Organic
400,000 Acres and Counting. How Many Organic Valley Acres in Your State?
Organic Valley farms comprise more than 400,000 acres of land in the United States, and this organic acreage is home to more than 1,600 Organic Valley family farms and a whole lot of biodiversity.
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. The majority of the land is home to dairy farms. Organic Valley farmers also raise poultry, beef and produce. (Fun fact, Organic Valley started as a produce co-op.)
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.
How many acres of land do you think Organic Valley farmers steward in your area?
Find out by clicking on this handy map.
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!
Jason Pearson at his family's organic farm in Washington.
Interesting Information About Organic Acres
- 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.
- 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, has the most certified organic farms with 1,455. In 2021, the states with the most certified farms were:
Wisconsin: 1,455
New York: 1,407
Pennsylvania: 1,125
States with the Most Organic Valley Acres
- Wisconsin
- New York
- Minnesota
- Pennsylvania
- Vermont
- Ohio
- Indiana
- California
- Maine
- Iowa
States with the Most Certified Organic Acres
These states have the most organic acres in the U.S. (all acreage, including Organic Valley farms).
- California
- New York
- Montana
- Wisconsin
- Texas
- Nebraska
- Oregon
- Idaho
- Vermont
- Colorado
(And coming in at 11 is Iowa with 169,000 certified organic acres.)
*Information from the 2021 Organic Survey.
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.
Related Articles
- Tags:
- climate,
- environment,
- land stewardship & conservation,
- biodiversity