Haysville Air Force veteran grows mushroom business with family

HAYSVILLE, Kan. (KWCH) — What began as a hobby for Air Force veteran Eric Myers has grown into a Haysville family business supplying mushrooms to area restaurants and equipment to growers across the country.

Myers, a 14-year Air Force veteran originally from Long Island, New York, began growing mushrooms in 2015 while stationed in El Paso, Texas. He brought the business to Haysville after he and his wife, also an Air Force veteran, were stationed at McConnell Air Force Base.

“When that happened, I said, OK, I definitely want to scale up my business,” Myers said.

Today, his wife and children are involved in Myers Mushrooms alongside additional staff. The business sells mushroom-related wellness products and growing equipment, much of which Myers invented or modified himself.

Myers said he harvests up to 300 pounds of mushrooms each week and gives any surplus to The Lord’s Diner.

A connection to other veterans

Myers Mushrooms is certified Homegrown by Heroes through the Farmer Veteran Coalition, a national nonprofit that helps military veterans transition into agriculture and food leadership. The business is among more than 500 veteran-owned farms certified through the program.

“You find it’s very often that veterans get out of the military and they want to continue to serve their nation,” Myers said. “And part of serving the nation can be through farming.”

Myers said the program has helped him connect with other veterans in agriculture.

“It makes the network that much stronger when you have fellow veterans that are also farming,” he said.