The mushroom industry in the United States is worth around $1.19 billion and consists of only 346 growers. Donald Simoni owns and runs "Mushroom Adventures" where he grows the fungi on his farm in Marysville. He states that mushrooms are not grown using seeds and require special compost to grow. Grown indoors, they also require controlled humidity and temperature.

Over the last ten years the price of mushrooms stagnated but sales have grown 13 percent nationwide, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Simoni also noted that the cost of waste products used in cultivating mushrooms have risen as more companies look to recycled products. Simoni believes this could raise the price of mushrooms, but unlike other vegetables people won't notice the rise as they aren't a main course and are only bought a quarter of a pound at a time, he said.

source: abc10.com