The Georgia Organic Peanut Association (GOPA) requests contact information from producers interested in growing Certified Organic peanuts.

The Georgia Organic Peanut Association (GOPA), a farmer-owned marketing cooperative, will host a free workshop for organic growers on April 13 in Tifton.

The workshop will take place from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Georgia Museum of Agriculture. Attendees will hear from researchers, industry professionals, and other farmers about programs and best practices for organic agriculture. Represents from USDA RMA, UGA College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Georgia Organics, Perdue Agribusiness, and others will present.

Farmers who would like to attend or receive more information about growing for the Georgia Organic Peanut Association should register through the cooperative’s website: www.organicpeanuts.farm. Due to coronavirus protocols space is limited. 

“Buyer interest has surpassed what we expected,” said Ronny Shingler, GOPA chairman of the board. “People know that the best peanuts come from Georgia, and now they know we have the best organic peanuts, too.”

“We’re looking forward to expanding our output in 2021 to meet the growing demand for Certified Organic products in the marketplace,” he said.

The Organic Trade Association reports that nationwide sales of Certified Organic food have grown by 6.2 percent on average since 2017 — compared to 2.3 percent growth for all food categories. 

Per the latest data from the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, sales of Certified Organic commodities in Georgia jumped from $19,964,000 in 2015 to $135,101,000 in 2017. 

The Georgia Organic Peanut Association was formed in 2019 to market Certified Organic commodities from any producer in Georgia, Alabama, and Florida.