CHRISTINE Kubogamell's grandparents started farming mushrooms around Morgan Hill in the 1960s, when the land was cheap and the price was sky-high. Running South Valley Mushroom Farm, just off what is now Condit Road, the Kubo family has become one of the oldest names in Morgan Hill's once booming mushroom industry.But after more than 35 years, she and her family have decided to cash in.
Christine Kubogamell remembers when Highway 101 didn't exist, and Morgan Hill's population numbered less then 10,000. Fields, farmland and orchards prevailed, and small, family-owned mushroom growing operations were numerous. Times have changed. With the golden age of Santa Clara County agriculture long over and development slowly creeping up on all sides, it looks like the end for the South Valley Mushroom Farm.
"It's pretty difficult, even in the best of times, just because there's a lot of factors in mushroom growing and competing in the mushroom industry," Kubogamell says. "As a farmer, we all are barely making it as it is, especially with the gas prices going up. Everything that gets shipped into us, everything we have delivered out to customers—that has gone up. Yet, our prices are still fixed by market costs, which are so low. So, we're caught in the middle."
