ATHENS — Agriculture is Georgia’s number one industry, yet less than one percent of farms in Georgia are organic certified. The Department of Agriculture said it’s the cost that keeps farms from becoming “organic certified.”
This is why the department teamed up with Georgia Organics to launch the 100 Organic Farms Campaign. The Georgia Department of Agriculture will help fund 75 percent of the certification cost, with Georgia Organics covering the remaining 25 percent for farms being certified for the first time. The end goal is to up the number of organic farms in Georgia from 70 to 100.
Grady Newsource reporter Lauren Pinion is looking into the effects this has on the community.
Matthew Epperson works at Daily’s Groceries Co-Op. He said the benefits of having local organic farms for stories like these include building relationships with other farmers.
