Micheal Clements, NAFB News Service

Although the total value of U.S. agricultural sales remained relatively flat between 2012 and 2017, U.S. organic sales more than doubled to $7.3 billion. The Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service reports growth in the U.S. organic sector has accelerated since the early 2010s as retailers, food manufacturers, and livestock producers have increased demand for organic food and inputs. Agricultural sales averaged $400,600 for organic operations in 2017, more than double the average agricultural sales for all farms of $190,200. The organic share of U.S. agricultural sales doubled to two percent between 2012 and 2017, and was over six percent in some states. California was the top State in both organic and overall agricultural sales. Most other top organic states were in the Pacific Northwest, Upper Midwest and Northeast. Pennsylvania and North Carolina were among the states with the fastest growth, with organic sales up ten- and eight-fold, respectively. In contrast, Iowa ranked second in overall agricultural sales and twelfth in organic sales, reflecting the low adoption of organic systems for U.S. grain production.