Mushroom Council^® Announces Newly Elected Officers

Nominations Open for 2024-2026 Term

March 9, 2023 – At its February 23 meeting in Charleston, S.C., the Mushroom Council® elected new officers for 2023.

• Chairperson: Curtis Jurgensmeyer, CEO, J-M Farms, Miami, Okla.
• Vice-Chairperson: Michael Stephan, Monterey Mushrooms, Minneapolis, MN
• Secretary: Meghan Klotzbach, C.P. Yeatman & Sons/Mother Earth, West Grove, Penn.
• Treasurer: Jack Guan, California Terra Garden/Guan’s Mushroom, Commerce, CA

The nine-member Council is comprised of eight domestic growers and one importer representing four regions. The program's purpose is to maintain and expand existing mushroom markets and uses. Members are:

Region 1 (Includes all states except for CA and PA)

• Curtis Jurgensmeyer, J-M Farms Inc.
• Michael Stephan, Monterey Mushrooms
• Position open 

Region 2 (Includes Pennsylvania)

• Joe Caldwell, Giorgi Mushroom Company
• Meghan Klotzbach, C.P. Yeatman & Sons/Mother Earth
• Keith Silfee, Needham Mushroom Farm
• Michael Basciani, M.D. Basciani & Sons/Basciani Foods

Region 3 (Includes Calif.)

• Jack Guan, California Terra Garden/Guan’s Mushroom 

Region 4 (Includes importers)

• Kim Marks, Highline Mushrooms

The officers’ responsibilities include ensuring the Council develops and implements an annual research, marketing, and promotions plan, and ensuring the Council manages and follows its annual budget.

Mushroom Council Calls for Nominations — 2024-2026 Term

A call for nominations for three-year terms beginning January 1, 2024, is now open. Completed nomination forms must be emailed or postmarked no later than May 1, 2023. The regions with positions available are:

• Region 1 (All states except CA & PA) –
  • One two-year term (2024-2025)
  • One three-year term (2024-2026)
• Region 2 (PA) – One three-year term
• Region 4 (Importers) – One three-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, please contact Cheryl@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.

Media Contact:

Eric Davis, 612-202-9407, edavis@curiousplot.agency