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USDA: Broiler sales just fraction of overall certified organic market
Story Date: 10/8/2012
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Source: Michael Fielding, MEATINGPLACE, 10/5/12
Although the amount of land dedicated to certified organic crops and livestock is on the rise – 3.6 million acres at latest count – the overall footprint compared to land used for conventional agriculture remains tiny: just 0.39 percent of the nation’s 917 million acres.
This according to the USDA’s “2011 Certified Organic Production Survey,” released Thursday by the agency’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).
According to the report, 2011 certified organic sales totaled $1.31 billion for livestock and poultry and $2.22 billion for crops.
Organic livestock and poultry products sales topped $1 billion in 2011 but only accounted for 29.5 percent of total certified organic sales. Of that, meat production from broilers accounted for just $115 million, with the bulk of sales going to milk and chicken eggs.
Of the 9,140 USDA-certified organic farms, California is home to the most. That state accounted for 39.3 percent of U.S. certified organic sales. Four other states – Wisconsin, New York, Washington and Iowa – accounted for nearly 25 percent of sales.
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