Organics at crossroads

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has published new data sets on organic farming. The statistics show a million acre increase in organic farmland (all crops) between 2004 and 2005. Still, total organic certified farmland represents just 0.51% of all crop acreage, the USDA says. Meanwhile, the Organic Trade Association has used the occasion to call for more federal assistance in transition of cropland from conventional to organic, greater research funding for organic agriculture, reduced trade barriers for organic goods and enhanced funding for the USDA's National Organic Program. In five years, it will be intriguing to see if the surge in organic acreage now will be sustainable by then for both growers and retailers.