The process of setting up a mushroom growing farm is a multi-stage one. Whether you are in the planning stage or already want to start building or equipping your mushroom growing farm, there are a couple of important decisions that you have to make that will significantly impact the farm’s future profits. Namely, whether to choose a general contractor or use the services of experts that specialise in narrow areas. What’s the better option? Read on to find out!
What are the advantages of hiring a general contractor?
There are quite a few advantages to choosing to hire a general contractor that are worth considering. A comprehensive contractor will, as the name of this profession suggests, take care of the whole process of equipping the mushroom growing farm from A to Z. Thus, the owner won’t have to try to find a common language with many people – just one will do. This kind of easy, straightforward communication will allow for significant time savings. Having the trusted contractor deal with the whole construction and equipment stage gives investors more time for other important factors of the business, such as setting up the sales and marketing department, figuring out the logistics and hiring the pickers and other employees. Another crucial advantage of a general contractor is that usually, when buying materials, equipment and so on in one place, there’s a possibility of getting a discount, thus saving money.
However, there’s a reason why the “jack of all trades, master of none” saying is so popular. It’s hard to be perfect at everything, so often a self-proclaimed perfect contractor will have some weak spots and won’t be able to ensure peak service throughout his whole offer. It’s not a rare thing – many investors have had this kind of problem while constructing or equipping their mushroom growing farm.
When will other solutions be a better choice?
It’s hard, if not impossible, to achieve the high profitability of a mushroom growing farm without first learning what factors into whether the investment will be a success or not. It’s also worth remembering that sometimes the smallest things matter the most, so cutting corners is not a good idea. Saving some money at first due to lower quality materials, for example, can lead to significant long-term losses, which wouldn’t happen if better solutions were used. Additionally, while automation is more prevalent than ever, employment costs are still very significant. Therefore, selecting the optimal solution is the way to go. It can lead to significantly higher harvesting efficiency, while also lowering employment costs, which in practice means a very profitable investment.
What products and areas are the most important?
The first thing to do for every investor that wants to run a profitable mushroom growing farm is to learn more about the types of available mushroom farm equipment, its features, main advantages and so on. This knowledge will be very helpful while assessing which equipment to choose to ensure peak efficiency (and profitability) in the long term. Some of the most important pieces of equipment that are worth paying special attention to include:
- mushroom picking lorries
- watering systems
- aluminium shelving for mushrooms
- growing nets and growing tunnel covers
- lightning of mushrooms
- climate control.
Every kind of equipment is available on the market in many versions. Each model is created using different technologies, solutions, materials and so on, which is why they can differ in quality.
Growing nets are an interesting example of how much the quality of the equipment can affect the mushroom growing farm in the long term. Growing net made of lower-quality materials is likely to start narrowing after a short time, which has severe consequences. If the net’s too narrow, the substrate can fall off its edges, which shouldn’t happen, so such a net has to be replaced, generating additional costs. Meanwhile, higher quality nets can last for over a decade without this kind of problem. Therefore, they are the better option, both cost-wise and time saving-wise.
Mushroom picking trolley are another example of how big of a role high-quality mushroom farm equipment plays in the viability of the whole business. With low-quality lorries, there are such problems as frequent malfunctions (due to the fact that materials are less durable and thus more fault-prone). Malfunctions not only generate additional costs, since the trolleys need to be serviced but also hugely lower the productivity of the farm until the machines are fixed and pickers can resume their normal duties. High-quality trolleys are not only much more durable but also are distinguished by their optimal time of continuous operation. They can run continuously for up to 30 hours before they need to be recharged, which ensures much more efficient work than in the case of trolleys that need to be recharged more frequently. Another important feature of a good trolley is easy picking from the bottom shelf of the shelving – not only in theory but also in practice.
Summary
Our experience in the mushroom growing industry has taught us that choosing a general contractor can mean savings in the short term, but a lot of problems and additional costs in the long term. Such contractors deal with the whole process of constructing and equipping a mushroom growing farm, all while focusing on lowering the price of the whole endeavour as much as possible. However, lower price usually means outdated solutions and low durability, which doesn’t bode well for a farm that should be as efficient as possible for it to bring the desired profits.
The best way to ensure that the solutions used in the mushroom growing farm will be optimal is to choose an appropriate contractor. Since it’s not easy to specialise in every possible area of construction and equipment, a general contractor might not offer such solutions. In that case, it’s best to contact a proven, reliable supplier that does indeed offer them.
About the author:
GROWTIME is a proven supplier of high-quality equipment for mushroom growing farms all over the world. Its mushroom picking lorries are renowned for their ability tosignificantly raise the harvesting efficiency. You can learn more about the company’s offer at growtime.eu
