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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Don’t Miss Our Last Monthly Mushroom Webinar of the Year
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As the year comes to an end, there is still time to join one more installment of our Specialty Mushroom project’s free monthly webinar series. On Tuesday, November 19, the
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Specialty Mushroom Project Expands to Serve Diverse Urban and Rural Growers
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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
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Mushroom Expert Offers Series of Educational Events
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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
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September Mushroom Webinar to Feature Oyster on Straw Cultivation
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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
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Learn to Grow Mushrooms at September Workshop in NYC
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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
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:
