Pennsylvania mushroom industry rebounding from blizzard
Pennsylvania mushroom industry rebounding from blizzard
Pennsylvania mushroom growers are recovering from a massive blizzard Jan. 22-23 that resulted in major disruptions in the Northeast.
The blizzard, Jonas, dumped 20-30 inches of snow across Pennsylvania, affecting deliveries, harvesting and packing operations. According to growers, roofs collapsed under the weight of the snow and personnel were not able to get to work, so fresh mushrooms couldn’t be harvested.
The storm resulting in state of emergency declarations in 10 states, including Pennsylvania, which banned empty trucks from being on the roads.
To aid recovery efforts, Pennsylvania Secretary of Transportation Leslie S. Richards issued a proclamation, effective Jan. 24-28, that requirements for delivery drivers’ hours of service would be extended for transporters of feed, food, dairy products and pharmaceuticals to food processing, distribution, retail and wholesale food establishments.
“This is the first time I can remember in 42 years that Phillips had to close,” Jim Angelucci, general manager at Phillips Mushrooms, based in Kennett Square, PA, said in a statement. “We are working very hard to get back to normal, and we hope our customers will be patient with us.”
The American Mushroom Institute said it is also possible that the snow could have an effect on the preparation of substrate — the growing medium for mushrooms — for the balance of first quarter 2016.
