Mushroom output slowed by tight labor, input shortages

With Philadelphia terminal market mushroom prices running 30% above year-ago levels in late October, the American Mushroom Institute warned that tight supplies of mushrooms are anticipated for the holiday season.

A combination of factors, including tight labor and a shortage of inputs, have combined to slow output. The group said in a news release that “the reality is that the 2021 holiday season will see greatly reduced salable mushroom pounds than in previous years.”

“Mushroom growers across the country are describing challenges not seen previously in their time working in the industry,” Rachel Roberts, president of the AMI, said in the release. 

“A host of raw materials needed to grow their crops are severely limited, including outright cut-offs of certain critical inputs, for the foreseeable future.”

Roberts said the competition for growing medium is greater than ever, with competition for the input from nurseries, home gardeners, and hobbyists.

Labor also is tight, she said the release, noting that the industry’s workforce is about 75% of what is needed now.

Market prices for mushrooms were elevated in late October.

Ten-pound cartons of white mushrooms at the Philadelphia terminal market were trading at $19 on Oct. 27, up from $15 per carton a year ago.

Roberts said the mushroom industry is telling policymakers its story about the critical constraints faced by suppliers.

“We continue to work with our local, state and federal legislators to explain the predicament that our members face every day,” Roberts said in the release. “Our members are telling us that this is the toughest time mushroom farms have faced in more than 30 years.”