The burgeoning truffle industry in North America has the unique opportunity to establish standards that ensure the highest levels of product quality and measures to ensure industrial integrity. To address industry and product integrity we can take simple actions at different points in the cultivation process. The industry can take steps to prevent contaminant truffle species from entering the market. These steps include setting industry seedling standards and a comprehensive system of truffle grading.

The truffle producing countries of Europe have long since established a system for the smooth transition of truffles from farmer to market. That same type of system does not yet exist in North America. Small producers may struggle to move product to restaurants and markets even locally. The formation of cooperatives and collectives on a local level could assist smaller producers in moving product.

In the future, truffle growers in North America will also face the challenge of what to do with an aging truffle orchard and may have questions about the best time to stop investing in older trees and start replacing them. To help move industry forward it will be important to glean information from truffle industries around the world, then adapt that information to the new industry here in North America. In doing this, truffles sourced from North American orchards can have the same excellent and prized reputation that truffles from France, Italy, Spain, and Australia all share.

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Speaker:

Olivia Martin Taylor, MS

Past President & Secretary

Olivia Taylor has over 12 years experience in research, grower, and nursery operator. She holds degrees in Biology & a Master’s degree in Environmental Science & Policy.  Her research examined the relationship bettween introduced Tuber melanosporum & common Mid-Atlantic ectomycorrhizal fungi.

Olivia has participated in multiple overseas courses including truffle dog training in France, quantitative & qualitative truffle analysis in Spain, & a full truffle season in Manjimup, Australia.…