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Organic field crop acres grow by 7 percent

Organic information provider Mercaris says 2019 U.S. organic field crop acreage is seven percent more than a year ago. Organic corn and soybean acreage is affected by this season’s planting issues the same as conventional acreage, according to Ryan Koory, an economist at Mercaris. It’s down.

“Those acres appear to be offset by gains in hay and alfalfa,” Koory told Brownfield Ag News Tuesday, “and we’re seeing some gains in wheat acres as well.”

Demand for organic products outstrips supply, said Koory. For instance, about 75 percent of organic soybeans in the U.S. are imported. More farmers are switching to organic production to take advantage of premiums and to help fill that demand, but the limiting factor is that the process is more labor intensive, according to Koory.

“There’s a lot more bookkeeping that’s required,” said Koory, “and some operators are a little hesitant to move just because of that increased use of bookkeeping.”

There are 3.1 million acres of organic field crops in the U.S. according to the latest report from Mercaris.