Organic Agricultural Sales Growing At Break-Neck Speed

(WASHINGTON, DC) Although the total value of U.S. agricultural sales remained relatively flat between 2012 and 2017, organic sales more than doubled to $7.3 billion. Growth in the organic sector has accelerated over the past ten years as retailers, food manufacturers, and livestock producers have increased demand for organic food and inputs. Agricultural sales averaged $400-thousand for organic operations in 2017, more than double the average agricultural sales for all farms ($190,245). The organic share of sales doubled to two percent and was over six percent in some States. California was the top State in both organic and overall agricultural sales. Pennsylvania and North Carolina were among the States with the fastest growth over the same period, with organic sales up more than eight-fold. In contrast, Iowa ranked second in overall agricultural sales but twelfth in organic sales, reflecting the low adoption of organic systems in grain production according to USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS).