Fall mushroom cultivation workshop

The Mushroom Cultivation Workshop held on Saturday, September 4 at the Darr Center was interesting and fun. We learned about Shiitake mushroom cultivation and actually got to inoculate our own oak log for production. It takes a year for the fungi to grow into the log before they will produce mushrooms. The log may produce up to 5 years! Dr. Goerndt of Missouri State partnered with the UMC Center for Agroforestry to offer this event.

Dr. Goerndt, right, helps Susanne Howard, horticulturist at the Missouri State Fruit Experiment Station in Mountain Grove, drill holes in an oak log for innoculation with spawn. — Dr. Goerndt (right), MSU Agriculture forestry professor, helps Susanne Howard (left), horticulturist at the Missouri State Fruit Experiment Station, drill holes in an oak log for inoculation with spawn.