1

Organic Farming 

Results from the 2014 Organic Survey

United States Department of Agriculture

National Agricultural Statistics Service

www.agcensus.usda.gov

(800)727-9540

Highlights

In 2014, the United States had 14,093 organic farms producing $5.5 billion 

in organic products. The number of organic farms varies across the country. 

California and Wisconsin are the only states with more than a thousand organic 

farms. Large numbers of organic farms are also found in northwestern, north 

central, and 

northeastern 

states. 

Southeastern 

states have 

relatively fewer 

organic farms. 

(Fig. 1) 

These are among 

the many findings 

from the organic 

survey that 

USDA’s National 

Agricultural 

Statistics Service 

conducted in 

2014 as part 

of the Census 

of Agriculture 

program. 

Organic Farms

Of the organic farms identified in the 2014 Organic Survey, 12,634 were certified 

organic farms and 1,459 were exempt from certification because they gross less 

than $5,000 annually from organic sales. The total number of organic farms was 

fewer than in 

2008, when a 

similar survey 

identified 

14,540 such 

farms. (Table 

1) The number

of certified 

organic farms 

increased by 

Top States in . . . 

. . . Organic Farms

(number)

California 2,805

Wisconsin 1,228

New York 917

Washington 716

Pennsylvania 679

Iowa 612

Vermont 542

Ohio 541

Oregon 525

Maine 517

Top States in . . . 

. . . Organic Acres

(thousands)

California 687

Montana 318

Wisconsin 229

New York 213

Oregon 204

North Dakota 135

Minnesota 133

Wyoming 129

Texas 127

Idaho 125

Fig. 1

Number of Organic Farms (certified and exempt), by State, 2014

number

8 - 50 

51 - 100

101 - 500

501 - 1,000

> 1,000

U.S. = 14,093

Source: USDA NASS, 2014 Organic Survey

ACH12-29/September 2015

Table 1

Number of Organic Farms, 2008 and 2014

2008 2014

Certified organic 10,903 12,634

Exempt from certification 3,637 1,459

Total 14,540 14,093

Note: 2008 data include farms that produced but may not have sold organic products. 2014 data 

are for farms that produced and sold organic products.

Source: USDA NASS, 2014 Organic Survey. 2008 data from the 2008 Organic Production Survey. 
2 2014 Organic Survey

Organic production also concentrates in a few sectors. The 

top organic sector in 2014 sales was livestock and poultry 

products, primarily milk and eggs, followed by vegetables 

grown in the open and fruits, tree nuts, and berries. (Table 

3) These two vegetable and fruit sectors together accounted for 42 percent of organic sales. In comparison, these 

two sectors accounted for 11 percent of all agriculture sales 

in the 2012 Census of Agriculture.

Lettuce, apples, and grapes were the top-selling organic 

crop commodities, with $264 million, $250 million, and 

$195 million in 2014 sales, respectively.

Table 3

Organic Sales by Sector and Top Commodities, 2014 

($ millions)

Sector

(top commodities in sector)

Sector 

Total

Commodity 

Sales

Livestock and poultry products 1,504

Milk 1,082

Eggs 420

Vegetables in the open 1,250

Lettuce 264

Spinach 117

Broccoli 79

Carrots 69

Sweet potatoes 68

Fruits, tree nuts, and berries 1,032

Apples 250

Grapes 195

Strawberries 89

Blueberries 61

Almonds 32

Field crops 718

Corn for grain 155

Hay 139

Wheat 102

Soybeans 72

Rice 35

Livestock and poultry 660

Broiler chickens 372

Other cattle 131

Milk cows 69

Turkeys 50

Beef cows 16

Mushrooms 109

Vegetables under protection 76

Other 106

U.S.Total 5,455

Source: USDA NASS, 2014 Organic Survey.

1,731 farms during that time, while the number of 

exempt farms dropped.

Certified and exempt farms together accounted for 

3.7 million acres of organic production in 2014, down from 

4.1 million acres in the 2008 survey. Of the the 3.7 million 

acres of organic production, certified farms accounted for 

3.6 million acres. Organic operations own approximately 

three fifths of the land they farm organically and rent from 

others the rest of the land they use for organic production.

Organic Sales

Organic sales are more concentrated geographically than 

the number of farms. Ten states accounted for 78 percent 

of sales. California alone accounted for 41 percent of all 

organic sales in 2014.

Of the $5.5 billion in 2014 organic sales, $3.3 billion or

60 percent came from the sale of crops, 28 percent came 

from livestock and poultry product sales (primarily milk and 

eggs), and 12 percent came from sales of organic livestock 

and poultry. In each group, organic sales are up substantially from 2008. (Table 2)

Table 2

Organic Sales by Product Type, 2008 and 2014

($ billions)

2008 2014 % change

2008 - 2014

Crops 1.9 3.3 69

Livestock and poultry products 0.9 1.5 66

Livestock and poultry 0.3 0.7 108

Total 3.2 5.5 72

Source: USDA NASS, 2014 Organic Survey. 2008 data from 2008 Organic Production Survey. 

Organic Sales ($ millions)

Top States Top Commodities

California 2,231 Milk 1,082

Washington 515 Eggs 420

Pennsylvania 313 Broiler chickens 372

Oregon 237 Lettuce 264

Wisconsin 201 Apples 250

Texas 199 Cattle (milk, beef, other) 216

New York 164 Grapes 195

Colorado 147 Corn for grain 155

Michigan 125 Hay 139

Iowa 103 Spinach 117

Source: USDA NASS, 2014 Organic Survey. 
2014 Organic Survey 3

Marketing Organic Products

Nationally 78 percent of all organic sales in 2014 were to 

wholesale markets; more than six out of ten organic farms 

(63 percent) sold at least some of their products to wholesale markets. In the country as a whole, 8 percent of organic sales were made directly to consumers, but 45 percent 

of organic farms sold some or all of their products this way. 

(Table 4)

States varied widely in how organic producers market 

and sell their goods. The share of farms selling directly to 

consumers was highest in southeastern and northeastern 

states, and lowest in central states. In Alaska and Alabama, 

all organic farms sold directly to consumers, while in North 

Dakota, only 16 percent of organic farms did so. (Fig. 2)

Table 4

Organic Sales by Type of Sale, 2014

% of total

organic sales

% of organic farms

with this type 

of sales

Wholesale markets 78 63

Direct to retail markets and

institutions

14 25

Direct to consumers 8 45

Total 100

Source: USDA NASS, 2014 Organic Survey.

In terms of first point of sale (the first point at which money 

is exchanged), 46 percent of organic sales were within 100 

miles of the farm. Another 34 percent of sales were less 

than 500 miles away. (Table 5) 

Fig. 2

Share of Organic Farms with Direct Sales to Consumers, by State, 2014

percent

16 - 19.9 

20 - 39.9

40 - 59.9

60 - 79.9

80 +

U.S. = 45%

Source: USDA NASS, 2014 Organic Survey.

Who buys from organic farms?

Organic farms sell to three kinds of markets:

Wholesale markets (78 percent of organic sales in 2014)

Includes buyers for supermarkets and natural food stores; 

processors, distributors, wholesalers, brokers, and packers; 

cooperatives; and other farm operations. 

Direct to retail markets and institutions (14 percent of sales)

Includes supermarkets, natural food stores, restaurants, 

caterers, hospitals, schools, and other institutions.

Direct to consumers (8 percent of sales) 

Includes sales at farm stands, pick-your-own operations, and 

farmers’ markets, as well as through community supported 

agriculture (CSA) arrangements and mail and Internet orders.

Eighty percent of organic farms sold some or all of their 

organic products within a 100-mile radius of the farm, with 

many eastern and southern states, along with Alaska and 

Hawaii, having the highest shares of such farms. (Fig. 3) 

Table 5

Organic Sales by First Point of Sale, 2014

% of total

organic sales

% of organic farms

with this type 

of sales

Within 100 miles 46 80

101 to 499 miles from farm 34 33

500 or more miles from farm 18 13

Internationally 2 3

Total 100

Source: USDA NASS, 2014 Organic Survey.

Fig. 3

Share of Organic Farms Selling Within 100 Miles, by State, 2014

percent

35 - 59.9 

60 - 69.9

70 - 79.9

80 - 89.9

90 +

U.S. = 80%

Source: USDA NASS, 2014 Organic Survey.
4 USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Production Expenses

Organic farms spent $4.0 billion in production expenses 

in 2014, including $19 million for organic certification. By 

far the two largest expenses for organic production were 

for feed and hired labor, which together were 46 percent 

of production expenses. (Table 6) In comparison, for all 

U.S. farms, these two categories accounted for 33 percent 

of production expenses, according to the 2012 Census of 

Agriculture.

Table 6

Top Production Expenses, Organic Farms, 2014

($ millions and percent)

$ millions %

Feed 927 23

Hired labor 917 23

Supplies and repairs 258 7

Cash rent and lease 219 6

Fertilizer 204 5

Custom work 200 5

Gasoline, fuels and oils 176 4

Seeds 164 4

Utilities 156 4

Interest 112 3

Animals 108 3

Chemicals 78 2

Taxes 67 2

Organic certification fees 19 <1

All other 351 9

Total 3,956 100

Source: USDA NASS, 2014 Organic Survey. 

Production Practices

Organic farms use a variety of production practices to 

increase the efficiency of their operation or to maintain 

organic integrity. Sixty-seven percent of all organic farms 

reported using green or animal manures. Similar numbers 

reported maintaining buffer strips or border rows to isolate 

organic products from non-organic land. Just over half 

reported using water management practices such as irrigation scheduling and controlled drainage. (Table 7)

Table 7

Production Practices Used by Organic Farms

number

of farms

percent 

of farms

Green or animal manures 9,409 67

Buffer strip or rows to isolate organic products 9,259 66

Water management practices 7,506 53

Organic mulch/compost 7,082 50

No-till or minimum till cropping 5,724 41

Planting location planned to avoid pests 5,405 38

Crop or plant variety chosen for pest resistance 5,035 36

Beneficial habitat maintained for insects or 

vertebrates to manage pests or disease

4,840 34

Biological pest management 4,779 34

Source: USDA NASS, 2014 Organic Survey.

Plans for Future Organic 

Production

The 2014 survey asked organic farmers about their intentions for organic production in the future. More than five 

thousand organic farms (39 percent) intend to increase 

organic production over the next five years, while 5 percent 

intend to decrease or discontinue organic production.

The survey also asked both current and future organic 

farms about how many acres they had in transition to 

organic production. Before a farm may market products 

as organic, the land used for organic production must go 

through a three-year transition period in which no organic-prohibited products are applied. In 2014, there were 

1,365 certified and exempt farms transitioning an additional 122,175 acres into organic production. Another 

688 farms not currently producing organic products were 

transitioning 50,688 acres into organic production.

About the 2014 Organic Survey

The 2014 Organic Survey is a complete inventory of all known organic producers in the United States that are certified, exempt 

from certification (those grossing less than $5,000 annually from organic sales), or transitioning to organic production. The survey 

is part of the Census of Agriculture program; it was conducted by USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service in conjunction with 

USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA). 

This Ag Census Highlights summarizes the results of the 2014 Organic Survey. You can find detailed national, regional, and state 

data in a published report available as a PDF on NASS’ website and in NASS’ online database Quick Stats. For more information 

on the Organic Survey and the Census of Agriculture, go to:

www.agcensus.usda.gov