HARRISBURG, Pa. – Results of the 2019 Organic Survey released October 22 show that Pennsylvania farms produced and sold $742 million in organic commodities in 2019, up 12% from 2016, according to King Whetstone, director of the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, Northeastern Regional Field Office. This ranks Pennsylvania third nationally, behind California and Washington in the value of sales.
The number of certified organic farms in Pennsylvania increased 31% to 1,048 farms, placing Pennsylvania fourth in the nation behind California, Wisconsin, and New York. Certified acres in Pennsylvania increased 15% from 2016 to 107,550 acres.
The survey results show the following top commodity groups in organic sales for Pennsylvania
in 2019:
- Livestock and poultry – $449 million, up 16%
- Crops – $124 million, up 48%
- Mushrooms – $77.3 million, up 99
The 2019 Certified Organic Survey is a special study conducted by U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) and is part of the 2017 Census of Agriculture program.
For the complete “2019 Organic Survey Summary” report, go to
https://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/AgCensus/2017/Online_Resources/Organics/index.php
The “2019 Certified Organic Survey” report and all other NASS reports are available online at www.nass.usda.gov
–USDA, NASS