Need Mushroom Logs?

Notes for Mushroom Growers

A small seasonal part of my retirement business is collecting, preparing, and selling logs (bolts) used in the cultivation of various mushroom species. I do not grow mushrooms myself.

If you are a new grower, no doubt you have read a lot on the internet, taken classes, or talked with experienced growers. You probably have an idea what you want, and if I can supply it, I would be happy to do that. However, mushroom bolts have some pretty specific requirements and I have gotten some rigid ones from some buyers. If I have it or can get it, I’d love to do that. But keep in mind I am not amazon.com, I am a guy that does a lot of things to make money to buy food. So I need something from you if this is going to make us both happy.

First and foremost, you need to contact me well in advance of when you need the logs. I do not stock logs just so I can turn them into firewood when they don’t sell. I cut to order. If you want logs cut in the winter, tell me sometime between September and December. (But you could call me MUCH earlier than that and get the first choice.) If you are OK with spring or summer cut, I can get them in a few weeks, depending on what other business I have going on and what is available. Not a lot of loggers are working when there is mud. Spring and summer is very busy for me.

I need to know what species you want, what you will accept, and what you do not want. I don’t have groves of trees available. If you have something special, call me and I will keep an eye out for what you want and call you when/if I can find it.  Red Oak is most common, Maple is next, White oak is fairly rare and the others come up once in a while (Beech, hickory, basswood, Black Birch, etc.) I have to find sources for everything I get and pay for it, then cut, load, retrieve, and unload back home.  Understand that I can get what I can get and try to get what you want, but sometimes those things do not always agree.

You can pick your logs up here by appointment, or I can deliver for a separate charge based on mileage. We can talk that out. Keep in mind these logs are heavy. As for log prices, don’t believe what you read on the internet. I get $5.00/log (assuming I don’t have to go too far to harvest them) for standard logs and $10.00/log for totems (10″+ diameter). There is too much time and manual labor involved in these and it is back breaking work. I also have to pay the landowner, buy gas and oil, and transport it all. Obviously if you have larger quantities, we can talk about it, but big numbers are hard for me to find and get out in a timely manner. Calling early and talking it through is always the safest way to get what you want.

Keep in mind that we, you and I, are trying to build a relationship here. For many, these logs, properly cut and handled, are very hard to find. Likewise, well educated buyers can also be hard to find. You want a reliable source, and I want reliable buyers.  So give me a call, check out the website, and lets talk about what you need and how I might help.