containers of specialty mushrooms displayed at farmers market

Specialty Mushrooms

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!

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Kacey Deamer / Cornell Small Farms Program

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.

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Mushroom Resources

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Events

Events

Today

  • Starting Shiitake Mushrooms

    Cornell Cooperative Extension of Warren County 377 Schroon River Road, Warrensburg, NY, United States

    Cornell Cooperative Extension of Warren County will be holding a “Starting Shiitake Mushrooms” workshop on Friday, July 10, at 3:00 pm. This program is perfect for the very beginner as […]

    $20

News and Updates

  • In the News: Our Logs to NYC Program Sets Sail with Sail Freight Ship Apollonia

    by

    Delia Guilbert

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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 transport logs for their mushroom classes into the city. This maiden voyage of Logs to NYC was featured in an article from Civil Eats. The…

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  • New Mushroom Project Partnership Sails Logs Downstream to NYC

    by

    Steve Gabriel

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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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  • Shiitake Mushroom Logs Headed to NYC via the Schooner Apollonia Sailboat

    by

    Steve Gabriel

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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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  • Webinar Gatherings to Explore Intersection of Fungi and Community

    by

    Steve Gabriel

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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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  • Upcoming Webinars Help Explain Mushroom Growing & Foraging Regulations

    by

    Steve Gabriel

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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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See the full archive from Cornell Mushrooms

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.

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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

containers of specialty mushrooms displayed at farmers market
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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:

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