Organic Farming Steadily Growing in Iowa & Mid-West

Well, the timing for this post couldn't be more perfect.  I've actually had this post ready to go for several days now, but had so many other timely things to get to first, I put it off.  Then, last night, I received the information from Rep. Ed Fallon about the Losure's free-range hog farm (see below).  So, I guess today has turned into Organic Farming in Iowa day on Blog for Iowa.  Note: Be sure to read the comments under the Ed Fallon post.  DFIA member Kevin Powell also raises free-range swine and has provided us with contact information.

Organic growing
Pioneer Press, St. Paul

. . . Driven by consumers, organic farming is the fastest-growing segment of agriculture in the United States. While it still represents a small fraction of overall farm production, organic has been growing more than 20 percent annually for a decade.

Wisconsin is third behind California and Washington in the number of certified organic farms, but first in the number of organic dairy cows, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The state is home to La Farge-based Organic Valley, the largest organic cooperative in the United States, which is where the Pearsons ship their milk, and to the Spring Valley-based Midwest Organic & Sustainable Education Service.

Both offer evidence of organic farming's growing presence in the state.

In 1995, Organic Valley had sales of $9 million; this year's sales are projected to be about $180 million.

The nonprofit MOSES programs include an annual conference that has grown from 90 attendees to 1,500 in 15 years.

But unlike in neighboring Minnesota and Iowa, Wisconsin government and educational institutions have not done much to promote organic farming.

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Organic Farming Steadily Growing in Iowa & Mid-West
Organic Consumers Association

. . . Between 1997 and 2001, Iowa farmers more than doubled their organic farmlandto 80,357 certified acres, growing soybeans on about a third of it, corn on another third and hay on 17 percent. In 2001, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin alone accounted for 45 percent of U.S. organic soybean acreage and more than half of organic corn acreage.

Organic livestock production has grown rapidly, too. Between 1992 and 2001, U.S. organic dairy production increased 20-fold, while organic broiler production increased by 188 times.

At the same time, consumer demand for organic food products has risen sharply in the United States, and food manufacturers and retailers are offering more organic products. Governed by federal standards implemented [more than] a year ago, the farms use biological pest controls, cultivation to curtail weeds, and compost and manure to fertilize soils. Private and governmental agencies certify acreage for organic production only after it has been free of synthetic chemical use for three years.

Yields sometimes suffer because of soil infertility and weeds or pests, especially during the transition period, but organic crops also can yield better than conventional crops, said Kathleen Delate, an organic crops specialist and assistant professor of agronomy and horticulture at Iowa State University in Ames.

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