Organic farms and ranches are clustered mostly on the West Coast, the Northeast and the upper Midwest, says the first USDA survey of producers since 2008. The 2014 Organic Survey counted 14,093 certified and exempt organic farms with total sales of $5.5 billion, up 72 percent from 2008. California accounted for $2.2 billion of the sales, followed by Washington State, Pennsylvania, Oregon and Wisconsin. The top five commodities in sales value were milk, eggs, broiler chickens, lettuce and apples. Nearly half of production was sold within 100 miles of the farm.
“Additionally, the industry shows potential for growth in production as approximately 5,300 organic producers (39 percent) report that they intend to increase organic production in the United States over the next five years. Another 688 farms with no current organic production are in the process of transitioning into organic agriculture production,” said the USDA.
The number of organic farms was down by 3 percent from 2008 and the amount of land in organic farming, at 3.7 million acres, was down by nearly 10 percent.
“While we are concerned with both the small decrease in the number of organic farms and the sizable loss of acres being farmed organically, the findings suggest that organic farmers are intensifying production and finding ways to add more value to their existing operations, which is great,” said Paul Wolfe of the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition. “The question nonetheless remains as to why we are losing organic acreage at a time when demand for organic products has never been higher and imports are increasing.”
Organic farms account for 5 percent of the U.S. food supply. “The next three to five years are going to be mission-critical for what happens in organic 15 years from now,” said Melissa Hughes, board president of the Organic Trade Association. “We have to figure out how to meet the needs of organic farmers now so they will be able to meet the needs of the future.”