USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service conducts
a mail survey of all farmers in the United States every
five years. Detailed questions about the sociodemographic
characteristics of the U.S. organic farm sector were included
in the 2007 Census, covering topics included
organic sales, the gender and age of the organic operator,
and whether farming is considered the operator's primary
occupation.
The Census counted 20,437 farms in the U.S. producing
organic products according to National Organic Standards.
Farmers that are transitioning to organic production as
well as small farms that are exempt from USDA's mandatory
certification requirements are included in this number.
Organic product sales were reported by 18,211 farms in
2007, with 8,285 of these farms reporting less than $5,000
in organic sales. USDA's organic regulation exempts farms
earning under $5,000 in organic sales from the mandatory
organic certification requirement.
Findings from the 2007 Census
The results in the charts below come from NASS; complete
2007 Census of Agriculture, including organic tables are
available on their
website.
Organic Operations Have a Higher Share of Female Operators
Organic Operations Have a Higher Share of Operators Who
Considers Farming Their Primary Occupation
Organic Operations Have a Higher Share of Operators Who
Consider Their Farm to be Their Primary Residence
Organic Operations Have a Higher Share of Operators Who
Worked Fewer Days Off the Farm
Organic Operations Have a Higher Share of Operators Who
Have Worked Fewer Years on Present Farm
Organic Operations Have a Higher Share of Younger Operators
Organic Operations Are Smaller, As Measured in Acres
Per Farm
Organic Farms are Similar to All Farms in Distribution
Across Sales Classes
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