Despite producing truffles on some very young trees this year, there are still many plantations out there that are well managed but are virgin territory for the truffle dogs. Some of these sites are in their 5th year and could well be producing truffles right now, but we need some trained dogs to help us find them.

Rapper Jay-Z recently spent an incredible €15,000 on three kilos of white truffles while on holiday in Italy. Will demand soar further thanks to such a ringing endorsement from the King of Bling himself? The rapper has a reputation for making, and breaking, other luxury brands. As far as we are concerned, anything that brings truffle awareness to the masses can only be a good thing.

Planting a truffle wood in the UK currently qualifies for a huge grant of up to £4,800 per hectare and annual maintenance payments for 15 years. However, grants are being reduced after this coming planting season, so now is the time to get started. If you are interested in creating a truffle plantation please contact us at invest@plantationsystems.com or Tel: 01422 844095. We will send you a free information pack and provide a free soil test to assess the suitability of the potential site.

The 4th international conference on Tuber aestivum syn. uncinatum, was held at the end of September in Budapest, Hungary. The conference includes two full days of lectures from top truffle scientists from around the world, including Dr. Paul Thomas. Paul presented some of our latest research about the importance of the relationship between pH levels and mycorrhiza coverage utilizing far larger data sets than have ever been published. Also on the agenda were meetings to discuss the truffle industry and potential legislation.