The Blistering Number of Organic Farms and the Lacking Grain Production in Wisconsin

Wisconsin is the second state in number of organic farms and in terms of transition towards the same. The state is 2^nd only to California in terms of contribution to this organic industry worth $35 Billion.

However, despite the searing expansion in numbers, grain production appears rather lackluster, a recent analysis – Organic Agriculture in Wisconsin: 2015 Status Report – reveals.

Erin Silva, author of the report and an assistant professor at UW Madison says it takes almost three years to migrate from conventional to organic farming, so even though the organic farming promises more return, it may seem discouraging to manage three years with more expenditures than revenues. In other words, its three years of certain loss.

But the report also brings to light some ways with which grain production can be increased. These strategies were put forward by owners of organic farms themselves and include:

·         Education, awareness and technical support

·         Steps that can reduce the risks or minimize the losses

·         Using networks of farming communities to pool info and resources.

The report sheds light on some interesting statistics. For example, Wisconsin in leader in dairy and beef production and thus there’s a higher demand for organic livestock feed.

There are more than 1,250 organic farms in the state of Wisconsin as of 2013. This is interesting because it had grown by nearly 77 percent since 2005. This continues to be the case even in 2015 as Wisconsin now has the second highest rate in transition to organic farming.

Wisconsin is again second American state in terms of organic oilseed and grain farms.

 The state ranks fourth in organic melon and vegetable farms. It is also the fourth nation in terms of organic sales. The figures approximate to $122 million.

More than 30 percent of organic farms are selling directly to individuals, thus scoring better penetration.

Across the USA, there are more female and young farmers. In Wisconsin, nearly one-fourth of the farmers have experience that sums up lower than 10 years. But in case of women farmers, they remain underrepresented. Comparatively, they have better representation in other farming operations across the state.

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