More than 14,000 certified and exempt organic farms in the United States sold $5.5 billion in organic products in 2014, up 72 percent since 2008, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service.
The top 10 states in sales accounted for 78 percent of organic sales in 2014, with California leading the nation with $2.2 billion. Wisconsin ranked fifth, with sales of $201 million. However, Wisconsin ranked second for the total number of organic farms. The state’s 1,228 organic farms represent about nine percent of the nation’s total number of organic farms, according to the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. Wisconsin ranks first in the nation in the number of organic farms with milk cows, beef, hogs and pigs, sheep, chickens and turkeys, the agency added.