Organic News

Organic produce increases to 2021 volume after multi-year decrease

Although growth slowed down a bit compared to the second quarter of 2024, organic produce sales grew for the third consecutive quarter. Volume had decreased for the previous two years. The Midwest and South led in volume and dollar growth this quarter, bringing growth back to 2021 volume. Both volume growth and dollars are down […]

Philadelphia organic farm buying Nebraska farmland to convert to organic

Belltown Farms, a Philadelphia-based company, has emerged as the second-largest buyer of farmland in Nebraska, purchasing around 19,000 acres for $41 million between 2018 and 2022. Unlike many large corporate farm buyers, Belltown operates its farms directly and focuses on organic farming. Their Nebraska holdings, including a 9,000-acre organic farm near Holstein, produce a variety […]

USDA official: We are shutting the door on fraudulent organic imports

NOP’s Jennifer Tucker is confident organic fraud is being stopped, but organic grain supplier is skeptical In the wake of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Organic Program (NOP) recent warning to organic certifiers about possible fraudulent imports of organic soybeans and soybean meal from West Africa, an NOP official says her agency is “shutting […]

$3.34 million USDA grant will forward organic poultry industry

Nearly 2,000 farms comprise the U.S. organic poultry industry, according to 2021 data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. However, this sector still faces numerous obstacles, including disease management, feed availability, production efficiency, food safety, and effective marketing. University of Connecticut assistant professor Abhinav Upadhyay will lead a research team using a $3.34 million U.S. Department […]

Biodiversity benefits from switching to organic take time to accrue

A Lund University, Sweden, study suggests that it takes several decades to reap benefits of growing organic crops on land previously using conventional practices. Researchers from Lund University wanted to know how long it takes biodiversity markers to recover after the switch to organic growing—and how significant the recovery would be. The study looked at […]