Peninsula mushroom farm closing (200 jobs)

[UpInArms]

http://www.oaklandtribune.com/Stories/0,1413,82~1865~2538207,00.html

PESCADERO -- Mushrooms may be thriving at the Money's Pacific Mushroom Farm in Pescadero, but the mushroom business apparently is not.

Keith Potter, CEO of the Canada-based mushroom company, confirmed Monday that Money's will close its three U.S. operations: the farm in San Mateo County and two other plants in Michigan and Indiana.

This will likely mean the loss of more than 200 jobs at the huge commercial farm south of the Pigeon Point Lighthouse, and a severe hit to the local agricultural economy. Last year, mushrooms accounted for more than $18 million of the county's nearly $30 million in vegetable-crop sales.

<snip>

First opened by the Campbell Soup Co. in 1957 -- the farm supplied mushrooms for the company's soups -- the farm was sold to a subsidiary, Vlasic, and then to Money's Mushrooms Ltd. in 2000.

<snip>

The closure comes at a particularly difficult time for workers, with the holidays near and with no new farming jobs available, said the Rev. Wendy Taylor, who works closely with the Latino community on the South Coast.

...more...

[physioex]

1. Maybe they...

Could put their experience in more profitable ventures... :evilgrin:

[Book Lover]

2. This is unfortunate

I live up the coast a bit from this farm, and the story is right - there aren't any jobs to place these workers into. The land is used primarily for flowers and holiday-oriented crops (pumpkins and Yule trees); as I understand it, food ag isn't that big a business on the Peninsula. Plus, driving past the pumpkin fields a few days ago, I saw the remains of all the pumpkins that didn't sell this year; there were more than I had ever seen. I'm concerned about the pressure to sell the farmland, and who it'll go to...

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

4. artichokes!

>as I understand it, food ag isn't that big a business on the Peninsula

Except for artichokes! The artichoke bread at the little grocery store in Pescadero is just amazing.

[democracy eh]

6. have you been to the Harley Farms goat dairy?

on North Street in Pescadero?

I was reading their website not 30 minutes ago.
their cheese look absolutely amazing!

www.harleyfarms.com

[damntexdem]

9. Cream of artichoke soup at Duarte's. Ooh, wonderful!

Followed by ollalaberry pie.

I gotta get back to Pescadero.

Surely Duarte's is still there, right?

[Book Lover]

12. Thank you for reminding me

I have neighbors who remember where we live now used to all be artichoke fields, before the housing developers came in in the 60's. It wouldn't be so bad if they had built decent housing, but I feel like the place I live in was slapped together out of cardboard and hope.

[Dookus]

11. yup

I was up in Pescadero last weekend and saw a whole lotta pumpkins laying in the fields.

[Nag Champa]

3. Just change strains. You can make a living selling shrooms.

[democracy eh]

5. if you can't make 'money' in mushrooms

where can you?

[delete_bush]

7. No need for them to worry, Cheney says there are

huge opportunities for them to sell mushrooms on ebay.

[mhr]

8. Der Fuhrer Has Outlawed All Blue State Delicacies

Better to prevent fuzzy thinking before it happens.

[Dookus]

10. awww....

that's just up the coast from me. A friend arranged a private tour of the farm and it was really interesting. They comped us a big ol' box of free mushrooms, too.

It's a shame - there was a lot of history there.