Why Congress Should Make Organic Agriculture a National Priority
The Hill l Matthew Dillon and Richard Eidlin l May 20, 2017
Organic crop and farm bill discussions wait for no man. Even as U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue gets settled into his new role, Congress is talking about agriculture policy and listening to stakeholders. A key emerging theme is that many food producers and rural communities are struggling. At a transitional moment such as this, it's important to remember that organic agriculture leads to more profitable farms and job creation.
A recent study from Pennsylvania State University shows that when there is a density of organic operations, annual median household income increases by more than $2,000 and county-level unemployment goes down. Additionally, researchers at Washington State University examined 40 years of studies to analyze the comparative financial performance of organic and conventional agriculture and found that organic crop production is 22 percent to 35 percent more profitable than its conventional crop counterpart.
Yet, even with this positive net impact, organic acreage hovers at 1 percent of overall U.S. production, while consumer demand for organic food tops 5 percent, with a growth rate of 13 percent in 2016. This disparity between organic acreage and organic demand creates an unfortunate situation where U.S. food companies are importing crops like organic soy that could be grown domestically. The importation of organic crops is a lost opportunity for American producers, particularly beginning farmers and ranchers who are statistically more likely to be interested in organic markets, and who we need to step in for an aging farming population.
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