The U.S. Department of Commerce has announced preliminary anti-dumping duties on fresh Canadian mushrooms, marking another development in the ongoing trade dispute between the United States and Canada.

The proposed tariff rates are considerably lower than those requested by the Fresh Mushrooms Fair Trade Coalition, but they still introduce new uncertainty for growers and exporters operating across North America.

According to Mushrooms Canada, the decision is preliminary and the allegations of unfair pricing remain unfounded. The organization says it will continue working through the investigation process while advocating for fair trade between both countries.

With labour shortages, rising production costs and changing consumer demand already placing pressure on the industry, the outcome of the investigation could have wider implications for mushroom producers on both sides of the border.

Please read the full article.

Source: Yahoo finance

Technology is becoming smarter and more connected

In our previous edition of Mushroom Matter Industry Insights, we explored how hybrid harvesting, semi-automation and technologies that work with biology are helping growers build more resilient production systems.

The next step in this evolution is not necessarily more automation, but smarter integration.

Across the mushroom industry, data, energy management and robotics are increasingly working together to help growers make better decisions, improve efficiency and optimise production. Rather than operating as separate innovations, these technologies are becoming part of one connected production strategy.

Below, we explore three developments that are shaping the next phase of mushroom cultivation.

Data-driven mushroom farming: turning information into better decisions

Modern mushroom farms generate more data than ever before.

Climate computers, sensors, cameras and monitoring systems continuously collect information about temperature, humidity, CO₂ levels, airflow and crop development. But collecting data is only the beginning.

The real value lies in translating that information into practical decisions.

Increasingly, growers are using data to optimise climate settings, predict crop development, improve harvest planning and identify trends that would otherwise remain unnoticed.

Artificial intelligence is also beginning to play a role, not by replacing experienced growers, but by supporting them. AI can recognise patterns across multiple growing cycles, helping growers respond more quickly and consistently to changing conditions.

The combination of digital insights and human expertise is becoming one of the strongest drivers of production efficiency.

Energy efficiency is becoming part of the growing strategy

Energy remains one of the largest operating costs in mushroom production.

Climate control, ventilation, cooling and heating are all essential for producing a consistent crop, but they also account for a significant share of production expenses.

Rather than treating energy efficiency as a sustainability project alone, many growers now view it as an integral part of crop management.

Optimising climate recipes, recovering heat, improving ventilation strategies and reducing unnecessary energy consumption all contribute to lower operating costs while maintaining crop quality.

The objective is no longer simply to use less energy, but to use energy more intelligently.

The next generation of harvesting robotics

Robotics continues to evolve rapidly, but expectations within the industry are becoming more realistic.

Instead of aiming for fully autonomous harvesting under every condition, today's developments focus on improving precision, flexibility and collaboration with human pickers.

Advances in computer vision, artificial intelligence and gripping technology are enabling harvesting robots to better recognise mushroom maturity, size and position. At the same time, robotics is expanding beyond harvesting into grading, packing and logistics.

These developments allow growers to automate repetitive tasks while maintaining the flexibility needed to deal with biological variability.

Rather than replacing people, the latest generation of robotics is designed to support the entire harvesting process.

Connecting the dots

Although data, energy management and robotics are often discussed separately, their greatest value lies in how they reinforce one another.

Data helps growers understand what is happening inside the growing room.

Energy management ensures the crop develops under the most efficient conditions.

Robotics helps translate those growing conditions into a more consistent and efficient harvesting process.

Together, these developments are creating mushroom farms that are not only more productive, but also more resilient and better prepared for future challenges.

The bigger picture

From our conversations with growers, suppliers and technology companies across the global mushroom industry, one trend is becoming increasingly clear.

Innovation is moving beyond individual technologies. The strongest solutions are those that combine biology, practical experience and digital tools into one integrated approach.

Rather than asking "Which technology should we invest in?", growers are increasingly asking "How do these technologies work together to improve our farm?"

At Mushroom Matter, we believe this shift towards connected thinking will define the next generation of mushroom production.

Looking ahead

In the next edition of Mushroom Matter Industry Insights, we'll once again take a step back from the daily headlines to explore the developments shaping the future of the global mushroom industry.

We'll continue to connect the dots between innovation, cultivation and market developments, bringing together the stories and trends that matter most to growers, suppliers and technology partners.

Published by Mushroom Matter: connecting the global mushroom community through insight, innovation and inspiration.

Just a week before our conversation, Stefan Glibetic attended the North American Mushroom Conference. While automation, robotics and data analytics were among the topics discussed, the dominant themes were familiar ones: labour shortages, declining mushroom consumption, pressure on margins, and the ongoing search for sustainable solutions that can help secure the future of the industry. For Stefan, these conversations felt very familiar. More than a decade ago, those same challenges were the reason Mycionics was founded.

A problem worth solving

Back in 2013, mushroom grower Murray Good approached the University of Western Ontario with what Stefan describes as a plea rather than a question. Labour was becoming increasingly difficult to find and retain, margins were shrinking, farms were struggling, and the long-term sustainability of the industry was at risk.

At the time, Stefan was studying robotics engineering. The challenge immediately caught his attention.

Many people viewed mushroom harvesting as too difficult to automate. Mushrooms are delicate, they grow in constantly changing environments, and any solution would need to meet strict food safety requirements while remaining affordable and practical for growers. Traditional automation simply did not fit the realities of mushroom farming. Rather than accepting that conclusion, Stefan wanted to understand why.

"The infrastructure already looked partially automated," he explained. "There were lifts, rails, conveyors and climate-controlled rooms. The question was whether modern robotics could take the next step."

Together with fellow researchers, university professors and Murray Good, he started exploring what would eventually become Mycionics.

From university project to commercial venture



The first years were spent experimenting, testing and learning.

During his master's project, Stefan and another student developed an early robotic harvesting prototype capable of scanning mushroom beds, identifying mushrooms and picking them. It was slow and primitive by today's standards, but it demonstrated something important: robotic harvesting was possible.

Government-funded research grants helped finance the early work, while the mushroom farm supplied crates of mushrooms for testing different grippers, vision systems and  harvesting methods under real conditions.
By 2014, Mycionics was officially formed. As interest and momentum grew, additional investment from Doug Wagner allowed the company to move beyond academic research and begin building a commercial business.

The team relocated to Murray's farm, hired engineers and began industrializing the technology. What followed was more than a decade of continuous iteration.

Learning on the farm



Being located directly on a mushroom farm became one of Mycionics' greatest advantages. Instead of developing technology in isolation, the team could test solutions in real-world conditions every day. New prototypes were built, deployed, tested, modified and tested again.

Humidity caused problems.
Infrastructure caused problems.
Reliability caused problems.
Every challenge became another lesson.

Over time, the company developed more than thirty generations of improvements across its harvesting, lifting and packing systems. 
Perhaps no story captures those years better than the agreement Stefan made with the farm's head grower. If the robot failed to harvest the crop, the Mycionics team would finish the job themselves.

And it happened. Often.

Whenever the machines fell short, Stefan and his colleagues climbed onto the harvesting trolleys and picked mushrooms through the night. It was demanding work, but it taught them something invaluable. They learned firsthand what growers expect from technology, what reliability truly means, and how difficult it is to operate successfully in a commercial mushroom farm.

As Stefan puts it, a mushroom farm does not need impressive technology. It needs technology that works.



Proving it could be done

By 2022, Mycionics had achieved something many considered impossible. The company had developed a complete robotic harvesting system capable of picking, cutting, packing and stacking mushrooms within traditional Dutch aluminium shelving systems. Multiple robots worked together, sharing data and coordinating tasks throughout the growing rooms. 

Technically, the challenge had been solved. The robots could harvest mushrooms around the clock, produce excellent quality, and successfully complete the full harvesting process.

Commercially, however, the breakthrough had not yet arrived.



Despite the technological achievement, the systems were still not fast enough and not cost-effective enough to provide the breakthrough growers truly needed. 



Many companies would have commercialised the system anyway. Mycionics chose a different path.

Starting over to move forward

In 2023, Mycionics chose to rethink its approach. Rather than pushing a solution to market simply because it worked, Stefan and his team stepped back and asked a different question:

What does the industry actually need? The answer was not full automation. The answer was smarter automation.

The team redesigned its technology around a hybrid model that combines the strengths of both people and machines. Robots focus on repetitive tasks such as harvesting, packing and handling. People focus on higher-value activities such as thinning, pruning, quality control and crop management. This approach dramatically improved the economics while maintaining flexibility for growers.

The company also modularized its entire technology platform, ensuring systems could be maintained by farm staff rather than requiring specialist technicians. In an industry where crops cannot wait, that distinction matters.



Today, Mycionics adapts its solutions to different farming infrastructures, including drawer systems and traditional Dutch shelving, each with different levels of automation depending on what makes the most practical and economic sense.

From robotics to crop intelligence

As the technology evolved, another opportunity emerged. Data.

The robots weren't just harvesting mushrooms anymore. They were collecting information.
Every mushroom scanned by a robot generates data. Every harvest creates new insights. Every growing cycle reveals patterns. 

Mycionics realised that its vision systems could provide value long before a mushroom was ever picked.

This led to the development of Crop Scout and pointing systems that help growers track mushroom growth, optimize harvesting decisions and improve yields. The results have been significant.



At South Mill Champs in Canada, the value of the technology became so apparent that the company purchased eighteen scanning and pointing units for deployment across its farm. According to Mycionics, the system is currently delivering an average yield improvement of 6.3 percent, representing approximately 23,000 additional pounds of mushrooms per unit annually. For growers, that is a meaningful impact.

Check out Mycionics Case study here.

Collaboration over competition

Throughout our conversation, one theme surfaced repeatedly: collaboration. Mycionics actively works with industry partners such as Limbraco and Christiaens to ensure technologies integrate seamlessly into existing farm infrastructures. Rather than trying to solve every challenge independently, the company believes the best solutions emerge through cooperation. That philosophy even extends to competitors.

Stefan speaks positively about other Canadian automation companies and believes that broader adoption of robotics across the industry benefits everyone involved. "If more farms successfully adopt automation, that's good for the industry."

It is a perspective that reflects the company's long-term mindset. Success is not measured by individual machines, but by the overall progress of the mushroom sector.

Looking ahead

Today, Mycionics continues to expand across Canada, the United States, Europe, Australia and New Zealand, while also attracting interest from South and Central America. The company is currently growing its team, adding new talent and preparing for the next phase of deployment. 
Yet Stefan sees the future extending far beyond harvesting automation.

His vision is a connected mushroom industry where data flows between growers, compost suppliers, spawn producers, genetics companies, logistics providers and climate-control systems. A future where better information leads to better decisions, higher yields and a more sustainable industry.

The possibility of applying Mycionics technology to other crops may come one day. But for now, the focus remains firmly on mushrooms.

The company may be known for its robotics, but Stefan’s passion has never been about robots alone. It has always been about solving a problem worth solving.

That problem first took shape more than ten years ago, when Stefan, then a mushroom grower himself, began asking whether robotics could help secure the future of mushroom farming. 

The answer wasn't built overnight.

It took thousands of tests, countless iterations and the willingness to start over when the first solution wasn't good enough. That mindset still defines Mycionics today.

Because building better robots has never been the company's ultimate goal. Building a stronger, more sustainable mushroom industry is.

The opening of our new branch in Gujarat, India, is a wonderful moment for RibbStyle. Owner Martijn Meeuwse was present to officially open the doors together with the team.

The new office demonstrates what we stand for: working close to our partners and customers, with room for innovation, quality, and collaboration. During the visit, there was an energetic atmosphere, with a team ready to build the next steps together.

Moreover, Gujarat is an important region for the mushroom industry, a sector in which RibbStyle has been active for many years. Our specialized coatings are used worldwide to ensure hygienic, safe, and easy-to-clean cultivation environments. From Gujarat, we can support growers and suppliers in this fast-growing market even better with knowledge, service, and products tailored to local conditions.

With this location, we are taking a solid step forward. From our new branch, we can capitalize even better on opportunities in the region and continue to grow, develop, and create, together with the mushroom sector and other industries that require sustainable, reliable coatings.

From June 4–6, 2026, Montreal will host the 27th edition of the North American Mushroom Conference — one of the most important events for the mushroom industry in North America. The conference brings together growers, experts, and industry leaders to exchange knowledge and discover the latest technologies supporting modern mushroom cultivation.

We are proud to announce that GrowTime will also be among the exhibitors, showcasing its solutions for professional mushroom farms. At our booth, visitors will have the opportunity to see our modern mushroom harvesting trolleys and innovative technologies designed to improve efficiency and working comfort. It will be a great chance to explore our products up close, meet the GrowTime team, and connect with mushroom industry professionals from around the world.

If you are interested in the future of modern mushroom production, this is an event you should not miss. And that’s not all… GrowTime has just entered a new market and expanded into another country. More details will be announced soon!

More about our presence at the conference here: GrowTime at NAMC 2026 in Montreal

As most growers know, our mushroom is a slow-growing and very sensitive organism. It is very susceptible to changes to its environment, growing substrate, or competitors. Whether it is just the nature of the fungus or the fact that our mushroom is such a slow-growing organism, it is extremely sensitive to environmental or nutritional stress. Most likely, it is a combination of the two.

The only time in the mushroom's life cycle during which it grows quickly is during the rapidly expanding stage of the pin development. During this time, it becomes even more sensitive to environmental or crop-management changes. The final fresh mushroom quality characteristics are greatly influenced during this, what I call, the Rapid Expanding Stage (RES).

At the end of this developmental stage, just before harvesting, the mushroom pumps most of its food and water from the compost into itself over about 24 h. To efficiently accomplish this incredible task, the mycelium and rhizomorphs in the compost and casing must be properly created and maintained. Therefore, it is critical to establish an efficient system for the creation, adsorption, and movement of food and water during the composting, spawn growing, and case run periods.

Furthermore, because the mushroom is so sensitive during the RES, the grower must maintain a steady environment and watering management scheme.

Fresh mushroom quality involves every detail and every person from Phase I through packaging. The primary goal of the mushroom grower seeking optimal fresh quality is to create a substrate, environment, and growing conditions that reduce stress on the sensitive mushroom.

The mycelium in the compost absorbs nutrients during the spawn growing period, then begins to pump them up into the mushrooms during pinning and harvesting. Therefore, Phase I and II composting becomes the critical component to enable the mushroom to efficiently adsorb and pump the food and water. It is the grower’s responsibility to “prime the pump” for the mushroom.

After casing, the goal is to create and maintain proper rhizomorph formation to efficiently transport water and nutrients into the mushroom, especially during the RES.

The late Dr. Jim Sinden described this transport of dissolved nutrients from compost through the casing to the developing mushroom as a 'pipe system'. The spawn growth in compost creates a “pipe system” for the movement of food and water, and the rhizomorphs in the casing are larger “pipes” designed for the rapid transportation of nutrients and water.

Several factors for improving the pipe system include balanced compost nutrition, proper temperatures, and optimum compost and casing moisture. Alternatively, those factors interfering with the pipe system, such as insects, nematodes, bacteria, viruses, or fungi, must be controlled.

The most critical factor is casing moisture, which is necessary to keep the pipes feeding the mushroom in good working order.

The most critical stage of the mushroom’s development is during the RES, where the mushroom doubles in size every 24 hours. This expansion stage depends on compost temperature, compost moisture, and casing.

The mushroom expends a tremendous amount of energy to rapidly biosynthesize and transport essential structural components, such as mannitol. This flow of nutrients is occurring at a rapid rate during the RES of the mushrooms' development, and the efficiency of this nutrient and water transportation is dependent on the type and quality of the rhizomorphs in the casing layer, Figure 1.

It is the grower's responsibility to manage the casing so that rhizomorphs are well constructed and maintained.

Figure 1. Proper rhizomorph formation is critical for the flow of water and nutrients into the developing mushroom.

Casing Management

The function of the casing layer is, quite simply, to trigger the mushroom to switch from vegetative to reproductive (fruiting) growth. The casing also functions to supply and retain moisture for the mushroom, and the rhizomorphs transport dissolved nutrients to the mushrooms.

The Water Holding Capacity (WHC) is often described as an important characteristic of the casing layer, and it is, in fact, a valuable fact to know about your casing material. Another harder-to-measure, less well-known factor is Water Availability (WA), which describes how readily water is released from a substrate.

As far as a mushroom is concerned, it is the water giving up ability, not water holding capacity, that characterizes a good casing substrate.

A continuum of common casing materials that have the most to least WA would be something like:

Soils > Spent Mushroom Substrate > Black Peats > Sphagnum Peat

The synthetic gels or polymers, although they hold more than 10 times their weight in water, have a very poor water-giving-up ability. pH buffering materials, like sugar beet lime or marl, may help to increase the water-giving-up ability of sphagnum peats.

What is important to remember is that the better the WA of the casing material, the more efficient the rhizomorph system that is likely to form, and the easier it is for the grower to maintain this pipe system during production.

Insects, pests, nematodes, bacteria, virus, and Trichoderma are some of the more common pests that interfere with an efficient pipe system.

Mushroom Size

Mushroom size is primarily determined by the number of pins that develop at a break or flush. After that, size can be influenced by how the crop is prepared and managed, and if the room’s environment will maximize mushroom size.

This crop management must occur earlier, not later, because once the pins are “pea-size,” it has already been determined how big the mushroom will get, and it’s too late to influence the outcome.

The best Portobello growers are those who have learned to manage the pin set to achieve enough pins for a good yield, but more importantly, only the right amount of pins to produce the largest mushrooms for their Portobello market.

Other factors affecting size include casing depth and moisture. As these two factors increase, so does size, but there is an economic limit to how deep the case can be and its influence on size.

Compost moisture, as normally encountered at most farms, will not influence size, but has more influence on fresh quality. It has been reported that adding spawn supplements to a moist compost will increase yield and size, whereas adding them to a dry compost will only increase yield.

Environmental manipulation of temperature, humidity, air flow, and CO2 also influences pin development. However, there is disagreement among growers and researchers over whether high or low humidity levels or the evaporation rate influence pin development.

Either too high or too low relative humidity after flushing will negatively influence pinning or pin development, and thus mushroom size.

Compost dry weight is closely related to mushroom size. The more compost that is filled per ft² or m² at spawning or casing time, the larger the mushrooms.

However, this phenomenon is more involved than just the amount of food per area. It has been reported that low dry weights with more supplements added at spawning will increase yield but not mushroom size.

Some say the earlier the crop is cased, the smaller the mushrooms, while others have suggested just the opposite.

Obviously, the timing of the water application affects the number of pins that develop, thereby influencing mushroom size. Water management during flushing, clumping, primordia formation, and pinning will determine the mushrooms' size.

A general rule of thumb is that the earlier one waters after flushing, the fewer pins that form, increasing mushroom size. However, watering later when all the pins have fully developed will improve yield, but the mushrooms will be smaller, Figure 2.

When casing is too dry going into a break and is not receptive to water after a break, normally the mushroom size for that break will be smaller.

Once the pins are well developed (larger than a peppercorn), their size has been set, and most of the water given to the casing after that is for the next break or flush of mushrooms.

Figure 2. When water is applied at the different pin stages shown below, it has different influence on yield and size. Watering earlier (towards the left), yield will decrease but mushroom size will be increased. Watering later (towards the right), maximum yield will be achieved, but with smaller mushrooms.

CNC Substrates

CNC Holding BV Announces Strategic Integration
Under New Global Brand: CNC Substrates

MILSBEEK, The Netherlands – April 15, 2026 – CNC Holding BV, a global leader in mushroom substrate production, today announced a major strategic integration of its business units. Launching just ahead of the international Mushroom Days (April 22-24, 2026), the company will now operate under a single, unified identity: CNC Substrates.

This integration marks a significant evolution in the company’s structure, bringing together the expertise of its Agaricus Division—specializing in white and brown mushroom substrates—and its Exotic Mushroom Division. By consolidating these branches under the new CNC Substrates brand and logo, the company aims to offer a streamlined, comprehensive “one-stop shop” experience for professional growers worldwide.

One Face to the Customer

The transition to CNC Substrates is designed to simplify the customer journey. By presenting “one face” to the market, CNC Holding BV ensures that mushroom growers can access a complete portfolio of high-quality substrates through a single, professional interface.

“Our goal is to improve our customer offering by providing a full range of substrates through an integrated marketing and sales team,” says Hildo Brilleman, CEO. “Whether a grower requires substrate for the Agaricus family or specialty exotic varieties, they can now rely on a unified standard of excellence and a simplified procurement process.“

Global Logistics and Production Excellence

To support this integrated offering, CNC Substrates leverages its modern production facilities in both the Netherlands and Poland. This dual-hub strategy facilitates:

Bulk Service across Europe: Efficient, large-scale delivery to European growers.
Global Reach: First-class logistical support, including specialized refrigerated transport, allowing the company to serve professional growers on every continent.

Digital Transformation: The New CNCSubstrates.com website

As part of its commitment to service through technology, CNC Substrates is officially launching its new digital platform this week. The website, www.cncsubstrates.com, serves as a central hub for the company’s entire product range and service offerings.

In a move to consolidate its digital presence, the previous domain names—cncgrondstoffen.nl, dto-bv.com, cncexoticmushrooms.nl, and vemespecials.nl—will now be redirected to the new central site. This digital evolution ensures that customers have immediate access to technical specifications, product innovations, and grower support.

A Future as a “Centre of Excellence”

The launch of CNC Substrates is more than a rebranding; it is a commitment to becoming the “Centre of Excellence” for the global mushroom substrate industry. By focusing on rigorous quality control, technological innovation, and superior logistical services, the company continues to work toward setting the industry standard for substrate performance.

Attendees of the Mushroom Days on April 22-24 are invited to learn more about the integration and explore the new product offerings.
Come and visit us at stand 6.11 in Hall 1.

About CNC Substrates

Based in Milsbeek, The Netherlands, CNC Substrates (a brand of CNC Holding BV) is a premier provider of high-quality substrates for the professional mushroom cultivation industry. With production sites in the Netherlands and Poland, the company delivers specialized Agaricus and exotic mushroom substrates to growers globally, supported by world-class logistics and a commitment to innovation.

Media Contact:

Alex Vos

Commercial Director

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

+31 6 18 62 79 43

www.cncsubstrates.com

Fungi are rapidly moving beyond niche innovation into a growing global ecosystem of startups, researchers and entrepreneurs.

Initiatives like the Future is Fungi Awards highlight how early-stage ventures are being supported to translate scientific breakthroughs into real-world applications.

From mycelium-based materials to biotech solutions and alternative proteins, these startups are exploring the full potential of fungi across industries. What stands out is not only the technology itself, but the increasing focus on collaboration, mentorship and knowledge sharing.

By connecting science with entrepreneurship, platforms like this are helping to accelerate innovation and lower the barrier for new ideas to reach the market, positioning fungi as a key driver in the emerging bioeconomy.

Please read the full article here.