National Mushroom Month.

UNITED STATES

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Office of the Secretary

Washington, D.C. 20250

September 2007

By the Secretary of Agriculture of the United States of America

A PROCLAMATION

WHEREAS mushrooms--sliced and sauteed, breaded and fried, diced in sauces or raw in salads--are the quintessential finishing touch to any meal, from nouvelle cuisine to traditional down-home cooking; and

WHEREAS more than 2,500 varieties of mushrooms are grown in the world today, ranging from the common Button--which has a subtle flavor and mixes well with virtually any food--to the exotic Shiitake, which has a smoky, woodsy flavor; and

WHEREAS mushroom production is an important part of American agriculture, with U.S. growers producing more than 843 million pounds, valued at $881 million, during the 2005-2006 season; and

WHEREAS this important crop helps increase the sales and profits not only of growers and wholesalers, but of restaurateurs and grocers as well; and

WHEREAS mushroom growers help our environment by using agricultural by-products efficiently;

NOW, THEREFORE, to promote the greater appreciation and use of mushrooms, I, Mike Johanns, Secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture, do hereby proclaim the month of September 2007 as "National Mushroom Month" and call upon all Americans to celebrate marvelous mushrooms with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 5th day of July 2007, the two-hundred thirty-second year of the Independence of the United States of America.

MIKE JOHANNS

Secretary