In a Sept. 17 press release, the USDA reported $5.5 billion total sales of organic products in 2014, up 72 percent since 2008. California led the nation with $2.2 billion. Other top-10 states in sales included Washington ($515 million), Pennsylvania ($313 million), Oregon ($237 million), Wisconsin ($201 million), Texas ($199 million), New York ($164 million), Colorado ($147 million), Michigan ($125 million) and Iowa ($103 million).
The USDA report states that approximately 5,300 organic producers (39 percent) intend to increase organic production over the next five years, while another 688 farms with no current organic production are in the process of transitioning into organic production.
The top-five organic products sold by U.S. farms in 2014 were milk ($1.08 billion), eggs ($420 million), broiler chickens ($372 million), lettuce ($264 million) and apples ($250 million).
The NASS survey in 2008 reported 14,540 organic farms, occupying 4 million acres, with another 128,476 acres going through transition. In 2014, 14,093 organic farms were reported, accounting for 3.6 million acres, with another 122,175 acres transitioning to organic production.
So while demand for organic foods trends upward, the organic industry must figure out how to turn the trend around for decreasing acres in production. In a Sept. 18 newsletter, Politico.com reported that Peter Golbitz, CEO of the organic-focused consulting firm Agromeris and member of an industry taskforce focusing on the issue, told a session of the Natural Products Expo East that farmers are reluctant to undergo the three-year transition where land has to be treated organically to gain certification, while receiving none of the higher premiums provided in the marketplace. FG
