Northern Mushroom Harvest Down From Last Year

Northern Mushroom Harvest Down From Last Year

Thursday, August 28, 2003 at 13:09

Despite a fast start this year, the mushroom picking industry in the North is feeling the effects of little moisture this summer.

Saskatchewan Agriculture’s Gerry Ivanochko says about 40-thousand pounds of Morel mushrooms were harvested earlier in the summer, which he calls a fairly good crop.

He says the good harvest extended into the early going of the Chanterelle mushroom season, but then the dry conditions started to take its toll.

Ivanochko also expects the lack of rain to hamper the Pine mushroom harvest in the coming weeks.

The mushroom industry generated about 250-thousand dollars for northern pickers last year. Ivanochko says that won’t be the case this year.