have hundreds in circulation, some for years, and haven't noticed any increased contamination. You can get filters that are more efficient, N99 (99%)  N100 (99.97%), but I would imagine they would be even more expensive.





Not quite. .3 micron, 99% synthetic filter disks already cut to fit 70mm and 90mm jars are around 40 cents each, and less if you buy 100 or more at a time.
RR


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"I've never had a failed experiment.  I've only discovered 10,000 methods which do not work."
Thomas Edison

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InvisibleGroboClone
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Re: Filter Bags [Re: RogerRabbit]
    #14006474 - 02/22/11 09:32 AM (13 years, 1 month ago)

Good to point that out RR. The proper filter disks can be had for very reasonable rates. I use the respirator filters because they are available to me locally, cost me next to nothing and work well. YMMV (your mileage may vary)

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OfflineOICU812
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Re: Update [Re: GroboClone]
    #16149031 - 04/27/12 09:27 PM (11 years, 10 months ago)

Quote:

GroboClone said:

Picked up a dozen bales of straw, so now I need a shredder/chipper. Thinking either a Flowtron LE-900 or a Eco-Shredder ES1600







I understand that a lot of people are having success shredding straw using a blower/vac: 

Shredding Straw Made Easy - by: Ripper

Youtube - Shredding Straw


--------------------
--------------
"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote!" --Benjamin Franklin

"Those who give up liberty for security won't have, or deserve, either.". . . Benjamin Franklin
----> Read: The Fight of our Lives - Defeating the Ideological War Against the West - by Victor Davis Hanson

Edited by OICU812 (04/27/12 09:39 PM)

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