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

  • Specialty Mushroom Project Expands to Serve Diverse Urban and Rural Growers

    by

    Steve Gabriel

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    Interest in specialty mushrooms (defined as any non-button variety) from both farmers and consumers is growing rapidly, with demand increasing by 4% annually in the U.S. Given the flexible scale of production systems, mushrooms are well positioned for production by a diverse range of small and mid-sized farmers in urban and rural settings. With funding…

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  • Mushroom Expert Offers Series of Educational Events

    by

    Steve Gabriel

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    The Cornell Small Farms Program is welcoming mushroom expert Tradd Cotter to Ithaca, NY, for a number of events that will share how mushrooms can integrate into agriculture, medicine, sustainability and more. Join us the second week of October to learn from Cotter, a microbiologist, professional mycologist, and organic gardener from South Carolina.  Cotter and…

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  • September Mushroom Webinar to Feature Oyster on Straw Cultivation

    by

    Kelsie Raucher

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    Next Wednesday, September 4, marks the lastest installment of Cornell Small Farms Program’s specialty mushroom project’s free monthly webinar series.  Held from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. EST, this month’s webinar includes an overview of cultivation methods for oyster mushrooms on straw, with Steve Gabriel of the Small Farms Program. The second half of the…

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  • Learn to Grow Mushrooms at September Workshop in NYC

    by

    Claire Morrow

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    Interest in specialty mushroom production, or production of any mushroom other than the typical button, crimini, portabella, has grown enormously in recent years, as social and cultural influences have caused many consumers to become interested in paying for high quality mushrooms and mushroom products. With amounts of protein comparable to livestock and animal products, as…

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  • Ecological Collaboratory Learns from Wellspring Forest Farm and School

    by

    Kelsie Raucher

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    Agroforestry extension specialist, Steve Gabriel, works for the Cornell Small Farms Program in addition to owning and operating Wellspring Forest Farm and School with his wife, Elizabeth. Their farm and school run on ecologically conscious agroforestry principles, where each final product they sell is dependent on another aspect of their farm. Their principles of farming…

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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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