Washington Organics

I'm Lacy Gray with Washington Ag Today.

It's Washington Organic Week and the perfect time for consumers to connect with local organic farmers, organic products, and the organic industry here in the state. Michele Catalano, Executive Director of the Tilth Producers of Washington says that more consumers are becoming interested in organic products all the time.

CATALANO: People are definitely catching on. The organic label has really become much more standard on the food scene - that USDA label that signifies certified organic by the National Organic Program. There's more and more retailers that are specializing in or carrying organic products. There's more companies that want to get into the organic world by adding organic product lines.

Catalano says that on a national basis they are seeing more acreage being turned over to organic production.

CATALANO: And we're seeing that locally as well. We know that over the last ten years organic acreage in Washington state has doubled. It's now up close to 90,000 acres. And Washington continues to be a leader in producing organic products. For instance, 70% of the nations organic apples are grown in Washington state. We're also leaders in several other crops, so people see Washington organics both here at home and elsewhere, and it just helps to get that in front of them and make them become more comfortable and aware of the value of organics.

Consumers can show their support for Washington organics by taking the "Eat Organic for WOW" pledge. Just visit www.tilthproducers.org.

That's Washington Ag Today.

I'm Lacy Gray on the Ag Information Network.