Avondale, PA – The Mushroom Farmers of Pennsylvania (MFPA) were greatly impacted by the Jan. 22-23, 2016 blizzard named Jonas. Ten states including Pennsylvania and surrounding Mid-Atlantic states declared States of Emergency beginning on Friday, Jan. 22. 85 million people were impacted, according to reports, including the mushroom farms and packing houses.
Between 20 and 30 inches of snow fell in PA over the weekend. The snow storm effected deliveries, harvesting, packing and disrupted distribution of PA mushrooms. According to growers, roofs have collapsed under the weight of the snow and personnel were not able to get to work, so fresh mushrooms couldn’t be harvested. The State of Emergency in PA banned empty trucks from being on the roads.
PA growers are quickly recovering from the impact of the storm and working to get back to normal business operations. Pennsylvania’s Secretary of Transportation 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.
Jim Angelucci, General Manager at Phillips Mushrooms said, ““This is the first time I can remember in 42 years that Phillips had to close. We are working very hard to get back to normal, and we hope our customers will be patient with us.”
It is also possible that the snow could impact the preparation of substrate – the growing medium for mushrooms – for the balance of first quarter 2016.
Source: Mushroom Farmers of Pennsylvania (MFPA)
