Purpose-built harvesters
Vision-guided robots clamp onto standard Dutch shelving and automate Agaricus mushroom picking without forcing farms to rebuild their infrastructure.
Initiative
4AG — Fourth-Generation Agriculture
4AG builds robots that cultivate, pick, and pack mushrooms at industrial scale.
Their site says labour shortages are “crippling production capabilities,” so 4AG deploys autonomous harvesters that work 24/7, climb four-metre shelving, and keep demand from going to waste.
Round-the-clock labour relief
Machines climb four-metre shelving, handle back-breaking stretches, and harvest 24/7 so labour shortages stop crippling production capacity.
Data-rich autonomy
Each pass captures crop data that AI uses to decide what to thin, what to harvest, and when—raising yields beyond what human pickers can consistently achieve.
Deployments
Field looks like this
Real robots in real rooms—see the Sahara prototype, live rigs, and events across North America and Europe.
Engagement Model
Field cadence, not theory
4AG embeds with mushroom growers and their rack suppliers through three repeating phases. Each pass sharpens the autonomy, data, and service playbook needed to keep farms harvesting.
1. Retrofit and roll
Robots attach directly to existing mushroom shelves, travel between rooms, and start harvesting immediately—no civil works required.
- Transportable rigs cover multiple grow rooms per farm.
- Bulk box packing today with a punnet robot in development.
- Standardized shelving from Canada to China keeps installs fast.
2. Autonomy + AI loop
Vision systems thin poor mushrooms, pick only specimens that meet customer specs, and feed a vast amount of data back into decision models.
- Robots trim, pack, and stage mushrooms at the front of each room.
- AI determines which mushrooms to thin, which to harvest, and when.
- Goal: surpass top human pickers on yield and quality consistency.
3. Global scale-out
Deployed across Canada, Ireland, Australia, and soon the Netherlands and United States, with more farms entering the queue as production ramps.
- Completed installs on Highline, Monaghan, South Mill Champs, Banken, and a farm in Oceania.
- Live across three farms already, with more robots going operational this year.
- North America, Europe, and Australia first; Asia follows as labour economics converge.
Support Stack
What partners receive
Every pilot taps into Don’s mix of venture backing, philanthropic reach, and trusted collaborators. That blend keeps experiments well-resourced without losing sight of on-the-ground realities.
Mushroom-native culture
Teams proudly say “we are mushroom farmers” because every robot is tuned for yield, quality, and value on Agaricus beds.
Investor bench strength
Backed by Astanor Ventures, Cibus Capital, Voyager Capital, InBC, Emmertech, BDC Industrial Innovation Fund, Stray Dog Capital, Seraph Group, and private investors.
Category momentum
CAD $40M Series B (July 29, 2025) fuels manufacturing, service, and global rollout so more farms can automate faster.
Why mushrooms need robots
Labour, infrastructure, and market pull
Everything on 4AG’s site points to a single conclusion: mushroom demand is soaring, labour is scarce, and standardized facilities let autonomy scale quickly.
Labour shortages
4AG says labour shortages are “crippling production capabilities,” with 24-hour harvests, four-metre climbs, and back-breaking work making it hard to keep staff.
Standardized infrastructure
Modern farms already use similar shelving and climate setups, letting robots retrofit “from Canada to China” with minimal custom engineering.
Market rollout plan
North America, Europe, and Australia produce ~900K tonnes of mushrooms annually, so they come first. Asia—especially China’s 70% share—follows once economics align.
Next Step
Bring 4AG to your acreage
Run Agaricus houses in North America, Europe, or Australia and wrestling with labour? 4AG’s robots retrofit into your racks and keep production running. Learn more about active deployments and funding announcements at 4AG.ai.