The Council of Economic Advisers, the White House Rural Council and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released a joint report (pdf) this week that in part, congratulates the organic industry on it's growing success.
The Obama Administration's report points out numerous examples of how organic agriculture and trade are expanding opportunities for agricultural production - a sure boost to the industry during this important Farm Bill season. Matt McLean, Organic Trade Association (OTA) board president and CEO and founder of Uncle Matt's Organic says, "The organic sector is fueling jobs and rural livelihoods at an astounding rate. Organic is also creating an important economic opportunity for rural Americans through new business opportunities generated from the recent organic equivalency trade arrangements with Canada and the European Union."
Among other important notes, The White House report states that the U.S. organic industry grew by 9.5% overall in 2011 to reach $31.4 billion in sales which places organics as a solid contributor to the American farm economy. The Organic Trade Association points out that it's likely that organics will be the next big commodity class to watch and the USDA's National Agriculture Statistics Service already shows that organic takes sixth place for the value of production, right after wheat and cotton and directly before almonds, peanuts and rice.
OTA further notes that The White House report reinforces how important the role of organic is in the diverse U.S. agricultural landscape and Christine Bushway, OTA's CEO and Executive Director says, "U.S. farm policy should level the playing field and provide the organic sector access to the same opportunities and benefits long afforded to others so that our industry can further contribute to moving the economy forward."
Read the whole report online (pdf).
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