Washington Organic Week begins Sept. 12, celebrates organic agriculture

Heidi Peroni
Organic Education and Outreach Specialist

September 12th-18th is Washington Organic Week (WOW! for short) – a week to celebrate our state’s robust organic agriculture community, educate consumers about organic products, and share resources for agricultural operations interested in organic certification.

As part of the recognition, Governor Jay Inslee has issued a proclamation acknowledging the significance of organic agriculture to our state and highlighting the growth of certified organic Washington farmland—more than 93,000 acres today!

A WSDA inspector, left, visits an
organic greenhouse. 

WSDA’s Organic Program is the oldest and largest state certification program in the country. Supported by fees from certified operations, the Organic Program currently certifies 1,160 organic growers, handlers and processors of organic products, and registers 850 input materials for use in organic production.

Washington organic continues to thrive, producing more than 93 percent of all the organic fresh apples in the nation, and 94% of organic sweet cherries. On top of that, our state’s certified organic farmers lead the nation in producing organic pears, hops, blueberries, and more!

During the week, we’ll share information on our social media sites that raise awareness, educate consumers, and help farmers. We’ll use the hashtag #WAOrganics so you can follow along.

If you’d like to learn more about organic agriculture, visit our Organic Food Program website or Tilth Producers, which is also supporting the weeklong WOW! event.