Breakeven yields for cultivated morel mushrooms (Morchella spp.) in the US North Central region

Abstract

Morels (Morchella spp.) are specialty mushrooms that fetch high prices from wild-foraged or indoor grown suppliers. Outdoor cultivation could expand availability and diversify morel crops. Participatory research trials in the United States during 2021–2023 resulted in low, uneven yields. Cost accounting reveals that in 2023, a producer needed to achieve an average morel yield of 0.16 lb/ft of row to break even. This threshold was sensitive to prices and labor costs. While these findings are preliminary due to a small sample and experimental conditions, they establish baseline indicators for the yields needed for outdoor morel cultivation to break even financially.