Courtesy USDA/ Scott BauerOrganic farmer Phil Foster and horticulturist Eric Brennan scrutinize leaf of red chard on Foster ’s organic farm in San Juan Bautista , Calif. harmonize to the Organic Production Survey , California took the national lead in number of constitutional farms and organic sale .
As a supplement to the 2007 Census of Agriculture , the U.S. Department of Agriculture released the2008 Organic Production Survey , outlining sale and product practices on constituent farm in the United States .
“ This was USDA ’s first wide-cut - scale view of organic producers , and it was undertake in direct reception to the growing interest in organics among consumer , farmers , business , policymakers and others , ” articulate Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan . “ The entropy being released today will be an important building block for future program and policy development . ”
The survey was direct by the National Agricultural Statistics Services , which collected 2008 data from farm operations certified organic by the USDA , transitioning to constitutional output or nontaxable from certification because sales were less than $ 5,000 . A amount of 14,540 organic farm and ranches across the U.S. participated—10,903 USDA - license organic and 3,637 exempt from certification .
concord to the report , the top state for both figure of certified - organic farm and constitutional - product sales is California , with 2,714 constituent farms and organic sales reaching 36.3 percent of total sales .
In 2008 , constitutional sale for the participating farm topped out at $ 3.16 billion , with $ 1.94 billion in constitutional crop and $ 1.22 billion in organic stock , poultry and their products . While most of organic Cartesian product were sell at sweeping markets , processors , brokers and retail merchant , the remaining 6.8 pct travel directly to the consumers who purchase from constituent farm ( 2.4 per centum ) , at granger ’ market ( 1.9 percent ) , and through community - supported agriculture ( 1 percent ) .
Most farm operators sold their constituent product locally : 44 percent within 100 Admiralty mile of the farm and 30 percentage between 100 and 500 miles . interior vendor embark organic product 500 or more miles account for 24 percent of those surveyed , while only 2 per centum of constitutive producers sell internationally .
Sales numbers are n’t the only eminent - dollar figures considered by organic famers — constituent production issue forth at an increase price to traditional farming practice . In 2008 , an organic farm expend an norm of $ 62,000 more on production costs than a traditional farm , according to feedback from the interviewed organic - farm operations . The medium constitutive farm spent $ 171,978 , while the 2007 Census of Agriculture describe a $ 109,359 norm for all farm across the country . The bulk of the expense for constitutive Fannie Farmer went to labor ( $ 569 million ) and fee ( $ 480 million ) , survey by repairs , supply and expenses ; fertilizer , lime and soil conditioners ; and rip and lease fees for ground , buildings and machinery .
In addition to info on constituent gross sales and expenses , the Organic Production Survey provides information on farm categories , practices and procedures ; federal programs ; output plans and challenge ; and average farm incomes . For more selective information and to view the full report , travel to the USDACensus of Agriculture .
