Organic Farming in U.S. Jumps 56 Percent Over 5-Year Period

David Knop checks his organic newly-planted blackberry rows for moisture in Steeleville, Ill. (Isaac Smith/The Southern, via AP)

First off, the number of certified organic farms in the United States increased 11 percent in 2016 to 14,217 from the previous year. That’s according to the latest available data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agriculture Statistics Service. In addition, it has gone up 56 percent since 2011.

Sales of certified organic products have also skyrocketed in recent years, as American farms and ranches sold nearly $7.6 billion in certified organic goods in 2016, more than double the $3.5 billion in sales in 2011, the Pew Research Center.
Despite the vast growth, organic farming still makes up only less than one percent of U.S. farmland overall.

As I’ve written before, it seems like we always are dealing with the constant need for food production. Food demand puts pressure on land and water. Those are the resources we need to sustain it. Climate change complicates the situation even more. When food production and distribution increases, greenhouse gas emissions go up!

Changes Needed Now

Changes are needed to manage food production making agriculture more sustainable. Technology plays a helping hand. So cool that tech helps to feed the world’s population sustainably.

Therefore, here are some of the food innovations. Amazingly, these ideas could revolutionize how we produce our food. So so cool, So cool, So darn cool!!!

Vermont is the state with the highest percentage of its farmland being organic, at 11 percent.

California, Maine and New York followed in largest shares of organic acreage, with each of those states registering organic acres at 4 percent of total farmland.

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Organic Farming in U.S. Jumps 56 Percent Over 5-Year Period