2021 Certified Organics 

Executive Briefing

Tony Dorn

Branch Chief

Environmental, Economics & Demographics Branch

December 15, 2022
History

• The 2021 Organics release was the 7th release by NASS and was produced in cooperation with 

the USDA Risk Management Agency.

• The 2019 Organics was the sixth release by NASS. This was the planned Census Special Study.

• The 2008 Organic Production Survey (OPS) was the first Organics release done by NASS. 

• Other NASS releases include 2011, which included certified organic operations only, 2014 

which included certified, exempt and transitioning land, 2015 and 2016 which included 

certified organic production.
Overview

• The 2021 Organics release is a census of all known operations with certified or transitioning 

organic production in the United States. 

• The sources for the sampling frame were producers identified as certified organic or 

transitioning to organic certification in NASS’ list and the AMS National Organic Program 

(NOP) list.

• This release includes data at the commodity level for acreage, production and sales for 

organic crop and livestock commodities, and marketing and production practices, crop 

insurance usage, production expenses, and acres transitioning into organic production.

• All U.S. states were included.
Responses by Data Collection Mode

Mail

39%

Phone

34%

Field

7%

Online

20%
Certified Organic Farms

Farms

2008 10,903

2014 12,634

2016 14,217

2019 16,585

2021 17,445

% Δ 2019 5
Certified Organic Land

(000 acres)

Organic

Land

 

Cropland

Pasture/ 

Rangeland

(000 acres) (000 acres) (000 acres)

2008* 4,077 2,230 1,848

2014 3,643 - -

2016 5,019 2,714 2,305

2019 5,495 3,517 1,974

2021 4,895 3,631 1,265

% Δ 2019 11 3 36
Top States in Organic Farms

State

US Farms: 17,445

California 3,012 3,061 2

Wisconsin 1,364 1,455 7

New York 1,321 1,407 7

Pennsylvania 1,048 1,125 7

Ohio 785 800 2

Iowa 779 799 3

Washington 745 730 2

Indiana 595 697 17

Vermont 655 693 6

Minnesota 635 650 2

2019 2021 Comparison % Δ 2019
Top States in Organic Land

State

US Land: 4.9 million acres

California 965,257 813,710 16

New York 323,081 331,438 3

Montana 355,723 319,722 10

Wisconsin 250,940 245,333 2

Texas 246,307 240,806 2

Oregon 196,045 228,152 16

Idaho 180,732 215,668 19

Vermont 203,002 203,083 0

Colorado 167,500 190,809 14

Iowa 172,968 169,361 2

2019 2021 Comparison % Δ 2019
Top States in Organic Sales

State 2019 2021

US Sales: $11.2 billion ($ million) ($ million)

California 3,597 3,550 1

Washington 886 1,140 29

Pennsylvania 742 1,094 47

Texas 424 572 35

Oregon 454 386 15

New York 298 328 10

Wisconsin 269 313 16

North Carolina 370 308 17

Michigan 231 272 18

Colorado 184 253 38

Comparison % Δ 2019
Top States in Organic Sales
Market Value of Certified Organic 

Products Sold

Commodity 2019 2021

US Sales: $11.2 billion ($ million) ($ million)

Crops 5,787 6,150 6

Livestock & Poultry 1,663 2,197 32

Livestock & Poultry Products 2,476 2,858 15

Total Sales 9,926 11,205 13

Comparison % Δ 2019
Sales of Top Commodities
Sales of Top Commodities

Top Commodities 2019 2021

US Sales: $11.2 billion ($ million) ($ million)

Milk 1,585 1,633 3

Chickens, broilers 1,115 1,509 35

Eggs 887 1,221 38

Apples 475 629 32

Corn for grain 278 424 53

Strawberries 321 336 5

Cattle 293 316 8

Grapes 332 309 7

Lettuce 400 276 31

Soybeans 109 242 122

Comparison % Δ 2019
Top Crop Commodities in Sales

Top Commodities 2019 2021

US Sales: $11.2 billion ($ million) ($ million)

Apples 475 629 32

Corn for grain 278 424 53

Strawberries 321 336 5

Grapes 332 309 -7

Lettuce 400 276 -31

Soybeans 109 242 122

Blueberries, cultivated 205 221 8

Spinach 179 215 20

Mushrooms 161 202 25

Potatoes 155 183 18

Crop Sales, all commodities 5,787 6,150 6

Comparison % Δ 2019
Top Livestock and Livestock Product 

Commodities in Sales

Top Commodities 2019 2021

US Sales: $11.2 billion ($ million) ($ million)

Milk 1,585 1,633 3

Chickens, broilers 1,115 1,509 35

Eggs 887 1,221 38

Cattle 293 316 8

Turkeys 139 196 41

Livestock & Livestock Product 

Sales, all commodities 4,139 5,056 22

Comparison % Δ 2019
Organic Marketing Practices

Sales

($ million)

Direct to Consumer 3,261 310

Direct to Retail Markets and Institutions 3,309 2,021 

Value-Added Products 1,455 707

Total Organic 17,445 11,205 

Marketing Practice Comparison Number of 

Farms Comparison
Top Organic Production Practices 

by Number of Farms

Production Practice 2019 2021 % Δ 2019

Buffer strips or border rows to isolate organics 10,796 10,865 1

Applied animal manure 9,160 9,103 1

Used water management practices 7,880 8,208 4

Planted green manure (cover crops plowed under) 7,564 7,626 1

Used no-till or minimum till practices 5,970 6,482 9

Produced or used organic mulch/compost 5,737 6,054 6

Total organic farms 16,585 17,445 5
Major Challenges for Certified 

Organic Farms, 

by Percent of Farms

Challenge 2019 2021 % Δ 2019

Regulatory 54 55 2

Price Issues 38 35 -8

Production Problems 39 39 0

Market Access 30 24 -20

Management Issues 28 29 4

Other 21 22 5
Future Production Plans for 

Certified Organic Farms, by Percent 

of Farms

Future Plans 2019 2021 % Δ 2019

Increase Organic Production 29 28 -3

Maintain Current Level of Organic Production 44 44 0

Decrease Organic Production 4 5 25

Discontinue Organic Production 2 3 50

Discontinue All Ag Production 2 2 0

Don’t Know 20 18 -10
Transitional Land on Certified 

Organic Farms

Number of certified farms with transitional land 1,857 1,558 16

Acres of transitional land on certified farms 255,060 196,923 23

 Acres of cropland on certified farms 223,774 182,405 18

 Acres of pasture/rangeland on certified farms 31,286 14,518 54

Total Organic Farms 16,585 17,445 5

Category 2019 2021 Comparison % Δ 2019
Transitional Farms and Land on Other 

Farms 

(not currently certified organic farms)

Number of farms not certified with transitional land 710 657 7

Acres of transitional land on non certified farms 60,611 62,069 2

 Acres of cropland on non certified farms 39,649 45,516 15

 Acres of pasture/rangeland on non certified farms 20,962 16,553 21

Total Organic Farms 16,585 17,445 5

Category 2019 2021 Comparison % Δ 2019
Organic Farms by Sales Class

Sales % of

Class Sales

< $10,000 11 0.1

$10,000 - $99,999 39 3

$100,000 - $249,999 20 5

$250,000 - $499,000 12 6

$500,000+ 18 86

% of 

Farms Comparison Comparison
All Organic releases are available at: 

www.nass.usda.gov

For Questions: (800) 727-9540 

nass@usda.gov