Posts by Steve Gabriel
Results from a 2021 survey of specialty mushroom growers around the USA offer an interesting glimpse into this growing industry. By Kristen Park and Steve Gabriel In January 2021, the Cornell Small Farms Program conducted a survey of specialty mushroom growers about their cultivation and marketing practices. We want to thank the growers for providing…
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Our Agroforestry project and the Cornell Cooperative Extension Agroforestry Program Work Team is again hosting a series of webinars this year, beginning in April. These webinars will feature expert speakers, highlighting the latest information and materials available. Agroforestry describes a wide range of practices that integrate trees, forests, and agricultural production. These systems preserve…
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Join our network of educators to learn how to grow and sell mushrooms, and teach these skills in the community you serve. Our ongoing partnership with Cornell Cooperative Extension Harvest NY and Farm School NYC is offering a virtual Community Mushroom Educator Training that aims to build a cohort of educators from both urban and rural centers throughout…
Read MoreThis project report is supported by a grant from the USDA Specialty Crop Grant Program, and New York Farm Viability Institute, with additional support from Cornell Cooperative Extension. Originally Published in 2019. What are Specialty Mushrooms? Specialty mushrooms are defined by USDA as any species not belonging to the genus Agaricus (button, crimini,…
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Join the Cornell Small Farms Program and CCE Harvest NY this winter to learn how to navigate the various regulations and certifications in a specialty mushroom enterprise. The type, location, scale, and markets of a given farm all affect the programs that farmers are required or can choose to join. Specialty mushrooms are defined by…
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On July 24 our Specialty Mushroom project’s Logs to NYC effort held a kickoff event with The Mushroom Shed at the Hudson River Maritime Museum to teach 25 participants how to grow shiitake mushrooms on logs and oyster mushrooms on cardboard and coffee grounds. Participants also helped load about 275 oak and maple logs onto the Schooner…
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For thousands of years, mushrooms have been grown on hardwood logs from sustainably managed forest lands. Their origins trace to parts of China, Korea, and Japan. Shiitake cultivation on logs is one of the oldest known forms of agriculture. Today, log cultivation is increasingly rare, replaced by technology and now many shiitake in the US…
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Join our network of Community Mushroom Educators for a series of events this summer where we will collectively explore and discuss elements of fungi and their past, present, and future impacts on a wide range of communities in society. As this growing industry develops, it is critical that we ensure that everyone has access to…
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Agroforestry describes a wide range of practices that integrate trees, forests, and agricultural production. These systems preserve and enhance woodland and tree landscapes and are an important solution to climate change and in developing healthy farm economics. Agroforestry is rooted in both indigenous knowledge from around the world and in the work of numerous individuals…
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Join our Specialty Mushrooms project for two free educational webinars that address often asked topics as we help support mushroom production in rural and urban landscapes. Specialty mushrooms are defined by USDA as any species not belonging to the genus Agaricus (button, crimini, portabella). Our team has been working with regulatory agencies in New York…
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