A recent report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture found a 23 percent jump in organic sales from 2015 to 2016. Laura Batcha, CEO of the Organic Trade Association, says that’s very good news for the industry.
She says the market has been growing faster in recent years at the consumer level than the base number of organic acres and farm production used to meet that demand. However, the production base is growing and making strides in closing that gap, as the organic industry is taking steps to increase their acreage base.
Traditional farmers who might be thinking about going part-time or full-time organic have a process they’ll need to follow to make that switch.
Batcha says it takes some work to make the switch but producers will see benefits from doing so.
Again, Laura Batcha is the CEO of the Organic Trade Association.