Sales of the 2011-2012 United States mushroom crop totaled 900 million pounds, up 4 percent from the 2010-2011 season. Value of sales for the 2011-2012 United States mushroom crop is $1.10 billion, up 8 percent from the previous season. The number of growers, at 279, is down 9 from last season. The average price is $1.22 per pound, up 4 cents from a year ago.

Agaricus Mushrooms

Agaricus mushroom volume of sales totaled 882 million pounds, up 4 percent from the 2010-2011 season. Pennsylvania accounted for 62 percent of the total volume of sales and second-ranked California contributed 14 percent. The value of the Agaricus crop was estimated at $1.04 billion dollars, up 8 percent from the 2010-2011 season. Brown mushrooms, including Portabello and Crimini varieties, accounted for 146 million pounds, up 7 percent from last season. Brown mushrooms accounted for 17 percent of the total Agaricus volume sold and 20 percent of the total Agaricus value.

The total number of Agaricus growers in the United States, at 105, is 4 less than last season. Growers with sales exceeding 10 million pounds accounted for 72 percent of United States Agaricus production, or 636 million pounds.

United States fresh market production of Agaricus mushrooms totaled 771 million pounds, up 7 percent from the previous season, while processed production, at 110 million pounds, is 13 percent below the previous season. Growers reported United States fresh market production made up 87 percent of total sales volume, while processed production represented the remaining 13 percent. Grower total filling intentions for the 2012-2013 crop are 141 million square feet, up 1 percent from the total fillings in the 2011-2012 season.

The 60 growers of Agaricus mushrooms in Chester County, Pennsylvania produced 399 million pounds, decrease of 1 percent compared to the 2010-2011 growing season. This production was valued at 366 million dollars, up less than 1 percent from last season. The growing area in Chester County was 12.4 million square feet, down 4 percent from the previous growing season. Total fillings were 60.9 million square feet, down 0.7 percent from the 2010-2011 growing season.

Specialty Mushrooms - Shiitake, Oyster, and all Other Exotics

Value of sales for commercially grown specialty mushrooms in 2011-2012 totaled 59.9 million, up 12 percent from the 2010-2011 season. A specialty grower is defined as having at least 200 natural wood logs in production or some commercial indoor growing area, and $200 dollars or more in sales. The average price per pound received by growers, at $3.32, is up 31 cents from the previous season.

Certified Organic Agaricus and Specialty Mushrooms

Growers produced 32.2 million pounds of mushrooms that were certified organic during the 2011-2012 growing season, 3 percent above 2010-2011. Sixty-one percent of the total, or 19.7 million pounds, were sold as certified organic mushrooms. This is up 4 percentage points from the 2010-2011 crop year. Agaricus mushrooms accounted for 68 percent of the mushrooms sold as certified organic, while all specialty mushrooms made up the remainder. The total certified organic sales of all mushrooms represent 2 percent of the 2011-2012 total mushroom sales. The number of certified organic mushroom growers totaled 51, up 3 growers from the previous season. These growers represent 18 percent of the 279 total mushroom producers.