Organic farms, sales in Virginia up significantly: Report

The USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service will survey organic producers this December. Each producer who reported organic farming in the 2017 Census of Agriculture will receive a unique survey code to respond conveniently online and to be represented in this very important, once-every-five-year survey.

“The latest Census of Agriculture results show a dramatic increase in organic agriculture in Virginia,” said Jewel Bronaugh, Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. “Our organic sales nearly tripled and our farms increased by 46 percent from 2012 to 2017. I encourage every organic farmer in Virginia to participate. NASS produces the most comprehensive data on organic production in the United States. Good data and informed decisions about organic programs and services start with a good survey response.”

The 2019 Organic Survey results will expand on the 2017 Census of Agriculture data by looking at several aspects of organic agriculture during the 2019 calendar year, including production, marketing practices, income, expenses and more.

Farmers and ranchers may complete their surveys online via the NASS secure website. The online questionnaire is user friendly, accessible on most electronic devices and saves producers valuable time by calculating totals and automatically skipping questions not applicable to their operations. In addition, responding online improves data quality and saves resources. All responses are confidential and NASS publishes only aggregate data.

The deadline for response is Jan. 10, 2020. Results will be available October 2020. For more information about the Organic Survey, visit www.nass.usda.gov/AgCensus.