An acre is about the size of one football field. Or think of it like this, 10 Acadia National Parks in Maine could fit on Organic Valley land. While 400,000 acres are dairy farms, the remaining 60,000 acres are farms that raise things like poultry, beef and produce. Why does it matter if these acres of land are organic?

Well, at Organic Valley we believe the less we mess with nature, the better. Nature already has it figured out.

Healthy soil is the foundation of organic farming and there are 700-plus chemicals that, by law, cannot be used in growing or processing organic products. To be certified organic, producers must follow regulations, from farm to table, outlined by the National Organic Program. Organic practices support the cycling of on-farm resources, promote ecological balance and preserve biodiversity.

Organic Valley farms have kept 440 million pounds of chemicals off the land since its beginning in 1988!

Interesting Information About Organic Acres

• There are more than 17,000 organic farms in the U.S. Put their acres together and you have about 4.9 million acres of certified organic land in the United States, according to results from the U.S. Department of Agriculture 2021 Organic Survey.
• Wisconsin, where Organic Valley took root, makes the top 10 list for most organic acres in the U.S. at 245,000. Wisconsin is also one of three states with more than 1,000 certified organic farms. In 2021, the states with the most certified farms were:
  • Wisconsin: 1,455
  • New York: 1,407
  • Pennsylvania: 1,125
• Sikkim, an Indian federal state in eastern India, is the first 100% organic state in the world. All of its farmland is certified organic, and the state has been awarded for its effort to provide safer food choices and a healthier ecosystem.

States with the Most Certified Organic Acres

1. California
2. New York
3. Montana
4. Wisconsin
5. Texas
6. Nebraska
7. Oregon
8. Idaho
9. Vermont
10. Colorado
    (And coming in at 11 is Iowa with 169,000 certified organic acres.)

*Information from the 2021 Organic Survey.

States with the Most Organic Valley Acres

1. Wisconsin
2. New York
3. Minnesota
4. Vermont
5. Pennsylvania
6. Ohio
7. Indiana
8. California
9. Iowa
10. Washington

If you see an Organic Valley sign as you travel a rural road, you know you are looking at an organic farm whose stewards are dedicated to animals, planet, people and delicious organic products.