By Richard L. Gaw
Staff Writer

Against the rising tide of controversies facing mushroom growers lately – reports of higher than normal levels of Hydrogen Sulfide from composting facilities and the increased presence of phorid fly migration from farms -- the industry recently received some very encouraging news from state lawmakers.

On Feb. 26, U.S. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan joined with Republican U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser in introducing potential legislation called the Protecting Mushroom Farmers Act in the U.S. House of Representatives. Houlahan and Meuser are being joined by U.S. Sens. Dave McCormick and John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, who introduced a companion bill in the U.S. State Senate.

If passed, the legislation would amend the Federal Crop Insurance Act to require the research and development of a policy to ensure the production of mushrooms and require the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to conduct a study on offering federally backed crop insurance specifically for mushroom farms to protect them against environmental threats like inclement weather or pests uniquely harmful to mushrooms. Under the guidelines of the bill, the USDA would have the authority to begin offering crop insurance immediately to mushroom farms. That’s good news for Chester County mushroom farms, as the industry is responsible for $1.1 billion toward the state’s economy and grows nearly 70 percent of the mushrooms in the U.S. 

“Every time I speak with mushroom farmers in Chester and Berks Counties, they tell me about the unique threats they face,” Houlahan said. “Pests like the mushroom phorid fly and the mushroom sciarid fly are only found in mushroom houses, and the fungal pathogens they can carry destroy entire crops. It is time that the federal government step up to ensure our farms are protected and can be passed down to the next generation.”

Fetterman gave credit to U.S. Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) for her introduction last May of the Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act, and House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn Thompson of Pennsylvania for his recent call for the Farm Bill to be signed into law. Houlahan and Meuser previously introduced the Protecting Mushroom Farmers Act in 2023, which was included in Thompson’s 2024 draft of the Farm Bill.

“Pennsylvania is the mushroom capital of the world, and our mushroom farmers deserve access to the same insurance as so many other producers – that’s just common sense,” Fetterman said. 

“Many people might be unaware that the mushroom capitol of the world is Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, employing nearly 10,000 people and contributing nearly $1.3 billion to the local economy,” McCormick said. “USDA’s crop insurance program should be available to all farmers, and I’m hopeful that this yearlong study yields much needed coverage to protect Pennsylvania’s mushroom farmers. I look forward to working on this and other agriculture initiatives with my PA colleagues in the House and the Senate.”

To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email [email protected].