Organic Growth

The organic food industry is continuing to grow larger in America. The U.S. now has 6.5 million acres of certified organic Land. Organic industry data service Mercaris (Meh-CAR-us) says there are more than 17,600 U.S. farmers certified as compliant with the USDA National Organic Program standards for organic row-crop production. Laura Batcha, CEO of the Organic Trade Association, says her group is pleased with the news.

 

Batch says the industry has been making investments designed to help with growth and it’s great to see those investments continuing to pay off. Batcha says a number of areas around the country are increasing their organic output, including the Great Plains region.

 

The gains in acres and the number of farms were called “modest” in the announcement but Batcha says that’s normal, given the time it takes for farms to transition to organic production. The 17,648 farms certified for organic production in 2018 represents a three percent increase from 2017, totaling 460 new operations across the country.