Together with her husband, a legitimate farmer... Cultivating eco-friendly Sanghwang mushrooms on 130,000 logs

Forming Communities with Young Farmers Nationwide for Cultivation and Management of Starter Cultures, Distribution, and Product Promotion

Young farmer continuing the legacy, father Jeon Sang-su, daughter Jeon Ju-young, mother Yang Eun-jung, son-in-law Lee Jun-ho.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Soon-kyung] On an early autumn morning when a rather chilly wind blows, opening the entrance door of the facility greenhouse brings a rush of warm air.

Although I naturally imagined mushrooms would be attached to wood, seeing them hanging in neat rows and columns in the air like drying dried persimmons made me exclaim in amazement.

Looking closely at the wooden logs cut to a uniform size and dangling, golden-colored sanghwang mushrooms are growing in their unique forms.

On the 16th, I met Jeon Sang-su, who returned to his hometown in Saengbiryang-myeon, Sancheong-gun, Gyeongnam in 2005 and has been running a sanghwang mushroom farm for 16 years, and his daughter Jeon Ju-young, who followed in her father's footsteps and jumped into growing sanghwang mushrooms.

Mr. Jeon realized the lack of knowledge about mushroom growth, efficacy, and advanced farming methods when he started sanghwang mushroom farming.

Just one year after returning to farming, in 2006, he officially enrolled in the Department of Special Life Sciences at Gyeongnam National University of Science and Technology. His passion was so great that he attended school on a full scholarship in his senior year.

His passion for sanghwang mushrooms was fully passed on to his daughter. Ju-young graduated from Gyeongsang National University with a degree in Agricultural Economics, determined to enter agriculture early, and has been helping her father with sanghwang mushroom farming since she was 24.

Thanks to the father, daughter, and their mother who quietly supported them, the farm has grown steadily and currently produces 4.5 tons of sanghwang mushrooms from a total of 24 buildings and 130,000 logs. Annual sales reach 410 million won.

The father and daughter cultivate sanghwang mushrooms using the standing method to produce high-quality mushrooms. In particular, in 2020, they received GAP (Good Agricultural Practices) certification, gaining recognition for quality management, and focused on sanghwang mushroom cultivation and research to establish an agricultural management system.

Ju-young’s husband, Lee Junho, not only fully supports her passion for agriculture but also quit his job to obtain a mushroom spawn technician qualification. He forms communities with young farmers nationwide and provides comprehensive assistance in spawn cultivation and management, distribution, and product promotion.

Jeon Ju-young said, “Although education on operating and managing agricultural machinery is being conducted in Sancheong-gun, most of it covers only basic parts,” adding, “It would be great if programs were prepared to learn more diverse agricultural machinery in greater depth.”

Jeon did not forget to voice the necessary support measures as a young farmer. “Although being selected as a young farmer laid the foundation for the business, in many cases, the three-year support period is not enough time to settle properly,” she said. “I hope the young farmer system develops further so that among the young farmers nurtured, those with excellent performance can be selected as ‘Outstanding Young Farmers’ and receive continuous support.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.