Organic Commodity Sales Double over Five Year Period

Although the total value of U.S. Ag sales remained relatively flat between 2012 and 2017, American organic sales more than doubled to $7.3 billion.  The USDA’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 2% between 2012 and 2017, and was over 6% in some states.  California was the top State in both organic and overall agricultural sales.  Washington and Oregon were both in the top five nationally when it came to the sale of organic Ag last year.

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.

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