US (WI): The state of organic agriculture

Wisconsin is a national leader in organic agriculture. Wisconsin excels in both the number of farms involved in organic agriculture and the breadth of organic products raised and sold.

According to data from the USDA National Organic Program (NOP), Wisconsin had 1,334 organic farms in 2015, nearly doubling over the last 10 years. This puts the state in a good position to participate in the growing market for organic food, both in the U.S. and across the globe.

Wisconsin remains the second state in the nation in total number of organic farms, second only to California. Wisconsin ranks third behind California and Montana in the number of organic acres, and experienced a 16.9 percent increase in organic acreage from 2008 to 2014. Wisconsin ranked fifth in dollar value of organic sales in 2014.

Despite these encouraging production and sales figures, organic processing is a bottleneck for growth in this industry, particularly for small-and mid-scale farms and businesses. While organic dairy processing in the state is generally well established, processing in other sectors, including grain, livestock and vegetables, hasn’t kept pace with production.

Download the full report here.