06/06/07 Forage, vegetables and tree fuit dominate organic production

Washington Ag June 6, 2007 Organic agriculture continues to show significant growth in Washington state. And Washington State University sustainable agriculture specialist David Granatstein says organic dairy represents one of the fastest growing segments of the organic marketplace. The number of certified organic dairies in Washington went from 14 in 2005 to 23 in 2006 and there are another eight in transition with 21 others pending. Granatstein: "So of course that drove an increase in pasture and forage, but we are probably still pretty short on that. That is the assessment of folks in the industry that there is not nearly enough feed for organic dairy cows in our region. So we should definitely see more growth in that area I think because the demand is here." Organic forage production showed the most growth accounting for 30 percent of the state's total organic acreage. Granatstein: "Tree fruit is growing. We are going to see a bunch more come in in the next two years, and vegetables have also shot up." Apples are Washington's predominant organic tree fruit crop with Gala and Fuji the most common organically grown varieties. Washington is second only to California in organic vegetable production. In 2005, the most recent year for which figures are available, farm gate sales of organic goods were valued at over 101.5 million dollars, up 31 percent over 2004. I'm Bob Hoff.