Rising Consumer Demand Reshapes Landscape for U.S. Organic Farmers

In the two decades since USDA published its final organic farming rules, the organic industry has experienced remarkable development. The higher prices producers generally receive for organic products compared with those grown under conventional methods (known as price premiums), motivated expanded U.S. organic production. Certified organic U.S. land for growing crops or livestock increased from 1.8 million in 2000 to 4.9 million in 2021. Organic sales in 2021 accounted for about 3 percent of U.S. farm receipts even though organic acreage was still less than 1 percent of U.S. farmland. Now, more regions are growing organic products, a wider range of retailers are selling organic food, and more research and development (R&D) funds are going toward development of organic agriculture.