Benton REA - Growing Green

Ostrom produces three types of mushrooms at its Sunnyside farm: White button, Crimini and Portabella. White buttons are their most popular mushroom. PHOTO BY EMILY MCLAUGHLIN


Ostrom Mushroom Farms in Sunnyside focuses on the future through sustainable technology and farming practices

By Emily McLaughlin

The largest mushroom producer in Washington is growing greener.

Every year, Ostrom Mushroom Farms produces 12 million pounds of mushrooms and sends them around Washington, Oregon, Alaska and Hawaii. The farm relocated to Sunnyside from Olympia in 2019. Its state-of-the-art facility is built on a 43-acre property, giving Ostrom the opportunity to double its current mushroom production.

When building the Sunnyside farm, Ostrom implemented the newest sustainable technology. The company received a $102,585 new construction rebate from Benton REA because of its future-focused design.

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Room to Grow

Marlen Garcia stacks crates of mushrooms inside the processing facility of Ostrom Mushroom Farms in Sunnyside on Jan. 18.


Huge Ostrom farms operation thrives despite challenges of finding, training workers

By JOEL DONOFRIO
YAKIMA HERALD REPUBLIC

SUNNYSIDE — The size of an individual mushroom is the only thing that's small about Ostrom Mushroom Farms in the Port of Sunnyside business area. Built in 2019, the $60 million indoor facility uses state of the art technology to grow, harvest, package and ship between 8 million to 9 million pounds of mushrooms each year, Ostrom CEO Travis Wood said. And with the popularity of mushrooms soaring as a cooking-at-home ingredient during the past two years of the COVID pandemic, the 43-acre Sunnyside site could potentially double that production if enough workers can be hired and trained, Wood said. "The New York Times recently called mushrooms the ingredient of the year," Wood added. "The industry itself is in hyper-growth mode due to surging consumer demand, and we're struggling to keep up. "The labor aspect is really a challenge. It was an issue before the pandemic as well; COVID just exacerbated the issue." Ostrom moved from Olympia to the Port of Sunnyside after purchasing 43 acres of property at Midvale and Duffy roads. At the time, the company said the port property was ideal due to its proximity to a wastewater plant and the region's agricultural labor force. 

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Ostrom Mushroom Farms Receives $102K Energy-Efficiency Rebate from Benton REA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

November 19, 2021


Ostrom Mushroom Farms Receives $102K Energy-Efficiency Rebate from Benton REA

Sunnyside, Wash., -- Ostrom Mushroom Farms accepted a $102,585 energy-efficiency rebate from Benton REA, its electric cooperative utility, on November 18, for construction and installation of energy-saving equipment at their Sunnyside facility.

In 2019, Ostrom's installed several energy-efficient measures including LED lighting, water-cooled chiller equipment and variable frequency drives on air handlers, cooling tower fans, boiler fans and composting tunnel and bunker fans. These new-construction projects are projected to save the company 2,383,097 kilowatt hours each year over the energy they would have consumed with lower-cost, less efficient baseline equipment they could have installed.

Ostrom Mushroom Farms CEO Travis Wood accepts the $102,585 rebate from Benton REA on November 18. From left: Troy Berglund, Benton REA community development and member relations manager, Wood, Shannon Olsen, Benton REA assistant community development and member relations manager and Eric Miller, Benton REA Energy adviser.
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Ostrom's Vitamin D enhanced Mushrooms!

 All 8 oz and 16 oz packaged sliced white and crimini mushrooms now contain 100% of the Daily Value of Vitamin D per 3 oz serving. That is 400 IU's.!

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Facts About Mushrooms During COVID-19

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

CONTACT: Lori Harrison

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 


Facts About Mushrooms During COVID-19 from the American Mushroom Institute
Now More than Ever, Mushrooms Offer Much Needed Nutrients and Vitamins

Olympia, WA, April 6, 2020 -- The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has upended supply chains across every industry, but the fresh produce community has been hit particularly hard. Including the mushroom farming community.

To address this, American Mushroom Institute (www.americanmushroom.org), along with the Produce Marketing Association, is working to ensure consumers are well-armed with positive practices and accurate facts about produce during this time. With input from experts including Dr. Max Teplitski, PMA's Chief Science Officer, and Dr. William Li, the author of the New York Times bestseller "Eat to Beat Disease," the organizations have pulled together top-line tips, facts, and soundbites surrounding the benefits of buying and eating fresh produce.

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Our New Farm


As you can see from the updated video on our homepage we have made a lot of progress since our snowy video was taken last February. Half of our harvest rooms are now finished and ready to go. 

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September is National Mushroom Month


From the rich, meaty texture to the undeniable umami flavor and great nutritional perks, there's a lot to love about the mighty mushroom. Cook your favorite mushroom dishes all month long or be brave and try something new. Eat them raw or cooked, on their own or blended into some of the classic favorites.
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