WisBiz Green Blog
What Do Declining Acres Say About Organic Status?
WisBiz Green Blog
What Do Declining Acres Say About Organic Status?
By Gregg Hoffmann
Organic farmland is declining. That should be of some concern whether your diet is organic or not.
Mallory Krieger, National Program Director for the Organic Agronomy Training Service (OATS), reported at a National Organic Coalition webinar on January 16, that 40,585 fewer acres of certified organic farmland existed in the U.S. in 2025 compared to 2024.
That stat is based on data from the USDA’s Organic Integrity Database (OID). Acres USA covered Krieger and the webinar.
Writer Anneliese Abbott wrote: “While the OID dataset has limitations, it did provide enough information for Krieger to sort the data into geographic regions and see which were losing more farms. Wisconsin, Iowa, Washington, and Minnesota lost the largest number of certified operations between 2024 and 2025, while California, New York, Florida, Missouri, and New Jersey had a net increase in certified operations.
That was alarming to this blogger because I live in a hotbed for organic farming in the Driftless Area. Organic Valley, based in LaFarge, has been a mainstay in the field.
Abbott wrote: “In all states, even those with a net increase, there was a geographic shift in location of operations, with more in metropolitan areas and fewer in rural areas. The general trend seems to be that America’s rural areas are losing certified organic acreage, especially cropland.”
The data showed that 40–50 percent of farms dropped certification because they were no longer farming organically, 30 percent went out of business, 11 percent said the certification was too expensive or too much paperwork, and 20–25 percent gave no reason.
Dr. Carolyn Dimitri, associate professor at New York University and a speaker at the webinar, reviewed what the published literature says about why farmers give up organic certification.
“Some have difficulty finding markets and don’t get the increased profits they were expecting, some have difficulty transitioning to organic management systems, and some have a negative experience with inspectors. Usually, if a farm gives up on organic certification, it’s within the first five years after transitioning—most often in the third year.” Abbott wrote about Dimitri’s info.
One factor in the decline in rural areas also is strong prejudice against organic farming in rural areas.
“When all your neighbors are saying organic can’t feed the world, it’s hard to swim against the tide,” wrote Abbott.
Abbott’s coverage concluded: “How can eco-farmers help reverse this trend and encourage more conventional farmers to transition to organic? By providing a strong, supportive community, mentorship, and educational resources. With encouragement, support, and some gentle correction of misinformation, maybe we can reverse this trend and get rural communities excited about organic farming.”
Not all reports on organic farming are as alarming. The Journal of Agriculture Digitalization and Research published “Organic Farming Practices: Challenges, Opportunities, and Future Prospects” by Dr. Sunita Joshi Tanaka in February of 2025.
“The global agriculture sector faces mounting pressures to produce sufficient food while minimizing environmental degradation and preserving ecosystem services,” reads the introduction to the report. “Organic farming has emerged as a viable alternative to conventional agriculture by promoting sustainable management practices that enhance soil quality, conserve biodiversity, and reduce chemical inputs. By relying on natural fertilizers, crop diversification, and biological pest control, organic farming seeks to maintain long-term productivity and resilience.
“Organic agriculture has gained prominence amid concerns over soil degradation, water contamination, and adverse health effects related to synthetic agrochemicals. The sector has experienced substantial growth due to rising consumer demand for healthful, chemical-free foods and environmental stewardship.”
The report covers global trends, not just U.S. It acknowledges the relative low market share organic faces compared to mainstream farming and touches on some of the concerns expressed at the webinar.
But, it concludes: “Organic farming embodies a sustainable paradigm addressing environmental, economic, and social facets of agriculture. Through principles emphasizing soil health, crop diversity, biological inputs, and ecological stewardship, it offers a resilient alternative to conventionally intensive agriculture.
“While facing yield and market challenges, opportunities fueled by sustainability benefits, consumer demand, and policy support are expanding its footprint worldwide. Success in scaling organic farming requires continual innovation, capacity building, and coherent certification standards tailored to local contexts.”
USDA published “Organic Situation Report, 2025 Edition” with the main author listed as Sharon Raszap Skorbiansky. It acknowledges the drop in acreage devoted to organic.
“Organic agriculture is an important agricultural sector, experiencing substantial growth in sales for the past two decades. In 2023, total organic retail sales were $69.7 billion. Despite continued interest in organic products, domestic acreage devoted to organic commodities declined in recent years.” the report reads.
The report continued:
In the United States, organic acreage has decreased in recent years:
February 2025
• The latest USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service Organic Survey conducted in 2021 reported a 10.9 percent decline in organic acres relative to 2019, driven by a drop in pasture and rangeland.
• Argus, a private company, forecast organic harvested acreage decreased by 6.8 percent in the marketing year 2023/24. Decreases in nonfield crop acreage and pasture and rangeland drove the decline.
• California is the leading State in organic acreage and organic value of production. The California Department of Food and Agriculture showed a 4-percent decline in California organic production acreage between 2018 and 2022. California experienced a severe drought from 2020 to 2022.
In response to a decrease in acreage transitioning into organic agriculture and large barriers to entry, in 2022, USDA announced an investment of $300 million for the Organic Transition Initiative.
The USDA report concluded:” Despite declines in acreage, organic demand remains strong. U.S. organic imports continue to increase. For example, in 2023 the U.S. tracked over $4 billion of organic imported goods. While some of this increase can be attributed to new organic-specific Harmonized Tariff Schedule codes, the value of already tracked commodities increased as well. At the domestic retail level, organic retail sales spiked in 2020, when food at-home expenditures increased and consumers spent more on fruits, a popular organic product. Organic retail sales decreased relative to 2020 in 2021 and again in 2022.”
AgriStuff published “The Future of Organic Farming” in July of last year. It concluded:
“As we look to the future, it’s clear that organic farming will play a vital role in shaping a sustainable agricultural landscape. The growing demand for organic produce, coupled with advancements in technology and practices, is paving the way for a brighter future in sustainable agriculture.
“The organic future is not just about meeting consumer demand; it’s about adopting a holistic approach to farming that prioritizes soil health, biodiversity, and efficient water use. By embracing organic farming practices, farmers can contribute to a healthier environment while maintaining profitable operations.
“As the industry continues to evolve, we can expect to see innovative solutions and technologies that make organic farming more accessible and efficient. With the right policies and practices in place, the future of organic farming is poised for continued growth and success, ultimately leading to a more sustainable conclusion for our agricultural systems.”
This writer’s conclusion is multi-faceted. First, the decline in organic farmland has come during a time when farmland has declined overall. Second, organic has matured as a farming practice and, as such, will face ups and downs. There will be spikes and declines. Like many sustainable and “green” industries, there will be opposition and skepticism by conventional farmers and those whose livelihoods depend on the “mainstream”. But, over the long haul, organic makes sense for health, biodiversity, use of resources, maintaining soil and other conservation practices.
Links to the studies mentioned in this blog follow:
** Agristuff, https://agristuff.com/farming/the-future-of-organic-farming/
** USDA Organic Situation Report, 2025 Edition, https://ers.usda.gov/sites/default/files/_laserfiche/publications/110884/EIB-281.pdf?v=54268
** The Journal of Agriculture Digitalization and Research, https://www.agridigitaljournal.com/uploads/archives/20250915182036_3.1.pdf
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