overview

Organic farming has been one of the fastest growing segments of U.S. agriculture for nearly a decade. Certified organic cropland for corn, soybeans, and other major crops more than doubled from 1992 to 1997, and doubled again between 1997 and 2001. Two organic livestock sectors—poultry and dairy—grew even faster. ERS collected data from State and private certification groups to calculate the extent of certified organic farmland acreage and livestock in the United States. These are presented in 39 tables showing the change in U.S. organic acreage and livestock numbers from 1992 to 2001. Data for 1997, 2000, and 2001 are presented by State and commodity. Data for 2000 and 2001 for the first time include the number of certified operations, by State.

Farmers in 48 States dedicated 2.3 million acres of cropland and pasture to organic production systems in 2001. Over 1.3 million acres were used for growing crops. California, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Montana, and Colorado had the most organic cropland. Colorado, Texas and Montana had the largest amount of organic pasture and rangeland. USDA lifted restrictions on organic meat labeling in the late 1990s, and by 2001, most of the States were raising certified organic livestock.

While adoption of organic farming systems showed strong gains between 1992 and 2001 and the adoption rate remains high, the overall adoption level is still low—only about 0.3 percent of all U.S. cropland and 0.2 percent of all U.S. pasture was certified organic in 2001. Obstacles to adoption by farmers include high managerial costs and risks of shifting to a new way of farming, limited awareness of organic farming systems, lack of marketing and infrastructure, and inability to capture marketing economies. Still, many U.S. producers are embracing organic farming in order to lower input costs, conserve nonrenewable resources, capture high-value markets, and boost farm income, especially as prices fall for staple commodities.

why now?

Government efforts to boost organic production have focused on developing national certification standards to assure consumers of consistent product quality and on streamlining interstate commerce in organically grown products. In addition, several States have begun subsidizing conversion to organic farming as a way of capturing the environmental benefits of these systems. Also, at least nine USDA agencies have started or expanded programs and pilot projects to help organic producers with production and marketing problems and risks.

Fifty-three organic certification organizations, including 14 State programs, conducted third-party certification of organic production and handling in 2001. USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service implements national legislation and published rules in October 2002 that require all except the smallest organic growers (less than $5,000 in sales) be certified by a State or private agency accredited under USDA's national organic standards.

Organic farming systems rely on practices such as cultural and biological pest management, and virtually prohibit synthetic chemicals in crop production and antibiotics or hormones in livestock production. For example, organic farmers provide habitat for predators and parasites of crop pests, calculate planting/harvesting dates and rotate crops to maintain soil fertility, and cycle animal and green manures as fertilizer. Organic livestock growers try to accommodate an animal's natural nutritional and behavioral requirements.

Overall, certified organic cropland and pasture accounted for about 0.3 percent of U.S. total farmland in 2001. Only a small percentage of the top U.S. field crops—corn (0.1 percent), soybeans (0.2 percent), and wheat (0.3 percent)—were grown under certified organic farming systems. On the other hand, organic apples (3 percent of U.S. apple acreage), organic lettuce (5 percent) and other fruit and vegetable crops were more commonly organic grown in 2001. Markets for organic vegetables, fruits, and herbs have been developing for decades in the United States, and fresh produce is still the top-selling organic category in retail sales.

features

Recent Growth Patterns in the U.S. Organic Foods Market—Economic research on recent growth patterns in the U.S. organic sector, by market category, and a description of the marketing channels for major organic commodity groups. A summary of various research, regulatory, and other ongoing programs on organic agriculture in the U.S. Department of Agriculture. AIB-777 (9/02)

U.S. Organic Farming Emerges in the 1990s: Adoption of Certified Systems—This report updates USDA estimates of land farmed with certified organic practices during 1992-94 with 1997 estimates, including new State-and crop-level detail, and provides a brief discussion of current economic issues in organic farming. During the 1990's, certified organic cropland more than doubled, and two organic livestock sectors-eggs and dairy-grew even faster. The report is due to be updated using these data by the end of 2002.

Organic Farming and Marketing Briefing Room

media and naming convention

The 39 tables in the organic production database are downloadable in both .wk1 and .xls spreadsheet format (files with all tables are in .xls and .wk4 spreadsheet format). Files are listed in menus below.

data files

all tables for 1997 in .wk4 format (84 MB)
all tables for 2000 and 2001 in .wk4 format (348 MB)

glossary

updates

The next update of the organic production data series is expected to contain estimates for 2002. These estimates should appear in October 2003 as an update to this ERS Data Product.

for more information, contact: Catherine Greene
web administration: webadmin@ers.usda.gov
page updated: October 18, 2002