Project Lead: Connor Youngerman, Yolanda Gonzalez
Our project offers the leading extension resource for specialty mushroom cultivation on small farms in the United States.
Specialty mushrooms are defined by USDA as any species not belonging to the genus Agaricus (button, crimini, portabella). The most common specialty mushrooms produced are Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) and Oyster (Pleuterous ostreatus). Scroll down for our library of resources to help you grow better!
Demand for specialty mushrooms is rapidly rising, as consumers look to purchase more foods that are healthy, nutritious, and medicinal. There are methods to grow mushrooms outdoor systems on logs, stumps, and in beds, as well as indoor production techniques that can occur in a wide range of spaces on straw, sawdust, and other agricultural materials.
For urban growers, mushrooms offer a high value niche crop that can be grown in small spaces. For rural growers, the farm woodlot can be better utilized and healthy forests maintained while procuring materials for production.
Building a viable mushroom enterprise requires learning two skills; technical production and business planning. We help you develop both to meet your goals for production through factsheets and articles, guidebooks, videos, and opportunities to connect with other growers, industry suppliers, and more.
Mushroom Resources
Join our email list to hear about new resources as they’re added.
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Mycology 101
Mushroom forming fungi are a subset of the fungal kingdom that include an estimated 1.5 – 5…
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Outdoor Production
This page offers the basic cultivation techniques and information on the economics of log grown shiitake enterprises.…
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Indoor Production
Indoors: Economics of Growing Most specialty mushrooms are best cultivated in controlled environment agriculture (CEA) scenarios. In…
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Cornell Mushroom Resource Library
While each of these resources can be found on other pages within this site, this page offers…
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Markets, Regulations, and Food Safety
While many growers focus heavily on the technical aspects of production, it is the post-harvest handling and…
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Mushroom Books, Videos, Podcasts, Media
Here are some of our favorite resources for learning about mushroom cultivation and related mycology. Have a…
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Community Mushroom Educator Program
Community Mushroom Educator Network Cultures around the world have long valued mushrooms as a vital source of…
Events
Events
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Shiitake Mushroom Log Yard Management Workshop
Hawk Meadow Farm 5066 Mott Evans Rd., Trumansburg, NY, United StatesIn this workshop, we will cover the basics of shiitake mushroom log yard management in a natural woodland setting. These production techniques result in the best quality shiitake that can […]
News and Updates
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Webinars to Teach about Regulations, Certification, and the Specialty Mushroom Industry
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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,
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In the News: Our Logs to NYC Program Sets Sail with Sail Freight Ship Apollonia
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Our Specialty Mushroom project’s new Logs to NYC effort, which connects New York City-based mushroom growers with resources from upstate, recently partnered with the Apollonia, a sail freight ship, to
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New Mushroom Project Partnership Sails Logs Downstream to NYC
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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
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Shiitake Mushroom Logs Headed to NYC via the Schooner Apollonia Sailboat
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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
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Webinar Gatherings to Explore Intersection of Fungi and Community
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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
Project Partners
The Cornell Small Farms Program, with support from USDA-NIFA and USDA-SARE and alongside partners CCE Harvest NY, Fungi Ally, Farm School NYC, Just Food, and GrowNYC are engaged in a multi-year project to elevate and support diverse mushroom growers in the Northeast region. We are here to help! See our resources at this website, and get in touch.
About Connor Youngerman
As the Agroforestry and Mushroom Specialist, Connor applies his skills and experience toward climate resiliency outreach for new, established, and historically excluded farmers. His particular interests lie in advancing research and education for agroforestry and tree nursery management, medicinal agroforestry crops, and novel mushroom substrates. He believes these areas hold huge potential to diversify the ecological and economic portfolio of small-scale farmers.
Read Articles by Connor Youngerman
Subscribe for Updates and Opportunities
This list-serve provides information and resources to connect small and mid-sized farmers to larger markets such as food hubs, grocery stores, restaurants, online marketplaces and cooperatives. Farmers, educators and prospective buyers are all welcome:
