Yerseke Oyster Fishers got Trained by Pieter J.C. Vedder to become Mushroom Growers

Photo by husband Pieter, taken during a break from teaching those Oyster Fishers in Yerseke, province of Zeeland in The Netherlands, with them on one of their boats...

Pieter in 1957, when he became an Assistent at the Dutch Experimental Station.

His specialty was writing Technical Tips for their magazine editions of the Dutch CHAMPIGNONCULTUUR. The above appeared in the 1957-7 edition.

At that time, Pieter did give training in the Western part of the Netherlands, in Yerseke, all the way from Horst, near Venlo and that Interstate was not yet built!

Sometimes rough for making that long trip in the winter time through snow and in the dark...

~

This image above, also clearly shows the sea arms of the River Oosterschelde, a former estuary.

The main breadwinning was from mussel, oyster culture and some lobster.

They raised the young oysters on limed roof-tiles and it took about 6 years before they were mature and ready for being harvested!

Those oyster fisher students, could not stand being in-between four walls, so they begged Pieter to join them for a break, out on the open sea where they often scooped up a big oyster and enjoyed it 'fresh'.

In the winter of 1962-1963 a big frost killed nearly 80% of those oyster cultures and many more switched over into mushroom growing.

Later, with the completion of the storm barrier, the famous Delta Works, started soon after the night of January 31 into February 1, 1953 disaster of the North Sea Flood where 2,551 people drowned, the oyster farming nearly stopped. 

~

Also in the Standdaarbuiten, adjacent province of Noord Brabant, Pieter did give training, all the way from Horst.

Those were flax growers that were forced out of business by the upcoming cotton industry and synthetic fibers.

Those long distance courses were conducted till on February 9, 1963 the Mushroom Growing Training Centre got officially opened in Horst. Temporarily housed inside the Experimental Station for mushroom culture in Horst. Mr. P. J. C. Vedder is in charge of this entirely new educational establishment for The Netherlands. He is assisted by other teachers.

The vocational school was opened by Ir. W. J. Mulder of the Directorate of Agricultural Education in The Hague.

Related link:

Pieter's Former Student and Mushroom Grower Took us up into the Sky | previous post from Standdaarbuiten where previous flax growers had switched into mushroom growing...

Pieter was Member of the Photo Club and took this Photo at the Liège/Belgium Farmers Market

 With the entire Photo Club, where Pieter for years was an avid member of, they went to Liège in Belgium to the Farmers Market.

This was in the 1970s

An older Belgian gent (look at his cufflinks!) holding his puppy inside a Jaffa oranges crate...

While in the other hand holding a sausage for the puppy to feed on.

With this Photo Club the members got to photograph certain subjects and they had to develop and adjust their photos all by themself. 

Pieter did have his own dark room inside the Dutch Training Centre for Mushroom Growing as he also was an avid photographer for training purposes. 

Slides for use inside the classroom and for lectures at Congresses, Conferences .

Both, in macro and normal.

Pieter also produced the photos for his many books, all himself!

This very photo earned Pieter a 2nd place award at the local Dublin Fine Arts photography exhibit on January 10, 1993

Over 1st Half of 1974 Our Mushroom Growing Training Centre Yielded 63% First Quality

In relation to my previous post: Our Dutch Mushroom Growing Training Centre Yielded YEAR ROUND TOP QUALITY MUSHROOMS! 

This photo shows the facts:

Classes taught by husband Pieter in German

12 growing rooms of 150 m²

12 week schedule

1973 yielded 52 crops x 20.4 kg/m2 with 60% 1st quality; 20% 2nd and 20% 3rd.

1974 1st half 18.6 kg/m2 yielded 63% 1st quality at 2.56 Dutch Guilder average market value.

~

The mushroom industry changed a lot over the last decades.

As a result of better composting techniques, supplementing, climate control and more productive strains, yields of 25–30 kg/m² in two or three breaks are quite normal.

With the introduction of the bunker–tunnel technique, the 12–week schedule inside the growing rooms has been shortened drastically, thus adding a lot to the production!

Of course all that is being mentioned in great detail inside our new book: modern mushroom growing 2020 harvesting | available WORLD WIDE at 40,000+ booksellers as print on demand