The 2007 U.S. Ag Census has been released. For the first time ever, the report contains data on organic production and sales in the U.S. and in MN.

Minnesota ranks in the top ten for organic production in the: number of organic farms (7th); acres in organic production (10th); acres in conversion to organic (9th); and organic farm product sales (9th).

The report shows an increase from 433 organic farms in MN in 2005, according to the USDA Economic Research Service, to 718 in 2007, according to the USDA Ag Census. 342 farms reported a total of 20,702 acres in conversion to organic production in MN in 2007.

The report also shows total 2007 organic farm sales in MN at $39,976,000. That figure shows organic farm sales only. It does not include all the processed organic products manufactured in MN.

The report shows total U.S. organic farm sales in 2007 to be $1,709,111,000 from 18,211 operations, with the average organic sales/farm of $93,850.

20,437 farms reported that at least some of their land was in organic production in 2007, with a total of 2,577,418 acres in organic production in the U.S.

The average age of the organic farmers was 53.2 years in 2007. The average age of all farmers in the U.S. was 57.1 years, while the average age of all farmers in MN was 55.3 years.

You can download the organic table (Table 43) at:
http://www.agcensus.usda.gov/Publications/2007/Full_Report/Volume_1,_Chapter_1_US/st99_1_048_048.pdf

The index to all tables is at:
http://www.agcensus.usda.gov/Publications/2007/Full_Report/Volume_1,_Chapter_1_US/index.asp

A National Organic Action Plan Summit will be held Wednesday-Thursday, February 25-26, 2009, at the Radisson Hotel in LaCrosse, WI, just prior to MOSES’ 20th Organic Farming Conference!

Based on input gathered during eleven dialogue sessions around the country during the last two years, a drafting team has compiled an attractive and thoughtful 40-page discussion draft, containing goals, objectives, and benchmarks for strategic organic growth.

To Download the Summit NOAP Discussion Document, go to: http://www.nationalorganiccoalition.org/FINALSMALLjan16.pdf. If you would like a hard copy, please email Sally@rafiusa.org To register for the Summit, use the registration form, or go to: http://nationalorganiccoalition.org/NOAPregistrationform.pdf or register online at http://www.rafiusa.org/justfoods/noapregister.html

If you attend the summit, make plans to stay for the biggest organic conference in the country – the MOSES Organic Farming Conference. If you can’t make it to the Summit, you are invited to share your thoughts on the discussion document. Go to the National Organic Coalition website.