The numbers are in! Every five years U.S. certified organic operations must complete an USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) organic survey to measure growth of the industry.
The top ten organic producing states have pretty much stayed solid, with Iowa shifting from fifth to sixth in number of organic operations (779) and Ohio moving up to the fifth spot (785) - only by farms, not acres. Indiana squeezes in at ten, pushing out Maine. Iowa is still the number one producer of organic grains and hogs in the U.S.
IOA staff and board members discussed the Iowa and U.S. growing organic economy with Des Moines Register's Donnelle Eller.
