The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services announced on Monday the state’s organic production for the year 2014. The information comes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) based on last year’s surveys.
In 2014, Virginia had 167 organic farms producing $41.3 million in organic products. This includes both certified organic farms and farms exempt from certification. Of the organic farms identified in the 2014 Organic Survey, 139 were certified organic farms and 28 were exempt. Certified and exempt farms together accounted for 28,412 acres of organic production in 2014.
Of the $41.3 million in organic sales, $33.4 million or 81 percent came from crop production.
Livestock and poultry animals totaled $2.2 million or 5 percent, and $5.7 million, or 14 percent came from sales of livestock and poultry products such as milk and eggs.
Organic farms spent $23.6 million in production expenses in 2014. These expenses included organic certification as well as other cash operating expenses. Capital expenses are not included. The largest expenses were for hired labor and repairs, supplies and maintenance costs, which together accounted for 40 percent of all production expenses in 2014.
Detailed national, regional and state data are available on the NASS website and in NASS’ online database Quick Stats. For more information go to www.agcensus.usda.gov.
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