The Mushroom Growers’ Newsletter Has Ceased Publication!
After over 32 years and 388 issues we have decided to pursue a new adventure in the green energy industry. Jerry is now a Vice President at Bair Energy LLC. As a start-up, Bair Energy takes a lot of our time. So much that it is no longer possible to continue publication of the newsletter. We are in the process of refunding subscription and advertiser payments for all undelivered issues. We think those hundreds of newsletters from over the years offer a great history of the development of the mushroom industry in the U.S. and around the world. To keep those back issues available, we have completely redone our website and now offer downloadable back issues in PDF format for $2.50 each – although several are free.
The Mushrooms We Wrote About
For the most part, the mushrooms we wrote about were not white or brown button mushrooms or even their more mature form called “portabella”. Instead, we focussed on a variety of delicious species that have been enjoyed by certain cultures around the world for millennia.They include the beautiful yellow oyster mushroom (shown here growing on straw), the flavorful shiitake (shown ready to be shipped) or any of a hundred other species and varieties.
These mushrooms are tasty, with a variety of flavors. Many of them offer medicinal properties. People want more and more of them. This makes a great opportunity for farmers that can produce mushrooms to meet this growing demand. The Mushroom Growers’ Newsletter is here to help you be successful with commercial mushroom farming whether you are the smallest or the largest grower in the world – whether you are just ready to start or have been growing mushrooms for decades.
The freedom of life as it was meant to be lived
Hi, I’m Jerry Haugen. My wife Trish and I are the founders, editors, and publishers of The Mushroom Growers’ Newsletter. Mushroom farming is a basic, honest living. It’s not a crazy rat race, and it’s good for your soul. Do it right and you can have more money, a real family life, and more of a life in general. But you have to do it right! I’ve followed the mushroom farming community for over 32 years. In that time I’ve seen farms that have invested very little succeed and farms that have invested millions fail.
Lots of individuals and families have started mushroom farms in their homes. Those that turn commercial and make a living at it have one thing in common: Successful farms regularly produce enough high quality mushrooms to sell them and make a profit well beyond the costs of production.
Easier said than done? Of course it is – it’s farming! Unlike commodity farming, you don’t need a huge land base and equipment that costs hundreds of thousands of dollars to get started, but you do need to get started!
Jerry Haugen
Editor and Publisher
(Retired)
Readers said . . .
The Mushroom Growers’ Newsletter can help!
We created The Mushroom Growers’ Newsletter in 1992 to get helpful information to small commercial mushroom farmers. Early on, the newsletter contained local news and whatever information I could glean from books, articles, and government publications. It was all informed by my own experience growing oyster mushrooms commercially. The newsletter was only available on paper. When the internet arrived, information and access to it began to explode. This made filling the newsletter easier, but it did require considerably more effort in terms of studying available publications and deciding the most important items to include in the newsletter.
As you study our back issues, you will be able to trace the development of the specialty mushroom industry over more than three decades – not only in the U.S., but around the world. Our ‘old news’ provides the historical background for the industry, but we also have many articles that have enduring value as you develop your business plan, think about secondary products, and seek new ideas for your marketing plan.
The internet also made it possible for us to deliver the newsletter electronically (PDF format) at a lower cost to our readers and much more quickly than postal delivery. With this completely updated version of the website, all of our back issues will eventually be available to you for $2.50 per issue in PDF format for easy download.