Kennett area mushroom farmers will have display at Pa. Farm Show

AVONDALE » Kennett Square is known as the “Mushroom Capital of the World,” where the largest concentration of mushrooms farms in the country operate. These 57 farms produce nearly two-thirds of all the white button mushrooms consumed in the United States and last year produced more than 577 million pounds of white button mushrooms, accounting for nearly $560 million, according to the Mushroom Farmers of Pennsylvania.

Mushrooms from the state will be on display during the 102nd Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg this week. Visitors will be able to meet Kennett area mushroom farmers, learn about the process of growing mushrooms, pick mushrooms and more in the popular Mush-Room located in the Main hall.

So who are these mushroom farmers?

They are family. Arthur P. Yeatman bought a farm in West Grove, to be used for dairy operations. It wasn’t until 1921 that he built his first two mushroom houses. Followed by three more in 1922 and 1923. By 1930, the dairy operation was discontinued and four more mushroom houses were built. Operating as A.P. Yeatman & Sons, Arthur’s son Clarence bought another 77-acre farm in 1949 with an additional 3.5 mushroom houses. Clarence’s oldest son Artie began the dairy operation again in 1950. Clarence’s other two sons, Jim and Bob, came into the business in 1958 and formed a new partnership, C.P. Yeatman & Sons. Clarence and Jim operated the mushroom farm while Artie and Bob operated the dairy farm until 1962 when the dairy farm was sold. Today, in its fourth generation, C.P. Yeatman & Sons specializes in organic mushroom production and operates growing and packing divisions. Every mushroom farm in Pennsylvania is family owned, and each has its own unique story to tell.

They are innovators. In 1927, William Phillips started Phillips Mushrooms Farms, a small mushroom growing business in Kennett Square. His early experiments in using ice for temperature control during summer months were a