Contact: Ashley Huibregtse, 608-224-5002
MADISON – There is a new resource available to assist organic producers and purchasers in Wisconsin. The 2011 Wisconsin Organic Farm & Business Directory was compiled by the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) and is now online.
“Until this directory, there wasn’t a central location for organic farmers to search for organic buyers or for consumers to identify organic farms and businesses,” said Harriet Behar, the Organic Specialist at MOSES and a member of the Wisconsin Organic Advisory Council. “This directory facilitates trade.”
The 100-page directory is available online at http://datcp.wi.gov/Farms/Organic_Farming/Directory. You can also search by name, crop, product, or county. Each entry includes a name, contact information, description, and organic certification.
“Landowners can search the directory to find an organic farmer to rent their land, or a consumer can find a local farmer to buy vegetables for canning,” added Behar. “Farmers can contact farmers to share experiences with organic certification, or feed mills can find producers who will sell organic grains – there are so many uses for this tool.”
Inclusion in the directory was voluntary. This directory includes 522 of Wisconsin’s 1,136 certified organic farms and 96 of the 218 certified organic businesses in Wisconsin. To be listed in future directories, download an application form at the web address listed above or contact DATCP.
“The more organic farmers and businesses who sign up for the directory, the more useful it is,” said Laura Paine, DATCP’s Organic Agriculture Specialist who assembled the directory. “The communication structure the directory creates will strengthen the entire organic agriculture industry.”
In five years from 2002 to 2007, the number of certified organic farms in the state increased 256-percent, making Wisconsin second in the nation in the number of organic farms. Wisconsin is also in the top five states in certified organic acreage with 195,603 acres.
To request a hard copy of the organic directory or to add your name, contact Paine at 608-224-5120 or laura.paine@wi.gov.
