2
CapitalPress.com
December 16, 2016
People & Places
No California sun for this crop
John Ashbaugh
grows mushroom
farm by using
renewable energy
Established 1928
Board of directors
Mike Forrester ..........................President
Steve Forrester
Kathryn Brown
Sid Freeman .................. Outside director
Mike Omeg .................... Outside director
Corporate officer
John Perry
Chief operating officer
Capital Press Managers
Mike O’Brien .............................Publisher
Joe Beach ..................................... Editor
Elizabeth Yutzie Sell .... Advertising Director
Carl Sampson ................Managing Editor
Barbara Nipp ......... Production Manager
Samantha McLaren .... Circulation Manager
By JULIA HOLLISTER
For the Capital Press
COLUSA, Calif. — John
Ashbaugh readily admits that
running a large
mushroom
company is a
huge leap from
his previous job
— as an elec-
trical engineer
in the Silicon
John
Valley.
Ashbaugh
“I grew up in
Rockwell City,
Iowa, where my father was a
large animal veterinarian so
I was exposed to the farming
community,” he said. “I got
my degree from Iowa State
and spent 20 years working
in hardware and software in
the San Francisco Bay Area
before relocating to Northern
California with my family.”
Premier Mushrooms Inc.
in Colusa started as an invest-
ment in 2007 with Ashbaugh
involved in the daily opera-
tions.
“Although
seemingly
mushrooms will grow any-
where, they are an extremely
sensitive product to grow con-
sistent quality and yields,” he
said. “Mushrooms are grown
in environmentally controlled
dark rooms and are very sen-
sitive to temperature, humidi-
ty and carbon dioxide. These
parameters change during
the eight-week growing
cycle.”
The soil is referred to as
mushroom substrate, made
from wheat straw, chicken
litter, cottonseed meal and
gypsum. Chicken litter and
cottonseed meal provide ni-
trogen and the gypsum is
used to adjust the acidity. The
mixture is composted over 15
days, resulting in conditions
that are specific to growing
mycelium and not any other
molds or fungus.
The company began 9
years ago with 16 growing
Capital Press
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1400 Broadway St. NE, Salem OR 97301.
Courtesy of Premier Mushrooms
One of 64 growing rooms at Premier Mushrooms. The company produces more than 300,000 pounds of mushrooms a week.
Western
Innovator
John Ashbaugh
Occupation: CEO, Premier
Mushrooms
Location: Colusa, Calif.
Courtesy of Premier Mushrooms
Mushrooms thrive in a special substrate that provides the perfect
growing conditions.
rooms producing 60,000
pounds of mushrooms per
week and now has 64 rooms
producing 300,000 pounds
per week.
The company currently
grows agaricus, white but-
ton and cremini mushrooms.
A Portabella mushroom is a
larger cremini that is allowed
to grow for an additional two
days.
“We sell mostly to local
retail stores and food service
companies in California,”
Ashbaugh said. “We have
been on the Inc. Magazine’s
fastest-growing companies
list four out of the last five
years. Locally grown and
healthier eating choices are
attributed to the growth of the
market.”
There are some issues
sprouting that impact the
state’s mushroom industry.
“The fresh market mush-
room industry is very la-
bor-intensive; every mush-
room is picked by hand,”
he said. “Because all wages
are relative to the minimum
wage, the changes in Califor-
nia labor laws for minimum
Education: Bachelor
of science in electrical
engineering from Iowa State
University
Quote: “It would be much
more productive if every-
one focused on reducing
the waste of our natural
resources versus debat-
ing the cause of global
warning.”
wage and agriculture over-
time will be the biggest chal-
lenge in the coming years.
Imports from other states and
countries (Canada and Mexi-
co) with lower cost structures
are a concern.”
Melodie Johnson, execu-
tive manager of the Colusa
County Farm Bureau, had
praise for Ashbaugh’s contri-
butions to the region’s agri-
culture.
“Premier Mushroom do-
nates product to our annual
fundraiser every year,” she
said. “In addition, Mr. Ash-
baugh provided guided tours
for Colusa County Farm Bu-
reau’s ‘Dirt Days.’”
These events include two
full days of ag tours through-
out the county to educate
teachers about the food they
eat and where it comes from.
The company also pro-
vides grants to local nonprof-
its, she said.
Ashbaugh stresses the
company’s respect for the
land and reducing its carbon
footprint.
“Since we environmental-
ly control our growing pro-
cess, it is both capital- and
energy-intensive,” he said.
“About five years ago, we got
serious about our sustainabili-
ty program. Over that time we
have reduced our energy us-
age by over 1.4 million kilo-
watt-hours and now produce
about a third of our energy by
burning walnut shells from
the local area.”
The company also has
zero water discharge and sells
biochar and spent compost to
local farms as a soil amend-
ment.
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Calendar
GASES / WELDING / SAFETY / FIRE
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To submit an event go to the
Community Events calendar on the
home page of our website at www.
capitalpress.com and click on “Sub-
mit an Event.” Calendar items can
also be mailed to Capital Press,
1400 Broadway St. NE, Salem, OR
97301.
Salem. Presented by the Oregon
Blueberry Commission and the
North Willamette Research and
Extension Center. 503-589-1700
or oregonblueberry.com.
Wednesday-Friday
Jan. 4-6
38th Annual
Ag Expo. Idaho
Holt Arena, 921
Pocatello, Idaho.
ductions.com
Potato Expo 2017. Moscone
Center West, 800 Howard St.
San Francisco, Calif. potato-expo.
com
Friday-Wednesday
Jan. 6-11
2017 American Farm Bureau
Federation Annual Convention &
IDEAg Trade Show. Phoenix Con-
vention Center, 100 N Third St.,
Phoenix, Ariz. http://annualcon-
vention.fb.org
Tuesday, Jan. 10
Idaho-Eastern Oregon Alfalfa
and Clover Seed School. Caldwell
Elks Lodge, Caldwell, Idaho. Con-
tact: benjamin@amgidaho.org
Thursday, Jan. 12
Inside the Family, Outside the
Business. 7:30 to 9 a.m., Bridge-
Port BrewPub, 1313 NW Marshall
St., Portland. This session will
explore how family members in-
volved in the business can best
communicate and collaborate
with non-active members. We will
share first-hand insights from a
panel of non-active family mem-
bers on how they have faced the
challenges of being inside the
family, but outside the business.
Presented by the Austin Family
Business Program, Oregon State
University. $40 per person. 800-
859-7609 http://bit.ly/2gQX6M4
Thursday-Friday
Jan. 12-13
Oregon Mint Growers Annual
Meeting. Salishan Lodge & Golf
Resort, 7760 Hwy 101 North,
Gleneden Beach, Ore. oregon-
mint.org
Monday, Jan. 16
Oregon Blueberry Conference.
8 a.m.-6 p.m. Salem Convention
Center, 200 Commercial St. SE,
Tuesday-Thursday
Jan. 17-19
Eastern Idaho
State University
South 8th Ave.,
www.spectrapro-
Wednesday-Thursday
Jan. 18-19
49th Annual Idaho Potato Con-
ference. Idaho State University’s
Pond Student Union Building, 921
South 8th Ave., Pocatello, Idaho.
Speakers include Idaho Potato
Commission President and CEO
Frank Muir, Potatoes USA Pres-
ident and CEO Blair Richardson
and National Potato Council Exec-
utive Vice President John Keeling.
http://bit.ly/2fayqPE
Idaho Noxious Weed Con-
ference. Riverside Hotel, 2900
Chinden Blvd., Boise, Idaho. www.
idahoweedcontrol.org
Wednesday-Friday
Jan. 18-20
Idaho Horticulture Expo. Boise
Centre on the Grove, 850 W Front
St., Boise, Idaho. Sponsored by
the Idaho Nursery and Landscape
Association, this annual event of-
fers seminars and workshops on
topics important to the nursery
industry. inlagrow.org
Thursday, Jan. 19
Oregon Tall Fescue Commis-
sion meeting. 6-8 p.m. Cascade
Grill restaurant, 110 Opal St. NE,
Albany, Ore. www.oregontallfes-
cue.org/
Friday, Jan. 20
Family Foresters Workshop,
8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Coeur d’Alene
Inn, 506 W. Appleway Ave., Coeur
d’Alene, Idaho. The program will
feature presentations on up and
coming forest products, changes
in Inland Northwest family forest-
ry, managing forests in the face
of droughts, effectiveness of pre-
scribed burns in preventing fire; re-
search updates on forest biofuels,
managing family forest habitats for
moose and the annual family forest
economics/policy update. Register
by Jan. 13. Cost: $85-$90, www.
uidaho.edu/FamilyForesterWork-
shop
Tuesday, Jan. 24
Western Idaho Ag Expo. 9 a.m.-
4 p.m. Caldwell Events Center,
2207 Blaine St., Caldwell, Idaho.
http://www.spectraproductions.com
Tuesday-Thursday
Jan. 24-26
Northwest Agricultural Show.
Portland Expo Center, 2060 N.
Marine Drive, Portland, Ore. The
hours are 9 a.m.-6 p.m. on Tues-
day, 9 a.m.-8 p.m. on Wednesday
and 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on Thursday.
www.nwagshow.com
Wednesday-Friday
Jan. 25-27
FSPCA Preventive Controls for
Human Food Course. Idaho De-
partment of Labor, 600 N. Thorn-
ton St., Post Falls, Idaho. The new
Food Safety Modernization Act
regulation requires every process-
ing facility to have a trained re-
source person or “Preventive Con-
trols Qualified Individual” who has
completed a specialized training
course (such as this one) devel-
oped by the Food Safety Preven-
tive Controls Alliance that is recog-
nized by the FDA. This person will
oversee the implementation of the
facility’s food safety plan and other
key tasks. http://bit.ly/2f6cogT
Wednesday-Saturday
Jan. 25-28
American Sheep industry As-
sociation Convention. Denver Mar-
riott City Center, 1701 California
St., Denver, Colo. www.sheepusa.
org/About_Events_Convention
Wednesday, Feb. 1
California Prune Industry Sum-
mit. Orchard Creek Lodge, Lincoln,
Calif. www.californiadriedplums.
org
Tuesday, Feb. 7
Pesticide Short Course-IPM. 8
a.m.-4:10 p.m. Lane Community
College, Center for Meeting and
Learning, Bldg. 19, 4000 E. 30th
Ave., Eugene, Ore. $85 if regis-
tered by Jan. 23; $95 after. http://
20 Northwest Locations
extension.oregonstae.edu/lane/
farms
Tuesday-Thursday
Feb. 7-9
Spokane Ag Expo and Pacific
Northwest Farm Forum. Spokane
Convention Center, 334 W. Spo-
kane Falls Blvd., Spokane, Wash.
Spokane Ag Expo is the largest
farm machinery show in the Inland
Northwest. https://greaterspokane.
org/ag-expo/
Wednesday-Feb. 8
Oregon Clover Growers Annual
Meeting. Noon-1 p.m. Holiday Inn,
Wilsonville, Ore.
Wednesday-Thursday
Feb. 8-9
The 8th Annual Organic Farm-
ing Conference. Canyon Crest
Event Center, 330 Canyon Crest
Drive, Twin Falls, Idaho. The event
is organized by the Northwest
Center for Alternatives to Pesti-
cides. www.pesticide.org/events
Tuesday-Thursday
Feb. 14-16
Practical Food Safety &
HACCP. The Riverside Hotel,
2900 Chinden Blvd., Boise, Ida-
ho. HACCP, or Hazard Analysis
Critical Control Points, is a pre-
ventive system for the control of
health-threatening food hazards
during food processing. The
comprehensive three-day work-
shop is designed for individuals
responsible for implementing and
managing a HACCP system in a
food processing facility. Partici-
pants who pass a final test will
receive a certificate of comple-
tion. http://bit.ly/2f2iJ9Q
Thursday, Feb. 16
Keeping Your Family Business
Communication on Track. 7:30 to
9 a.m. Hayden’s Lakefront Grill,
8187 SW Tualatin-Sherwood
Road, Tualatin, Ore. This session
will provide tools and techniques
that attendees can use right away
to cultivate better communication
among family members, employ-
ees, and shareholders. Presented
by: Mark Wickman, Family Busi-
ness Counsel. $40 per person.
800-859-7609,
http://bit.ly/2f-
PK987.
1-800-765-9055
Wednesday, March 8
Taxes and Succession Plan-
ning. Noon-1 p.m. Join us for a
free online webinar and an intro-
duction to how planning ahead
for estate and gift taxes can
help address family and busi-
ness needs and meet retirement
goals for the current generation.
Presented by: Carol Wachter
and Heather Tomsick, Deloitte
Tax LLP, and the Austin Family
Business Program, Oregon State
University. 800-859-7609, http://
bit.ly/2gW7Kjq
1 year Canada .................................$275
1 year other countries ......... call for quote
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Mailing address:
Capital Press
P.O. Box 2048
Salem, OR 97308-2048
News: Contact the main office or news
staff member closest to you, send the in-
formation to newsroom@capitalpress.com
or mail it to “Newsroom,” c/o Capital Press.
Include a contact telephone number.
Thursday, March 16
Building Family Business Value
from the Inside Out. 7:30 to 9 a.m.
BridgePort BrewPub, 1313 NW
Marshall St., Portland. Much can
be done to build the value of the
business from inside the enterprise,
and the earlier the process begins,
the more sustainable the results will
be. In addition to building value,
most businesses become more ef-
ficient and profitable along the way.
Presented by Francis Brown, Key
Private Bank and the Austin Family
Business Program, Oregon State
University. 800-859-7609, http://bit.
ly/2gR3KC0
Tuesday, April 11
Do Your Kids Want the Busi-
ness? Planning for Yes or No.
7:30 to 9 a.m. Hayden’s Lakefront
Grill, 8187 SW Tualatin-Sherwood
Road, Tualatin, Ore. This session
will deliver practical advice for fam-
ily business owners regarding next
generation succession. Presented
by Steve Bennett, Farleigh Wada
Witt and the Austin Family Business
Program, Oregon State University.
800-859-7609, http://bit.ly/2h3k8Ck
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issues to opinions@capitalpress.com, or
mail your letter to “Opinion,” c/o Capital
Press. Letters should be limited to
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www.blogriculture.com
Index
California ...............................11
Idaho ...................................... 9
Markets ............................... 13
Opinion .................................. 6
Oregon ................................ 10
Washington ........................... 8
Thursday, May 18
Family Business Charters. 7:30
to 9 a.m. BridgePort BrewPub, 1313
NW Marshall St., Portland. A family
business charter sets forth the es-
sential rules, obligations, and re-
sponsibilities relating to ownership
and management of the business,
as well as the family values that will
help sustain the business for future
generations. Presented by A. Jef-
fery Bird, Lane Powell PC and the
Austin Family Business Program,
Oregon State University. $40 per
person. 800-859-7609, http://bit.
ly/2gPuLYY
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