New data shows another year of rapid expansion in the organic sector, with the number of certified organic farms and businesses up 13 percent during 2016, said USDA. “This is the highest growth rate since 2008,” said USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service, and it follows a 12 percent increase in 2015.
Food accounts for the lion’s share of organic production in the United States. Roughly 5 percent of all food sold in the nation is organic, led by dairy, fruits and vegetables.
The USDA said there were 24,650 organic operations in 2016, an increase of 2,869 from the 21,781 tallied in 2015. The tally topped 10,000 in 2006 and rocketed about 15,000 in 2008. Growth slowed abruptly during the 2008-09 recession and the slow economic recovery that followed.
Worldwide, there are 37,032 organic operations, a 19-percent increase from 31,160 in 2015, said USDA. The global organic market exceeds $75 billion.
By coincidence, USDA updated its tally of organic operations at the same time the National Organic Standards Board was meeting in Denver and on the final day of the comment period on a proposal by the Organic Trade Association to create an industry-funded check-off program. The check-off would generate an estimated $30 million a year for research and promotion of organic goods.
The No Organic Checkoff Coalition submitted a petition asking USDA to reject the proposal and signed by nearly 1,900 individuals and groups, reported Civil Eats.