Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
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of agricultural production, perhaps because of the long history of California
produce production and the early interest in organic crops in that state. They
have had time to practice and hone their large-scale organic techniques,
which often resemble their nonorganic counterparts (minus the synthetic
chemicals, of course). These farms are not the small family-operated organic
farm in our hypothetical mind's eye; rather, these are large produce oper-
ations that employ many migrant workers and have sophisticated national
or international marketing channels. Large-scale organic grain farms also
sell to national or international markets, although they remain more family
run, due to lower labor demands than the produce operations.
The small andmedium-sized family organic farms also exist, and organic
methods often provide these farms with a genuine opportunity that would
not be realized in conventional production. These family organic farms are
seen in various forms in all regions of the United States. These farms rely
on farmers' markets or other types of direct marketing such as Community
Supported Agriculture (CSA). Another type of direct marketing, present
among specialized crops such as citrus, is mail-order sales. Medium-scale
family organic farms are found in the plains and prairies, and these opera-
tions are generally mixed with both grains and livestock. These farms look
and feel like what most of us consider a traditional family farm (but which
sadly rarely exists today). These small and medium-sized organic farms are
still true to the classic organic image: family owned, locally marketed.
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O
rganic Farmers and Geography
The geographic distribution of organic cropland varies from the patterns
of industrial production. For example, 80 percent of U.S. industrial crop-
land is in just four crops: corn, wheat, hay, and soybeans. But these crops
represent only 49 percent of certified organic cropland (Klonsky 2000).
On the other hand, organic vegetables are grown on 12 percent of certified
organic cropland, compared with only 1 percent of total U.S. cropland.
These cropping variations are seen in regional differences as well, with the
Pacific and Mountain regions offering two-thirds of organic cropland but
only one-third of total U.S. cropland. The opposite is seen in the Corn Belt,
which contains only 11 percent of certified cropland but 25 percent of total
U.S. cropland. Thus the vegetable growers in the western United States are
a significant part of organic production. Although there are geographical
variations in organic production, there are some similarities across regions.
The common thread that exists on all successful family organic farms is
the farmer's willingness to try new crops, farming methods, or marketing
