On Friday, March 7, 2025, Southern SARE participated in a first-time University of Georgia (UGA) Mushroom Symposium with 132 attendees including producers, growers, controlled environment agriculture professionals, and mushroom enthusiasts. Organized by the UGA Center for Urban Agriculture and held at the UGA Griffin Campus student learning center, attendees learned from research presentations, demonstrations and exhibitors about practical cultivation for growers, chefs, and other agricultural professionals. UGA student facilitation and engagement enhanced the attendee experience assisting with finding room locations and information as well as offering interesting dialogue with cross sections of the campus and community.
The keynote speaker, John Pecchia of the Penn State Mushroom Research Center, works with production, and with growers on production of specialty mushroom production and button mushrooms. He shared advice from the production side and some key takeaways of how to cultivate specialty mushrooms, as a grower.
Other presentation topics throughout the day included research presentations and practical cultivation for growers, chefs, and other agricultural professionals, food safety and demonstration, marketing strategies and available resources through Georgia Center of Innovation. Presentations covered specialty mushroom production and button mushrooms, technology in mushroom cultivation, food safety and commercialization, and marketing and regulatory aspects, along with direct experiences from mushroom growers.
The inaugural event featured various vendors (listed in full below) also discussing production, food safety, and marketing, and included product displays, mushroom-based construction materials, networking opportunities between growers and various materials while also providing educational resources through partners like the Georgia Center of Innovation and Southern SARE, whose educational materials were popular with attendees.
“I think people really enjoyed getting the Southern SARE resources,” said Bethany Harris, Director of the UGA Center for Urban Agriculture and SSARE Georgia State Coordinator. She put SARE books on her table about the farmers market, and said, “it was a really good one for especially this group, and they were gone quickly.”
Harris thought one of the coolest things was just being able to see all of the growers throughout the State come together.
“We had 132 people that attended the event from producers and growers to growers that are in controlled environment agriculture but are looking to do mushroom production to even enthusiasts that are thinking about growing mushrooms long term. It was nice to see all of the groups of people really get to come together. There were a variety of different vendors and speakers who spoke not only about production, but about food, safety, marketing, and the resources that are available.”
Harris shared plans to expand next year's event to two days in March during spring break, with potential specialized tracks for beginners/homeowners and experienced growers, or business startups, covering topics like food safety and production methods.
Full list of presenters as provided by the UGA Center for Urban Agriculture:
Keynote Speaker - Dr. John Pecchia (Penn State Mushroom Research Center)
Growing Specialty Mushrooms – Where to Start and What are The Challenges.
Dr. Pecchia explored some of the different varieties of specialty mushrooms, including approaches for cultivation of each. He discussed what supplies and equipment may be needed to start growing mushrooms, talked about climate control, mushroom diseases and explain how University Extension can be a resource to new growers.
Dr. Chris Cornelison (Kennesaw State University)
MycoSolutions: Creating a Sustainable Future with Fungi
Fungi represent a vast and largely untapped resource in biotechnology. From optimizing the cultivation of diverse culinary and functional mushrooms to harnessing the catalytic power of fungal enzymes for converting bulk biomass into high-value products, fungi offer immense potential for sustainability and economic growth. Research in the BioInnovation Laboratory at Kennesaw State University has focused on utilizing fungi as catalysts for biomass conversion within a circular economy framework.
As nature’s premier decomposers, many fungi have evolved extraordinary capabilities to break down complex organic matter, effectively transforming waste into food, medicine, and specialty chemicals. By aligning these inherent properties with societal needs and regionally abundant byproducts, our research has demonstrated that fungi serve as a powerful tool for driving sustainable innovation. This work highlights their role in advancing environmentally responsible solutions while contributing to economic and technological progress.
Dr. James Gratzek (Food PIC Center) and Dr. Laurel Dunn (UGA Food Science Department)
From Spore to Toadstool: Food Safety and Scale-up considerations for value added mushroom product.
This presentation focused on the food safety and mushroom added-value products.
Costas Simoglou and Caitlin Jackson (Georgia Center for Innovation Ag Tech and Energy Technology Program)
Grow Your Business Further, Faster with The Center of Innovation
The Center of Innovation is a strategic arm of the Georgia Department of Economic Development; a provider of a wide range of services and programs to businesses of all types and sizes. The Center’s specialty is drilling down to the details and linking new and expanding businesses to our expert staff members, external partners, and independent mentors who can help spark inspired solutions for challenges and opportunities of any size.
Allen Carroll (Founder of Fungi Farms)
"Southeastern Mushroom Agriculture: Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities"
Description: As a 15-year veteran of mushroom cultivation, including 8 years in a commercial setting, Allen Carroll has worked closely with farms across the Southeast to provide fruiting blocks, spawn, and growing supplies, as well as education and consulting services. In this talk, he shares his unique perspective on the current state of mushroom farming in the region, highlighting emerging trends, regional challenges, and growing opportunities in the gourmet mushroom market. Drawing on his extensive experience and firsthand knowledge of southeastern agriculture, Allen offers valuable insights into how growers are adapting to meet increasing demand, scaling their operations, and innovating in an evolving industry. Whether you're a hobbyist or a commercial grower, this talk provided a comprehensive view of the forces shaping mushroom farming in the Southeast.
Emma Reigel and Gabriel Harrison (Founders of Gowin Valley Farms)
"Farming for the Future: Innovating Mushroom Cultivation through Research and Education”
This presentation highlighted the innovative research and collaborations between Gowin Valley Farms, a research-based mushroom farm and universities such as Kennesaw State, Cornell University and the University of Tennessee Knoxville. Focusing on USDA grant research collaborations, sustainable mushroom cultivation methods and the creation of undergraduate and graduate internships, this session explored the farm’s academic partnerships and more. Attendees learned about cutting-edge growing techniques, quality assurance and the farm’s commitment to providing top-tier gourmet mushrooms to chefs and restaurants in Georgia and Tennessee.”
Cecilia Tran (Fulton County Extension Family and Consumer Sciences Agent)
Nutritious and Delicious: Why Mushrooms are Good for You
Attendees learned what nutrients mushrooms provide to your overall health, as well as best practices in purchasing and storing them. Participants also tasted and saw how simple mushroom preparation can be.
Sam Landes and Cornelia Cho (Mushroom Club of Georgia)
Fungi: A hobby, a passion, maybe even an obsession. How you too can join the intriguing world of Foraging, Identifying and Growing."
This talk was an introduction to the world of fungi. How you can join in as deep as you want to go and the wonderful knowledge, connections and mysteries you will find.
Jacki Dehart and Matthew Kulinski (Georgia Department of Agriculture Regulatory Division and Georgia Grown Program)
Mushrooms: Why We Regulate Them?
This presentation focused on the regulatory aspect of mushroom production in Georgia.
Full list of exhibiting partners as provided by the UGA Center for Urban Agriculture:
Rodale Institute: Rodale Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit conducting independent research to uncover and share regenerative organic farming practices that restore soil health, fight climate change, and fix the food system.
Gowin Valley Farms: Gowin Valley Farms Mushrooms is a Certified Naturally Grown, female-owned family farm in Rocky Face, Georgia. They grow and isolate wild cultures of over 20 gourmet mushroom species including Lion’s Mane, Oyster, Chestnut, Maitake, Beech, Nameko, Enoki, Shiitake, Reishi, Turkey Tail, Cordyceps + more.
Green Box Mushrooms: Indoor bottle cultivation mushroom farm located in Gainesville, Georgia. Their products are Certified Naturally Grown and USDA Organic using sustainable methods.
USDA-NRCS also shared information and educational materials for their various programs.
Fungi Farms: Fungi Farm is a commercial laboratory dedicated to fungi. Fungi Farm hosts workshops, events, and private lessons revolving around the symbiotic relationship between humans and fungi. We are not only about growing mushrooms; we're about training people in the craft of mycology.
UGA SNAP-ED: Our program provides free classes, newsletters and online courses to educate eligible Georgians so they can live make healthier choices.
Mycologic: Driven by a commitment to sustainable and community-focused agriculture, we collaborate with local Georgia growers like Gowin Valley Farms, Ellijay Mushrooms, 4Fungi’s, and Greenbox Mushrooms, providing them with the tools and knowledge to thrive. Our team of experts in microbiology, agriculture, engineering, and business is dedicated to empowering growers with affordable, effective cultivation systems. We’ve developed innovative solutions, including a turn-key mushroom fruiting module and an all-in-one substrate processing module that we’re close to releasing.
Mushroom Club of Georgia: This organization committed to the promotion of scientific and educational activities related to fungi.
Georgia Grown and Georgia Department of Agriculture: Georgia Grown is a division of the Georgia Department of Agriculture, we help grow local agribusinesses. Shop hundreds of Georgia businesses from the comfort of your home.
Southern SARE
Educational materials and resources shared included Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program research books, bulletins, factsheets, and flash drives containing all of the existing SARE publications.
For more information, visit spore2store.org