Dear fellow growers,

I’ve been growing mushrooms for 20 years, and worked at Cornell extension for 12 years researching production methods and engaging new growers in training. I left the job three years ago and have set off on my own, building our mushroom enterprise to be successful. Many of the gaps in support and networking I experienced as an educator still ring true now, and I want to be a part of efforts to better connect and collectively grow the industry so it remains most beneficial to small, family oriented operations.

To this end, Wellspring Forest Farm is developing a Northeast SARE education project for specialty mushroom growers across the Northeast. We want to strengthen connections among existing growers and build better ways to support new farms coming into the field. The mushroom industry has always been open, cooperative, and creative at its roots. We think now is the right time to build on that through more intentional collaboration, and we'd like your help designing the project before we submit it.

A big goal of the project is to source funds that would be distributed and support growers directly by compensating them to organize networks and train as facilitators and consultants. i.e. - farmers get paid to organize and learn!

What we're proposing:

  1. A Northeast mushroom farm directory. We'll map existing mushroom farms across the region and publish an open directory anyone can use, whether they're a buyer, a chef, a new grower, or a neighbor.

  2. Mini-grants for regional grower networks. State and regional groups of growers will receive small grants to organize themselves, meet, and report back on what the industry needs to grow.

  3. A network of grower-facilitators. We'll bring together experienced growers and train them as facilitators and consultants who can support new mushroom farms, businesses, and products.

  4. Value-added processing research. We'll research and develop approved processes for dried mushrooms, powders, and ultrasonic tincture extracts, along with economic information to help growers decide whether these products make sense for their farms.

We need your input

Your perspective will directly shape what we propose, how farmers get support, and how growers connect with one another. The survey takes about 8 - 10 minutes.

Please respond by OCTOBER 18. If you know other mushroom growers in the Northeast, we'd be grateful if you passed this along.

https://forms.gle/kg4SWojZjGxphPrd8

Thank you for your time.

Warmly,
Steve
Wellspring Forest Farm