In 1988, a small group of organic vegetable growers in Wisconsin formed a cooperative to provide stable and fair prices to its members. It evolved into Organic Valley, the largest organic, farmer-owned cooperative in North America.

Co-op Partners Warehouse was established in 1999 by the Wedge Natural Foods Co-op in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This certified organic wholesale distribution warehouse serves retail stores, food service businesses and buying clubs throughout the Upper Midwest.

Wisconsin boasts the second largest number of organic farms in the U.S., ranks first among the states for the number of organic dairy and beef farms, and is third in the nation for organic vegetable farms. Organic Agriculture in Wisconsin: 2012 Status Report provides a wealth of information on the opportunities and challenges facing Wisconsin’s organic farms and processors.

Wisconsin is seeing a renewed interest in planting cover crops to prevent soil erosion, retain or add nutrients, reduce pest pressures and accomplish other goals.

While growth in the organic industry has slowed, U.S. consumers are not giving up on organic food. Organic sales, which expanded at a rate of 20 percent per year from the early 1990s through 2007, likely experienced negative growth in 2009. But 31 percent of U.S. families bought more organic food in 2009 than in 2008.

Wisconsin is well positioned to reap the benefits sown by our organic farmers, processors and other businesses. With continued support for and investment in organics, […]

The organic food market continues to expand in the United States, consistently growing at a rate of 15 to 21 percent per year and reaching […]

Wisconsin continues to be a national leader in organic food production, despite the fact that certified organic farms, acreage and production represent only a small […]

Organic cranberries are produced across the continent, with over 100 acres grown in Wisconsin. The major problems facing organic cranberry growers include weeds, insect pests, […]

Printer-friendly version (PDF) Grain farmers can help the environment by expanding their corn-soybean rotations to include additional crops. Research has shown that expanded rotations can […]