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Make sure Pennsylvania Organic Agriculture is well represented! 

Are you certified organic? The national organic survey needs your input!

If you have not yet mailed in your organic survey, you can visit this site to fill out your survey online.

The survey asks producers to provide information on acreage, production, and sales as well as production and marketing practices. This effort is critical to help determine the economic impact of certified organic agriculture production in the country and in Pennsylvania!

Results from this survey will help inform the direction and priorities of the PA Preferred® Organic Program!

PA Preferred® Organic Program

PA Preferred® Organic is a PA Farm Bill initiative to grow market opportunities for Pennsylvania farmers and keep PA a national leader in organic production. 

Organic agriculture is an ecological production management system that promotes and enhances biodiversity, biological cycles, and soil biological activity. It is based on minimal use of off-farm inputs and on management practices that restore, maintain, and enhance ecological harmony (USDA National Organic Standards Board, 1995). For example, inputs such as manure and compost help build soil rich in organic matter, providing nutrients to crops and requiring less dependence on synthetic fertilizers. 

​Pennsylvania consumers are increasingly interested in purchasing a greater quantity and variety of organic foods. By producing more organic products in-state, Pennsylvania farmers can meet the demands of this rapidly expanding market opportunity by diversifying their farm, generating greater income, and strengthening an already robust PA agriculture industry. With 1,055 certified organic farms and more than 93,000 acres of certified organic land in the commonwealth, PA farmers are well on their way to addressing this growing need.

PA Farms rank 3rd in the nation in organic sales!
Pennsylvania is among the top organic producing states:
  • #1 in Organic Livestock & Poultry, $449 million
  • #1 in Organic Eggs, $104 million
  • #1 in Organic Mushrooms, $77 million
  • #8 in Organic Milk, $65 million
USDA-NASS 2019 Organic Survey

For more information on the PA Preferred® Organic Program, please contact Kristen Markley, Organic Program Coordinator, by email at kmarkley@pa.gov or by phone at 717-787-6006.