Data Release: 2015 Certified 

Organic Survey

September 15, 2016
2015 Certified Organic Survey

Survey Overview 

• Program History

• Scope of Survey

Highlights of the Results

• Sales

• Marketing Channels

• Farms and Land in Farms

1
Organic Survey History

• This is the fourth iteration of an organic production and 

practices survey.

• The 2011 and 2015 Certified Organic Production surveys 

only collected data from certified organic operations. 

• The 2008 and 2014 Organic Production surveys collected 

data from three organic operation groups – certified, 

exempt, and transitioning. 

2
2015 Certified Organic Survey

• The 2015 Certified Organic Survey is a census of all 

known U.S. farms and ranches that had certified 

organic production in 2015.

• The 2015 Certified Organic Survey covers certified 

organic acreage, production, sales, and marketing 

practices. 

• The survey included operations on NASS’s list frame.

3
Forms by Mode of Data Collection

Mail, 42%

Phone, 45%

Internet, 8%

Face to face, 5%

Mail Phone Internet Face to face

4
Stakeholder Support

• Major stakeholders include: 

– Organic producers, handlers and processors

– Organic certifying agencies

– Other USDA agencies 

– Organic associations 

– Research institutions 
Statistical Significance

• In the slides that follow, you will see an asterisk (*) next to 

every item that is a statistically significant change from the 

2014 Organic Survey to the 2015 Certified Organic Survey.

• For this report, the measure of statistical significance is a 

difference between the two surveys of two or more 

standard errors.
Certified Organic Sales

and 

Marketing Channels

8
Market Value of Certified Organic Agricultural 

Products Sold, 2014 and 2015

2014 

(billion dollars)

2015 

(billion dollars)

Total Value of Agricultural 

Products Sold 5.5 6.2

Value of Crops sold 3.3 3.5

Value of Livestock, Poultry and 

Products sold 2.2 2.7
10
Top Five States in Total Certified Organic Sales, 2015

States

2014 

(million dollars)

2015 

(million dollars)

2015

(percent of total)

California 2,231 2,436 40

Washington 515 626 10

Pennsylvania 313 332 5

Oregon 237 269 4

Wisconsin 200 222 4

US Total 5,451 6,163
Top States in Certified Organic Crop, 2015

States

2014

(million dollars)

2015

(million dollars)

2015

(percent of total)

California 1,659 1,796 51

Washington 386 464 13

Oregon 127 163 5

Arizona 86 125 4

Florida 57 63 2

US Organic Crop 

Sales 3,287 3,510 
13
Certified Organic Vegetable Sales by Top Commodities, 

2014 and 2015 

Category

2014 

(million dollars)

2015 

(million dollars)

Vegetables grown in the 

open 1,248 1,362

Lettuce 264 262 

Spinach 117 154

Tomatoes 67 87

Carrots 69 83

Broccoli 79 71

Sweet potatoes 68 71 
Certified Organic Fruit Sales by Top Commodities, 

2014 and 2015

Category

2014 

(million dollars)

2015 

(million dollars)

Fruit, Tree nuts, and berries 1,032 1,203

Apples 251 302

Grapes 195 210

Strawberries 89 151

Blueberries (cultivated) 69 124

Raspberries 14 46

Almonds 32 41
Certified Organic Field Crop Sales by Top Commodities, 

2014 and 2015

Category

2014 

(million dollars)

2015 

(million dollars)

Field crops 717 660

Corn for grain 155 129 

Hay 138 117

Wheat (D) 109

Soybeans 72 63

Tobacco N/A 50
Economic Losses Due to GMO/GE Presence, 

2014 and 2015

2014 2015

Farms with Economic 

Losses 31 32

Value of Economic 

Loss (dollars) $506,552 $520,671
Market Value of Certified Organic Agricultural 

Products Sold, 2014 and 2015

2014 

(billion dollars)

2015 

(billion dollars)

Total Value of 

Agricultural Products 

Sold 5.5 6.2

Value of Crops sold 3.3 3.5

Value of Livestock, 

Poultry and Products 

sold 2.2 2.7
19
Top States in Certified Organic Livestock and Poultry 

Product Sales, 2014 and 2015

States

2014 

(million dollars)

2015 

(million dollars)

2015

(percent of total)

California 301 326 17

New York 95 156 8

Wisconsin 127 146 8

Pennsylvania (D) 132 7

Texas 103 131 7

US Livestock and 

Poultry Product Sales 1,504 1,911 
Certified Organic Livestock and Poultry Products, 2014 

and 2015 

Category

2014 

(million dollars)

2015 

(million dollars)

Livestock and 

poultry 

products 1,504 1,911

Milk 1,082 1,174

Eggs 420 732
Top States in Certified Organic Livestock and 

Poultry Sales, 2014 and 2015

States

2014 

(million dollars)

2015 

(million dollars)

2015 

(percent of total)

California 271 314 42

Pennsylvania 112 138 19

Washington (D) 41 5

Wisconsin 25 26 4

Texas 18 26 3

US Organic Sales 660 743 
Certified Organic Sales by Top Livestock Commodities, 

2014 and 2015

Category

2014 

(million dollars)

2015 

(million dollars)

Livestock and poultry sales 660 743

Broilers 371 420

All Cattle 216 233

Turkeys 50 70
Certified Organic Farms by Marketing Channel,

2014 and 2015

Marketing Channel

2014

(percent of 

farms)

2015

(percent of 

farms)

Direct to consumers 41 36

Direct to retail markets and institutions 25 22

Wholesale markets 69 71
25
Certified Organic Farms by First Point of Sale, 

2014 and 2015

Distance from farm by first point of sale

2014 

(percent of 

farms)

2015 

(percent of 

farms)

Within 100 miles 77 75

100 – 499 miles 37 35

500 or more miles 15 14

Internationally 3 3
Certified Organic Farms 

and 

Certified Organic Land in Farms

27
Number of Certified Organic Farms and Land, 

2014 and 2015

2014 Certified Organic 

Survey

2015 Certified Organic 

Survey

Total Certified Organic 

Farms 12,634 12,818

Total Certified Organic 

Land Acres * 3,642,933 4,361,849

* Indicates significant change
29
30
Certified Organic Survey – Key Findings

• In 2015, the United States had 12,818 certified organic farms producing and 

selling $6.2 billion in organic commodities. 

• Certified organic farms operated 4.4 million acres of certified land in 2015, up 

20 percent from 2014. 

• Of the $6.2 billion in organic commodities sold, $3.5 billion, came from organic 

crops, $1.9 billion was from organic livestock and poultry products, and $0.7 

billion came from organic livestock and poultry.

• Organic producers are transitioning another 151,000 acres nationally to 

organic production.

• The first point of sale for 75 percent of all U.S. organic farms and ranches was 

within 100 miles from the farm. 

• U.S. certified organic farms and ranches reported selling 71 percent of their 

products to customers through wholesale marketing channels.
Certified Organic Farms with Transitional Land, 

2014 and 2015

2014 2015 

Certified farms with acres in transition* 1,272 1,530

Acres in transition 119,458 150,880

* Indicates significant change
Survey Report Release

• Additional information can be found in a published report 

available as a PDF on NASS’ website and also in NASS’ online 

Quick Stats database https://quickstats.nass.usda.gov 

• Please visit the Organic Agriculture page at:

https://www.nass.usda.gov/organics
NASS Organic Program

Points of contact:

Adam Cline, Census and Survey Division

202-690-8818

Adam.Cline@nass.usda.gov

Scott Shimmin, Statistics Division

202-720-0684

Scott.Shimmin@nass.usda.gov