HARRISBURG, PA – Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding commented on Friday, November 6 on new data showing that Pennsylvania has risen from third to second nationally in sales of organic agricultural products. Results of the 2025 National Organic Survey released October 30, 2026 by the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service show that Pennsylvania organic sales grew from $1.094 billion to $1.114 billion, an increase of $20 million, more than 1.83% over the past year. The number of organic-certified Pennsylvania farms has also grown from 880 to 1,150 since January 2023, a nearly 30.7% increase.

“This growth is proof positive that Shapiro Administration strategic investments are working to bring added value to what Pennsylvania farmers produce,” Secretary Redding said. “Consumer demand for organic products continues to increase steadily. Meeting that demand means a farmer has to make significant investments to meet rigorous standards to achieve USDA certification, and then to market their products. The Shapiro Administration has made historic investments to support farmers who want to pursue certification, and to help them plan, innovate, break into new markets, and sell higher value products.

“It has long been the case that farmers don’t control the prices they receive and don’t always benefit from higher prices paid by consumers,” Sec. Redding continued. “Pennsylvania has been taking the long view — investing in ways that multiply farmers’ investments, enable them to weather increasingly erratic and uncertain costs of doing business amid tariffs, war, and severe weather, and actually increase their profit margins. That laser focus on long-term growth is why we launched the first Pennsylvania Strategic Plan for Agriculture last month. It is what will help sustain our farms in the future and keep more Pennsylvanians farming and more families thriving.”

Pennsylvania’s organic agriculture leadership by the numbers

Contributing to Pennsylvania’s overall number two national organic sales ranking, the state continues to rank first nationally in sales of:

• Organic livestock with $979 million annually
• Organic poultry $587 million, eggs at $146 million, and turkeys at $109 million
• Organic mushrooms at $71 million

With additional current rankings not yet available:

• Organic dairy generates more than $99 million in sales.

All organic crops generate $135 million annually. Pennsylvania is very strong in organic floriculture, field crops, and in vegetables and fruit — the crops with the largest growth nationally.

A significant portion of organic fruit and vegetables sales occur at farm markets and other direct farm-to-consumer sales — an area dominated by the small farms that characterize Pennsylvania, and an area in which the state ranks third, with $162.6 million overall, including organics.

How Pennsylvania is feeding growth

To bolster Pennsylvania’s leadership and steady growth in organic agricultural product sales, Governor Josh Shapiro invested $1 million to create the first-of-its kind Organic Center for Excellence, signed legislation creating the PA Preferred Organic™ brand, and invested $350,000 in 2024 to create Pennsylvania’s first registered Organic Agriculture Apprenticeship at Rodale Institute. The center and the brand build quality assurance that products bearing Pennsylvania’s brands are authentic and locally produced under rigorous standards. The apprenticeship creates an earn-while-you-learn opportunity for family sustaining jobs in a growing field, while giving farmers workers with the skills and expertise they need to produce high-value organic products.

The Governor also signed legislation giving the PA Preferred program the authority to offer grants, launching the PA Preferred Marketing Grant Program, earlier this year, investing $500,000 in the first grants to be offered since PA Preferred®, the state’s branding program for local agricultural products, was originally funded in 2011.

More than1,240 current PA Preferred members, 13 PA Preferred Organic members, and 69 Homegrown by Heroes military veteran-farmers are taking advantage of the state’s branding program to promote their products to consumers who want to buy local. Farmers and other producers who join, as well as processors, farm markets, and restaurant members, are provided with logos for their product labels, as well as free branded materials and other promotions throughout the year.

Find more information on organic agriculture in Pennsylvania, including financial assistance for transitioning to organic, how to join PA Preferred Organic, and farm success stories pa.gov/organic.

Connecting Farmers to Markets, Customers, and Opportunities to Succeed

Pennsylvania’s agriculture sector is the backbone of the Commonwealth, with more than 48,800 farms contributing over $153 billion a year to the economy and supporting nearly 600,000 jobs in Pennsylvania. Governor Shapiro’s 2026-27 budget continues to make strengthening agriculture and food security top priorities — helping farmers, families, and communities thrive by securing:

$10 million to establish Fruit Grower Freeze Disaster Assistance Recovery Grants, now on their way to help fruit growers statewide recover their losses from a devastating late-April freeze.
$5 million from the existing Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) fund to expand education for farmers working to combat the spread of HPAI.
$10 million to fund a third year of the Agricultural Innovation Grant Program to drive innovation in Pennsylvania agriculture. Round investment will support 97 projects and leverage $4.8 million in private investment — putting innovative technology into practice to help Pennsylvania agricultural businesses improve efficiency and increase production, protect soil and water resources, and generate clean, renewable energy.
$13.8 million to fully fund an eighth year of the Pennsylvania Farm Bill to support business planning, infrastructure, and workforce development.

Round one of Ag Innovation Grants are at work across Pennsylvania funding 88 innovative projects including those that will help orchard owners recover and thrive amid increasingly common severe weather events, erratic market conditions, and labor shortages in the future.

In early August, Lt. Governor Davis announced the second round of Ag Innovation Grants. The $9.7 million investment is supporting 97 projects leveraging $4.8 million in private investment — putting innovative technology into practice to help Pennsylvania agricultural businesses improve efficiency and increase production, protect soil and water resources, and generate clean, renewable energy.

Agriculture is one of the cornerstones of Governor Shapiro’s Economic Development Strategy — Pennsylvania’s first in two decades. In mid-October, Governor Shapiro unveiled Pennsylvania’s first-ever Strategic Plan for Agriculture, to support farmers and ag producers and ensure one of the Commonwealth's largest industries remains profitable and globally competitive.

Read the full Strategic Plan for Agriculture at pa.gov/AgStrategicPlan.

Read more about Shapiro Administration investments to keep Pennsylvania agriculture competitive and a national leader in the 2026-27 Budget and continued support for Pennsylvania farmers at pa.gov/governor.