Mushroom Schools Education Program
In a MushroomLink first, we’re excited to welcome AMGA CEO Leah Bramich for an engaging webinar where she’ll introduce the newly launched Mushroom Schools Education Program.
Designed to spark curiosity and encourage healthy eating habits in young Australians, the program features a fun new look and the introduction of the Mushroom Family characters - making mushroom education more accessible and engaging for early learners.
Learn about the program’s goals, how early education can shift perceptions about food, and why winning over our littlest consumers can have a lasting impact on mushroom consumption.
About Leah Bramich
Leah Bramich needs no introduction to Australian mushroom growers. She has been at the AMGA since 2019 and led the association for the past three years with energy and vision.
But what many may not know is Leah’s deep passion for education, particularly when it comes to inspiring young children. The Mushroom Schools Education Program is a project close to Leah’s heart.
Conceived and championed by her from the very beginning, the program has grown through multiple iterations, shaped by Leah’s determination to find what truly resonates with young learners. Her commitment to making mushrooms fun, familiar, and accessible for the next generation is evident in every detail of the new look, tone, and characters.
The fly doctor is flying in
The AMGA is pleased to announce that Dr Michael Wolfin will be visiting Australia in March 2025. Dr Wolfin is an Assistant Research Professor in the Entomology Department at Pennsylvania State University and has been a member of the Mushroom Fly Research Team since 2017.
His research has led to the development of attract and kill stations to control mushroom fly populations on mushroom farms. He studies the behaviour and chemical ecology of mushroom flies and works to apply this research to develop or improve pest management strategies.
STRONGER TOGETHER Recap of the 2024 AU + NZ Mushroom Growers Conference
The 45th AMGA Conference in Tāmaki Makaurau Aotearoa/Auckland New Zealand marked the first conference collaboration between the Australian Mushroom Growers Association and the New Zealand Commercial Mushroom Growers Federation. In October, over 150 delegates, representing all parts of the mushroom industry from around the world, met to network and learn.
Transforming food service with Australian Mushrooms
The results of the AMGA's three-year project MU20003: Educating the food industry, show the truly positive impact Australian Mushrooms can have on the overall health of Australians. With the potential of Vitamin D mushrooms to triple Vitamin D intake of residents in aged care, mushrooms can address this widespread deficiency while catering to most dietary preferences.
Further, with the rise of plantbased trends and flexitarian diets, research also shows substantial potential for the entire food service industry to adopt more mushrooms on menus to improve health outcomes.
Safe Mushroom
Growing high-quality fresh mushrooms that are safe to eat is the responsibility of everyone who works on farm.
The SAFE MUSHROOM Program provides food safety and risk management resources and training, enabling all mushroom supply chain businesses and their staff to adopt best practice.
MushroomLink Bulletin June 2025
In this edition:
FEATURE: Managing phorid flies
WEBINAR: Mushrooms in schools program
VIDEO: Training the next generation at the MLMRU
PODCAST: Mushrooms Health Science website with Emma Becket (from the archive)
MARKETING: Welcome to our new regular column, 5 minutes with marketing
OTHER NEWS: Latest from Hort Innovation
MushroomLink Bulletin May 2025
In this edition:
FEATURE: Express testing for Trichoderma - new international research
MUSHROOM R&D SIAP: Meet the members
LOOKING BACK: The Marsh Lawson Mushroom Research Unit
WEBINAR: Revisit the thinking behind the new mushroom marketing strategy
LEVY PROJECT SUMMARY: People development strategy
SCHOLARSHIP: Mushroom Fund international study tour
Education and research at the MLMRU
The Marsh Lawson Mushroom Research Unit (MLMRU) and its activities are funded through the Hort Innovation Project Marsh Lawson Mushroom Research Centre of Excellence (MU21004). The unit is co-owned by the Australian Mushroom Growers Association (AMGA) and The University of Sydney. Applied Horticultural Research assists with managing the unit.
Based at The University of Sydney, the MLMRU plays an important role in teaching horticulture students about mushroom production and research and providing a space for Honours, Masters and PhD students to conduct research. This video covers some of the work done by Dr Meghann Thai in educating university students about mushrooms and the work done in the unit by PhD candidate Samali Perera.
Want to learn more about the MLMRU?
Final report summary: People development strategy for the Australian mushroom industry(MU23005)
The Australian mushroom industry faces challenges in attracting, developing, and retaining skilled workers. In response, this project, funded by Hort Innovation and conducted by RMCG, aimed to develop a strategy to address workforce shortages and build long-term capability.
The strategy aligns with the Mushroom Strategic Investment Plan (SIP) 2022–2026, which prioritises extension, capability building, and industry leadership.
MushroomLink Bulletin April 2025
In this edition:
MAGAZINE: Autumn issue available now
FEATURE: Principles of pinning
NEW PODCAST: Drip irrigation and supplements
MARKETING: Shaking up a storm on social media
ARTICLE INDEX: Issues 1-10 now summarised in this handy index
SCHOLARSHIP: Mushroom Nuffield Scholarship
Research from around the world - Express Testing for Trichoderma
Imagine if you had a simple, colourimetric test, conducted by either the compost maker or the grower, to double check compost is Trichoderma free...
Serbian and French researchers have imagined exactly that. Their focus is particularly on organic growers, who cannot use other management strategies.
Challenges and opportunities for the biological control of mushroom phorid flies using predatory mites
Phorid flies (Megaselia halterata) are a significant pest in button mushroom cultivation systems and are currently an issue on a number of Australian farms. Gravid females are attracted to the odour of actively growing mycelium during both spawn run and fill, and lay eggs in the compost.
While emerging larvae feed directly on mushroom mycelium, their significant impact on yield and quality is mainly due to their ability to vector mites, Lecanicillium fungicola (dry bubble) and Trichoderma aggressivum (compost green mould). This makes them a significant biosecurity risk to individual farms.
Interpreting the principles of pinning
“I THINK OF MUSHROOM CULTURE AS A MOSAIC. THERE’S A LOT OF PIECES THAT ALL HAVE TO FIT TOGETHER PERFECTLY IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE THE BIG PICTURE.”
So says Raymond Samp, a lifelong student of the entire Agaricus mushroom mosaic.
Managing pinning is a key piece of that puzzle. This means that understanding the pinning process is essential for growers to control mushroom quality and meet market requirements.
Shaking up summer with the shaker bag
This summer, Australian Mushrooms brought an exciting new food trend to the table: Shaker Bag Mushrooms! Inspired by the playful experience of ‘shaker fries’, this fresh and innovative way to enjoy mushrooms is already making waves in kitchens nationwide.
Mushroom levy-funded Nuffield Fellowship
Travel the world and discover new opportunities for the mushroom industry with a prestigious Nuffield Scholarship. Receive a $40,000 bursary to step back from your business and grow your skills.
This is a unique opportunity for professionals across all agricultural sectors—including those in the mushroom industry—to connect with global experts, expand networks, and drive change. Whether you’re interested in cutting-edge production methods, sustainability, or market development, this scholarship allows you to research a topic that can transform your business, community, and industry.
Mini mushroom growers
The AMGA is excited to launch MU23006: Mushroom Schools Education Program, a refreshed version of the successful ‘Mushrooms in Schools’ program, running since 2020. This initiative introduces new branding and the Mushroom Family characters, making mushroom education more engaging and accessible for young learners. The program’s revamped branding ensures a modern, fun, engaging, and visually appealing experience for students and educators alike.
The mushroom R&D investment cycle
In this instalment, Mushroom Fund Research, Development and Extension (RD&E) Coordinator Dr Carly Rosewarne explains how her role supports Hort Innovation to manage the process of converting investment recommendations into contractable projects.
Meet the mushroom R&D SIAP
The Mushroom R&D Strategic Investment Advisory Panel (SIAP) provides Hort Innovation with advice about how mushroom R&D levy funds should be invested to deliver value for levy payers and the industry.
The SIAP oversees the development and execution of the Mushroom Strategic Investment Plan (SIP), provides advice to Hort Innovation guided by SIP investment priorities, identifies and endorses RD&E opportunities, and assists with monitoring and evaluation of levy funded projects. Dr Carly Rosewarne interviewed the panellists and the AMGA CEO to get their thoughts – why they joined, industry challenges and opportunities, fungi facts, and the best ways to enjoy eating mushrooms.
Establishment of the Marsh Lawson Mushroom Research Unit
December 2024 marked the 20th anniversary of the official opening of the Marsh Lawson Mushroom Research Unit (MLMRU) at Sydney University.
The Unit is currently undergoing a major renovation and has quite a history, occupying as it does a prime piece of real estate right at the edge of the Chancellors Oval at Gadigal Green. But how did our small, experimental unit come to be in such a valuable location? And why does it even exist?
