Organic farming

By Deanna Balster Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Organic farming is one of the fastest growing segments in U.S. agriculture. From 1992 through 2005, the acres of certified organic cropland rose from 403,000 to more than 1.7 million; organically certified pasture acres rose from 532,000 to over 4 million; and the total number of organic certified livestock rose from 11,000 in 1992 to over 196,000.

Farmers have been developing organic farming systems in the United States for decades. State and private institutions began emerging in the 1990s to set organic farming standards and provide third-party verification of label claims, and legislation requiring national standards was passed in the 1990s. U.S. producers consider organic farming systems in order to lower input costs, conserve nonrenewable resources, capture high-value markets, and boost farm income. Organic farming systems rely on practices such as cultural and biological pest management, and virtually prohibit synthetic chemicals in crop production and antibiotics or hormones in livestock production.

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