First Cultivation Workshop

The Arizona Mushroom Growers Association is excited to announce  our first cultivation workshop!

"Fundamental of Small-Scale Mushroom Production" will be held on January 13th, 2016 from 1 - 5pm at Tucson Village Farm at the Pima County Cooperative Extension Office.  Presenting the workshop is  Dr. Barry Pryor of the University of Arizona's School of Plant Sciences, and Thom Plasse, Instructional Specialist at Tucson Village Farm.

Dr. Pryor is a plant pathologist with a strong interest in mycology and commercial mushroom cultivation. He also is the founder of the student-led MycoCats, who for three years have been recycling waste by turning it into mushrooms that feed the U of A student population. Thom Plasse has been an educator at Tucson Village Farm (TVF) since 2011, and leads up the mushroom production operation there. He also has been working with Dr. Pryor over the past year bolstering the MycoCats' mushroom production.

This workshop will equip participants with all of the knowledge needed to start up their own growing operation. We'll also be visiting TVF's small-scale fruiting shed and the MycoCats' hoophouse to get a first-hand look at different models and scales of production. Topics covered at the workshop will include:

- Mushroom biology
- Culture techniques
- Spawning
- Inoculation
- Appropriate substrate materials
- Arizona-friendly mushroom varieties
- Necessary facilities and equipment
- Sources of strains and spawn
- Troubleshooting common cultivation problems
- Economic viability of mushroom cultivation in Arizona
- Fruiting mushrooms simply at home

In addition to all this valuable info, participants will leave the workshop with a fully-colonized, ready-to-fruit bag of Pleurotus (Oyster mushroom) mycelium that will produce mushrooms at home.

The cost of the workshop is $20. Payment will be received on the day of the workshop - cash or check.

To register, email Thom at tplasse@email.arizona.edu and he will add you to the list. Hope to see you there!