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Has a Startup Found the Secret to Farming the Elusive Truffle?

nytimes.com

1–10 of 33 posts

Re: Has a Startup Found the Secret to Farming the Elusive Truffle?

#3
> Has the American Truffle Company figured it out? “It remains to be seen how well their system will work,” Mr. Michaels said. “The frustrating thing about the truffle is we still don’t know the basic conditions.”

No.

Why do headlines still get written this way?

Re: Has a Startup Found the Secret to Farming the Elusive Truffle?

#5
post #4

No.

Thanks for saving me the click.

The way I read it, the answer is more likely yes, but it's not confirmed yet, as it takes 5 yaers to get the first crop. This seems to be one of the precious few cases where Betteridge's law doesn't apply; the question mark is there simply because there is still a question, but all available information points to a positive outcome. Not to mention this is New York Times.

Re: Has a Startup Found the Secret to Farming the Elusive Truffle?

#8
post #7

I think the price and relative scarcity of the truffle is a part of its allure. If it became cheap something else would occupy its niche. At least for me truffles are extremely overrated in the taste department.

Well currently many truffles come from Europe and as I understand, they begin to lose value as soon as they are pulled from the ground. So if a company could produce them in the States, they could retain much more value and control the American market.

Re: Has a Startup Found the Secret to Farming the Elusive Truffle?

#9

> Has the American Truffle Company figured it out? “It remains to be seen how well their system will work,” Mr. Michaels said. “The frustrating thing about the truffle is we still don’t know the basic conditions.” No. Why do headlines still get written this way?

See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betteridge's_law_of_headlines. Also https://twitter.com/BetteridgesLaw.

Re: Has a Startup Found the Secret to Farming the Elusive Truffle?

#10
At least here in Italy, it is something like 30 (thirty) years that someone claims to know how to farm (black) truffles (through this or that "new" procedure and/or "scientific finding") but at the end of the day the only money that changes hands is the actual cost of the plants (and the expenses for planting and irrigation) that is paid by the farmer.

It is not at all clear (to me) what the partnership provides, seemingly (just like all the others before them) they do sell the actual plants and delay to when the farmer get the profits the payment of their "training" and "ongoing assistance".

Their UK company sells also single trees online (which you can also conveniently pay via PayPal): http://plantationsystems.com/shop/

It is an interesting investment, considering how global climate change in only 35.7 (please note the .7) years will make Spain unsuitable for growing truffles:

http://plantationsystems.com/climate-change-truffle-supply/

>However, within just 35.7 years for Spain, the climate will fall outside of the known parameters for truffle fruiting.

P.S.: BTW I would have expected, if not fact checking, as if it was difficult to check Dr. Paul Thomas linkedIn page, at least to doubt that someone that is 35 in 2016 was:

>working on his Ph.D. in 1996

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