Organic Sales Doubled Over Five Years; Percentage Still Small

U.S. organic sales doubled between 2012 and 2017, even though the total value of U.S. agricultural sales remained flat.  The USDA says growth in the organic sector has taken off since the early 2010's as food manufacturers, retailers, and livestock producers have increased their demand for organic foods and inputs.

Organic operations’ average sales were just over $400,600 in 2017, more than doubling the average sales for all farms, which came in at just over $190,000.  The organic share of all agricultural sales in the U.S doubled to two percent between 2012 and 2017, but the share was over 6% in some states.

California took the top spot in the nation in terms of organic and overall Ag sales.  Other top organic producers were Washington and Oregon, thanks mainly to the growing organic produce sector.  Most of the other top organic producing states were in the Pacific Northwest, which is a major grower of organic produce. Other states were in the Upper Midwest, a major producer of organic milk, and the Northeast U.S., which has many smaller-scale organic farms.

Pennsylvania and North Carolina had the fastest organic growth between 2012 and 2017.

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