NEW ORGANIC PRODUCTION SURVEY RESULTS AVAILABLE

ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) has released the results of the 2008 Organic Production Survey.
“This, the first-ever in-depth survey of organic farming in the United States, came in direct response to the growing interest in organics among consumers, farmers, businesses and others,” said Barbara Rater, director of the Maryland Field Office of USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). “This was an opportunity for organic producers to share their voices and help ensure the continued growth and sustainability of organic farming in the United States.”
The 2008 Organic Production Survey counted 14,540 organic farms in the United States, comprising 4.1 million acres of land.  In Maryland, NASS counted 129 organic farms during 2008. The 129 Maryland farms include USDA certified organic farms and farms that were exempt from certification. Farms following the USDA’s National Organic Program Standards with less than $5,000 in sales (i.e. exempt organic farms) are allowed to market their products as organic without becoming certified.  These exempt farms can use the term “organic” but cannot use the “USDA Organic” seal.
Maryland organic farms are smaller, on average, than all Maryland farms.  Organic farms averaged 71.5 acres of land, compared to 160 acres for all farms.  Maryland organic sales totaled $10.4 million, including $4.9 million in crop sales and $5.5 million in sales of livestock, poultry and their products.  Thirty-five percent of these farms have been in organic agricultural production for less than 10 years.
Approximately 18 percent of Maryland organic sales were direct to consumers, via farms stands, farmers’ markets, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA’s) and other arrangements compared to the national average of 7 percent.
Total organic production expenses were $7.7 million for Maryland, an average of $60,217 per farm in 2008. Hired and contract labor was the largest organic expense category. Maryland farmers reported using a variety of conservation and environmental practices on their organic certified and exempt farms in 2008.  Among the most popular were the use of green or animal manure and the planting and maintenance of buffer strips.
More Maryland and National statistics are available online.  For more information, call the NASS Maryland Field Office at (800) 675-0295.
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