There are still a few places left on our Mushroom Cultivation course running next month at Red Pig Farm. An excellent time to come and visit these woodlands rich in fungal diversity and learn more about the weird and wonderful world of fungi. *What?* This three day course will provide you with a background in the fascinating world of fungal biology and the core principle and practices that underlie the art and science of mushroom cultivation. By the end of course you will have everything you need to start growing your own mushrooms at home, on your farm, or in your community including the mushroom spawn to get you started! *You will learn:* - The fascinating biology, ecology, and history of the Fungal Kingdom - Wild mushroom identification fungal foray - Aseptic (“sterile”) practices with agar, grains, compost, and wood-based materials - The core principles and paradigms that underlie the art and science of cultivation - Bulk spawn production, processing growing mediums and substrates - Appropriate, low-cost, and low-tech cultivation methods and tools - Lab and fruiting environment designs for home-, farm-, or community-scale projects - Log cultivation - Outdoor mushroom garden design and installation - application of fungi with integrated agro-ecosystems - Place-based resource management and systems design principles - Fungal integration into various permaculture-inspired sustainable living systems - Biochar & fungi - Biogas & fungi *Mushroom Species You’ll Learn to Grow Include:* - *Garden Giant *(*Stropharia rugosoannulata*) - *Cordyceps* (*Cordyceps sinensis*) - *Pearl Oyster *(*Pluerotus ostreatus*) - *Lion’s Mane* (*Hericium erinaceus*) - *Reishi* (*Ganoderma lucidum*) - *Turkey Tail *(*Trametes versicolor*) - *Maitake* (*Grifola frondosa*) - *King Trumpet* (*Pleurotus eryngii*) - *Shiitake *(*Lentinula edodes*) - *Elm Oyster* (*Hypsizgus ulmarius**)* *Who?* *James Skrivez*: Founder of Mycogeneration, James is the head mushroom grower at Red Pig Farm. It all began with an oyster mushroom from St Anthony’s well in the forest of Dean and James has running with mycellium ever since. After some initial growing success in the abandoned pantry of Yorkley Court Farmhouse he followed the fungi westward and found an ideal woodland to grow mushrooms in complete with Laboratory and processing unit. *Sam Lawson*: Sam Lawson, from Leeds, has been interested in fungi for several years. After some initial poking around in the woods independently without much success, he was served a cornucopia of wild mushrooms at a friend’s house, and since then has devoted much time and thought to enabling more people to eat better mushrooms more often. Sam now spends most of his time in Autumn improving his knowledge of native fungal species and exploring new locations for foraging; for the rest of the year the focus shifts to small-scale cultivation, particularly on developing new methods of cultivation which are less energy-intensive and make better use of resources normally deemed to be ‘waste’. *When?* September 16th-18th, 2016 *Where*? Red Pig Farm, Brecon Beacons, SA19 9DR *How Much?* The cost of the course is banded on the basis of income and includes food, accommodation and materials: - Up to 14K/year £95 - 14K-20K/year £150 - 20K upwards £180 *How to Book* To book a place on the course contact us by phone or e-mail and we’ll send you a booking form. Please note that we ask that you pay a 25% non refundable deposit to secure a place on the course. -- www.agroecology.co.uk [email protected] 07808168562