Announcing Newly Elected Board Members, Officers and Call for Nominations

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Mushroom Council Announces Newly Elected Board Members and Officers
Nominations Open for 2027-2029 Term

Lee’s Summit, Mo. (March 19, 2026) – At its February 11 meeting in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico, the Mushroom Council welcomed one new board member and elected its officers for 2026. The nine-member Council is composed of eight domestic growers and one importer representing four regions. The program’s purpose is to maintain and expand existing mushroom markets and uses. The newly elected board member is Ed Wuensch (Region 2); Michael Stephan, Monterey Mushrooms (Region 1) was reappointed for a second term.

Newly elected officers are:
• Chairperson: Pat Jurgensmeyer, J-M Farms
• Vice Chairperson: Laura Matar, Giorgio Mushrooms
• Secretary: Jack Guan, Terra Garden/Guan’s Mushroom
• Treasurer: Ed Wuensch, Basciani Foods

The officers’ responsibilities include supporting the Council’s development and implementation of an annual research, marketing and promotions plan, and ensuring the Council manages and follows its annual budget.

The full board now consists of:

Region 1 (All states except CA and PA):
• Pat Jurgensmeyer, J-M Farms
• Michael Stephan, Monterey Mushrooms
• Open
Region 2 (Pennsylvania):
• Tina Ellor, Phillips Mushroom Farms
• Laura Matar, Giorgio Mushrooms
• Chris Alonzo, Pietro Industries
• Ed Wuensch, Basciani Foods
Region 3 (California):
• Jack Guan, Terra Garden/Guan’s Mushroom
Region 4 (Importers):
• Open

Mushroom Council Calls for Nominations: 2027-2029 Term
A call for nominations for three-year terms beginning January 1, 2027, is now open. Completed nomination forms must be emailed or postmarked no later than May 1, 2026.

The regions with positions available are:
• Region 1 (All states except CA & PA): One 3-year term
• Region 2 (Pennsylvania): One 3-year term
• Region 4 (Importers): One 3-year term

Eligibility: All producers, who produce, on average, over 500,000 pounds of mushrooms annually for fresh use and are not exempt may nominate one or more candidates, provided that they produce within the specified region.

To qualify as a candidate or to nominate a candidate, an individual must be a producer. Producer means any person engaged in the production of mushrooms who owns or shares the ownership and risk of loss of such mushrooms and who produces, on average, over 500,000 pounds of mushrooms per year for the fresh market and not exempt from paying assessments.

For more information about the calls for nominations, please contact Amy Wood, Mushroom Council President at amy@mushroomcouncil.org.

About the Mushroom Council
The Mushroom Council is composed of fresh market producers and importers who average more than 500,000 pounds of mushrooms produced or imported annually. The mushroom program is authorized by the Mushroom Promotion, Research and Consumer Information Act of 1990 and is administered by the Mushroom Council under the supervision of the Agricultural Marketing Service. Research and promotion programs help to expand, maintain and develop markets for individual agricultural commodities in the United States and abroad. These industry self-help programs are requested and funded by the industry groups that they serve. For more information, visit mushroomcouncil.com.