Organic Farming in North
Dakota
Brad Brummond, NDSU Extension Service Organic Farming
Contact
bbrummon@ndsuext.nodak.edu (701)284-6624
NDSU Extension Service,
Walsh County
NDSU Extension Service Publications on Organic Topics
NDSU Sustainable Agriculture Site
Northern Plains Sustainable Agriculture Society
International Federation of Organic Agricluture Movements
Organic Crop Improvement Association
International Certification Services
Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas
North Central Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education
Organic farmers do not claim their product is chemical free. No one can make that statement in today's world. All that is certified is that the product was handled in a manner consistent with the rules and standards of the certification organization to which you belong and meet the standards of the National Organic Program (NOP).
Organic farming requires developing and maintaining an ecological system where nature solves problems with proper management. It also involves keeping good records of production practices and yields. Consumers can be assured the product is organic, as labeled, through records and a tracking system that allows tracing the product back to the very field or farm on which it was produced.
North Dakota, according to 1997 data from USDA, had 90,790 certified organic acres; 88,581 of which acres were cropland and 2,209 were pasture and range land. North Dakota had 2 certifiers in 1997 for these acres.
North Dakota was the top producer of certified organic grain crops with over 50,000 acres. It was also the leading producer of oats, millet, rye and the leading producer of certified organic oilseeds, with over 7,000 acres of flax and 4,500 acres of sunflowers.
Retail sales of organic product has shown an annual growth rate of 22.74% over the past 10 years. Retail sales for organic product is projected to be $9.3 billion in 2001. Some projections expect organic sales to reach $20 billion by 2005.
WHAT DO THE NUMBERS MEAN
The numbers would indicate North Dakota is a national leader in certified organic production as indicated by it’s leadership in several crop categories. It would also indicate that while the total acres under organic production remain small the industry is growing at a rate of over 20% a year, which would make it one of the fastest growing segments in production agriculture.
Organic production is an important part of production agriculture in North Dakota and expansion seems very likely in the future.
For a primer on Organic Farming see the Extension Service Publication: Organic Farming: Is It For Me?
Aiding In The Coexistence Of Sustainable and Biotech Agriculture by Minimizing Contamination
PowerPoint Presentation: Coexistence Working Group: Brad Brummond Walsh County Extension Agent/Coordinator September 2002