This discussion board is a new component of North East Forest Mushroom Growers Network (NEFMGN) website (http://mushrooms.cals.cornell.edu/). In fact, if you've reached this discussion board you've probably already our website. It's too bad that NEFMGN is un pronounceable. It is an outgrowth initially of a research and extension program funded through Hatch, MacIntire Stennis and Smith Lever. It began at Cornell University in 2006, to encourage the public adoption of the Agroforestry practice known as Forest Farming. In particular, the focus has been forest cultivated mushrooms.  More recently, in 2010, Cornell (Ken Mudge) and University of Vermont (Allen Matthews) obtained a 3 year grant from Northeast SARE (Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education), Shiitake Mushrooms As A Farm Forest Enterprise. The goals of this project is to assist farmers and other forest owners who wish to start a forest-grown shiitake mushroom enterprise. The project is intended to go beyond the typical introduction-to-shiitake training event that teaches beginners how to inoculate logs and grow the mushrooms. In addition to Shiitake 101 (introductory training), the SARE project provides farmers with an opportunity to learn about related topics including forest management, laying yard design, and enterprise development.

We recently added this Discussion Board because we believe that new shiitake growers want to communicate with and learn from each other. We hope you’ll find it useful. Please let us know what you think.