Sales of American organic commodities overall rose by 31% to $9.93 billion from 2016 to 2019, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) 2019 Organic Survey report.
Livestock and poultry products, primarily milk and eggs, increased by the smallest amount (12%). Crops, livestock and poultry increased by larger amounts (38% and 44% respectively).
58% of organic sales came from crops, led by vegetables and fruits – including berries and tree nuts.
“The results of the 2019 Organic Survey show the continued growth of organic production in the United States,” said NASS Administrator Hubert Hamer. “These comprehensive and essential, national- and state-level data are valuable to the organic industry as well as agri-business infrastructure and programs that support the sector.”
The top sectors and commodities in 2019 were:
- Livestock and poultry products: $2.48 billion, up 12%
- Milk: $1.59 billion, up 14%
- Vegetables: $2.08 billion, up 27%
- Lettuce: $400 million, up 44%
- Fruits, tree nuts, and berries: $2.02 billion, up 44%
- Apples: $475 million, up 45%
- Livestock and Poultry: $1.66 billion, up 44%
- Broiler chickens: $1.12 billion, up 49%
- Field Crops: $1.18 billion, up 55%
- Corn for grain: $278 million, up 70%
Other top organic commodities with the greatest gains in value of sales from 2016 were spinach (52%), grapes (52%), cultivated blueberries (104%), raspberries (197%), and turkeys (68%).