OKLAHOMA CITY — Results of the 2016 Certified Organic Survey released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) show that U.S. farms produced and sold $7.6 billion in certified organic commodities in 2016, up 23 percent from 2015. During the same year, the number of certified organic farms in the country increased 11 percent to 14,217, and the number of certified acres increased 15 percent to 5.0 million.
Oklahoma had 2016 sales of $4.6 million in certified organic agricultural production compared with $2.1 million in 2015.
“The survey provides a comprehensive look into certified organic agricultural production in Oklahoma and the rest of the nation,” said Troy Marshall, Oklahoma State Statistician.
The survey results show the following about organic agriculture in Oklahoma in 2016:
- Number of certified organic farms increased from 23 in 2015 to 34 in 2016 and acres rose from 6,082 to 18,008.
- 29 farms had crop sales, 5 livestock and/or poultry sales and 4 livestock and/or poultry products sales.
- 13 growers harvested 7,032 acres of field crops with sales of $2,030,942.
- The primary field crops soybeans ($863,120 sales), wheat ($687,480 sales), and dry hay ($455,967 sales).
- Total sales of vegetables grown in the open of $259,558 were produced on 14 acres from 13 farms.
- Top sales of vegetables crops grown in the open were: tomatoes $73,360, squash $23,534, potatoes $18,720, lettuce $16,712 and cabbage $15,865.
- Berries and other fruits (excluding apples and citrus) grown on 6 acres from 8 growers produced total sales of $96,276.
Total egg sales came to $98,500 and other cattle (all cattle except milk cows and beef cows) sales $457,523.
Marshall commented that the production of certified organic commodities can be a very profitable alternative for America’s farmers and ranchers and the information reported will help in the continued orderly development of this expanding agricultural industry.
The 2016 Certified Organic Survey is a census of all known U.S. farmers and ranchers with certified organic production in 2016. To become certified as organic, producers must meet the standards set out by USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service’s National Organic Program and be certified compliant by an approved agent of the program. Survey results are available at www.nass.usda.gov/organics or the Quick Stats database at http://quickstats.nass.usda.gov .
—USDA NASS
Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry
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