{"id":115721,"date":"2024-01-03T07:00:24","date_gmt":"2024-01-03T12:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hobbyfarms.com\/?p=115721"},"modified":"2025-07-14T10:26:12","modified_gmt":"2025-07-14T14:26:12","slug":"mushrooms-bring-profit-at-possum-bottom-farms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hobbyfarms.com\/mushrooms-bring-profit-at-possum-bottom-farms\/","title":{"rendered":"Mushrooms Bring Profit At Possum Bottom Farms"},"content":{"rendered":"

G<\/span>rowing mushrooms<\/a><\/strong> can be a great way to diversify your wares at your local farmers market and be an additional food source for your family. But raising them does come with special considerations.<\/p>\n

John Lawton and his wife, Susan, raise mushrooms at their Possum Bottom Farms<\/strong> in Whitwell, Tennessee. Lawton, a former electrical engineer, feels that it\u2019s his analytical background that allows him to make a success of his business. He was first introduced to mushroom cultivation by a business partner in Charleston, South Carolina, who had started growing mushrooms for restaurants<\/a><\/strong>. The idea of raising them on his 70-acre farm quickly took root.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe tried selling hay<\/a><\/strong>. But if I\u2019ve got hay, everybody has hay,\u201d Lawton says. \u201cIt was the same way with corn and tomatoes. But I looked around, and nobody was growing mushrooms.\u201d<\/p>\n

A Complex Process<\/b><\/h2>\n

It didn\u2019t take long for Lawton to realize that a certain level of difficulty is involved. \u201cIt is complex,\u201d Lawton says. \u201cYou have to wear many different hats. It is not just the cultivation. It is the lab work and the systems.\u201d But it\u2019s the level of difficulty that Lawton finds attractive.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lawton says that one aspect of many that set his farm apart is his methods of cultivation. \u201cWe grow in climate-controlled conditions,\u201d he says. \u201cMost everyone else is growing at room temperature.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Lawton describes his climate-controlled con<\/span>ditions as a temperature of between 55 and 60 <\/span>degrees with 90 percent humidity. \u201cWe also control the CO<\/span>2<\/sub><\/span>,\u201d he says. \u201cSome of the mushrooms are sensitive to CO<\/span>2<\/sub><\/span> because they breathe oxygen and exhale CO<\/span>2<\/sub><\/span> just like we do. You have to constantly flush the rooms when they are in the fruiting cycle, and you have to constantly flush the rooms to keep the CO<\/span>2<\/sub><\/span> from building up.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The benefit of growing in climate-controlled conditions is that he can set the timetable for harvesting, adding that he and Susan set their harvest time for Thursdays and Fridays to be prepared for their Saturday market. Although this process is a more expensive method, it\u2019s well worth the investment in terms of product consistency.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s more expensive to grow this way and, consequently, we have to sell more mushrooms,\u201d he says. \u201cWe operate more on a volume level where we sell a little bit cheaper, but we go for a bigger haul.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Lawton adds that consistency in product quality and amount is what his customers seek. This practice allows him to target the largest markets in Tennessee. \u201cThe smaller markets don\u2019t work for us,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\"mushrooms\"<\/p>\n

Marketing Mushrooms<\/b><\/h2>\n

In addition to being raised in climate-controlled conditions, the Lawtons raise their mushroom on blocks. \u201cAll of the mushrooms we take to market are farmed,\u201d he says. \u201cWe do not do any wild cultivation or wild harvest.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Lawtons primarily use social media, mostly Facebook and Instagram, to market their product. They also have a presence on Google and their website, PossumBottomFarms.com<\/a>.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Initially, the Lawtons wanted to sell their mushrooms to restaurants because they felt this would provide a steady demand as opposed to setting up at local farmer\u2019s markets. But what they soon discovered was exactly the opposite.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was much easier to sell large quantities at a farmers market,\u201d he says. But there is a caveat. \u201cThe smaller markets don\u2019t work,\u201d he says. \u201cYou have to be in a large market.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

He gives examples of the markets he frequents in the Franklin, Murfreesboro and Knoxville, Tennessee, areas, he says, that cater to foodies. Lawton says that the difficulty with selling to restaurants comes mainly from staff changes and the financial stability of the restaurants themselves, which translates to a fluctuating demand.<\/p>\n

Learning the Ropes<\/b><\/h2>\n

Raising mushrooms is a tricky business. \u201cIt took me about two and a half years to learn,\u201d Lawton says. \u201cThat was trial and error and learning on my own,\u201d Lawton, who now also offers consultation services, explains. The industry has a high dropout rate of about 85 percent, so Lawton tailors his consultation services only to those already past the basic mushroom cultivation stage. He cites the high failure rate in raising the mushrooms themselves, which often drives people away.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

As well, mushrooms, Lawton says, are a limited market. He advises identifying your market before making your first purchases.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMake sure you have enough of a market to justify the expense,\u201d he says. It also helps to have a solid business plan. To that end, Lawton has developed a system that he calls full-circle farming.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you produce mushrooms at the volume that we do, we produce a lot of compost,\u201d Lawton says. \u201cWe get to use that compost. It\u2019s free fertilizer.\u201d Lawton takes agricultural waste products such as sawdust, logs and straw that he then uses to cultivate mushrooms. \u201cWe use worms to break that back down into compost that we use to grow vegetables, so it completes the circle,\u201d he says.<\/span><\/p>\n

For those seeking to learn by experimentation, Lawton advises starting with shiitake logs. \u201cThey are the cheapest and easiest because they are done outdoors,\u201d he says. \u201cAll you need is a shady spot, some logs, a drill and an inoculation tool.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Lawton explains that the purpose of starting at this level is to learn the mushroom cycle. \u201cLearn how to manipulate the logs,\u201d he says. \u201cThere are things that you can do to force it to produce mushrooms.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Another thing you can do, Lawton says, is to purchase logs from another producer. \u201cThe hardest part is producing your blocks in the lab because of all of the blue mold,\u201d Lawton says. \u201cIt\u2019s the bane of the mushroom farmer\u2019s existence.\u201d Lawton adds that once the mold gets established it\u2019s incredibly hard to get rid of.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have to be clean, clean, clean.\u201d<\/p>\n

In countries that grow more mushrooms than the United States, the model is to have a lab that produces the cultures, another that produces the growing medium and another that grows the mushrooms. \u201cWe\u2019re getting to that stage where you can buy your blocks and not have to produce them yourself,\u201d he says, \u201cwhich will save you a lot of time and frustration because your contamination rates can be pretty high if you do not have the right setup.\u201d But a noteworthy drawback of purchasing blocks is their expense. \u201cYou would have to sell a significant quantity of mushroom, about 100 to 150 pounds per week, to break even,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

For those seeking to purchase blocks yet learn about raising mushrooms on them on a smaller scale, Lawton recommends using a small hobby-framed greenhouse kit. By adding a little humidity, he says, you can learn the process and raise mushrooms in your garage or basement.<\/p>\n

A Scalable Product<\/b><\/h2>\n

Expenses notwithstanding, growing mushrooms on blocks are what Lawton feels makes his system very scalable. Prepared blocks are stored in a cooler at a temperature of 40 degrees. In this manner, they are held for up to two months before they are exposed to oxygen, which starts the fruiting cycle. Ten days to two weeks later, they produce mushrooms.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The process allows the Lawtons to adjust their harvest according to need and to target certain prime market periods like Memorial Day weekend, the Fourth of July, Father\u2019s Day, etc. \u201cIt\u2019s a little bit more sophisticated system, but it works pretty well,\u201d he says. But, he adds, for this system, it\u2019s critical to keep backups of important components such as exhaust fans, misting system pumps and air conditioners. Losing even one of these, at this level, could cause losses upwards of $15,000 at a time.<\/p>\n

Another option is raising oyster mushrooms on straw. While your selection will be limited, oyster mushrooms do offer the opportunity to raise your product on several different substrates, including wheat straw, cardboard, wood chips and various types of soybean hull pellets.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are very healthy for you,\u201d Lawton says. \u201cAnd they are delicious.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"mushrooms\"<\/p>\n

Additional Products<\/b><\/h2>\n

The Lawtons raise a variety of mushrooms including black pearl king oyster, lion\u2019s mane, golden oyster and shiitake, along with mushroom powders. \u201cAnything we don\u2019t sell fresh gets dried and powered for our culinary products,\u201d John Lawton says. To preserve the nutrition of the fresh mushrooms, the Lawtons dry their product at 104 degrees F.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf you dry over 120 degrees, the chemistry starts to change and you lose flavor,\u201d he says. One of his favorite aspects of raising mushrooms is educating the public about the nutritional aspects, recipes and flavor pairings of culinary mushrooms.<\/p>\n

Before COVID-19, the Lawtons also sold pre-inoculated mushroom-producing logs. \u201cThey are a pretty easy way to grow mushrooms in your backyard,\u201d he says. However, the pandemic led to an increased demand for firewood, making the hardwood logs that he sought to create these logs increasingly unavailable. He hopes to begin offering the product again this year.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lawton says that regardless of the reason for your interest in raising mushrooms, they can be a fun learning opportunity and a profitable enterprise if you\u2019re willing to put in the time and research.<\/span><\/p>\n

O<\/span>nce you have identified your market and learned about the fruiting cycle and how it can be manipulated, Lawton advises that you\u2019re now ready to do some research and identify someone to study under who teaches mushroom cultivation. Attending seminars on the topic is a great option while at the same time advising against watching YouTube videos. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou only get about 80 percent of what you need to know from those,\u201d he says. Self-taught learning experiences on a small scale coupled with more formal education, when you are ready for it, lead to lower failure rate<\/span>s.<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared in the Nov.\/Dec. 2023 issue of\u00a0<\/em>Hobby Farms\u00a0magazine.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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