The State of Local Food with Dean Williamson

Where in the World Are the Organic Farms?

By Dean Williamson, 5-10-09

On Saturday, May 2, The New York Times published a map showing the density of organic farms in the United States.  The map reveals that most organic farms are clustered into a few geographic centers.

The largest organic markets by far are for vegetables, fruit and dairy products, according to Catherine Greene, an economist at the Agriculture Department.

Organic vegetables now account for 5% of all vegetable sales; organic dairies, which are the fastest-growing sector, now produce 1 percent of the nation’s milk.

And what of the wide swaths of the country with a dearth of organic farms?

They’ll be waiting a few more years for local organic produce. Even if demand, which has lagged in the South and other Sun Belt states, picks up, the Agriculture Department requires a three-year waiting period for farms to win organic certification.

See the story:

Like this story? Get more! Sign up for our free newsletters.