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Organic supply can't keep up with demand Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Agri News staff writer
LA CROSSE, Wis. -- Organic customers just can't get enough.
Jim Riddle, organic outreach coordinator at the University of Minnesota, said Minnesota is the No. 1 producer of organic corn and soybeans and still can't produce enough. And University of Minnesota studies show organic crops have the same yields as conventional ones, he said.
Riddle spoke at the recent 17th annual Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service conference, which is the largest in the nation. This year's conference drew about 2,000 people.
"We're not quite keeping up," said Faye Jones, executive director of MOSES. "It takes time to convert."
Each year, demand for organic products increases by 20 percent, according to the Organic Trade Association. The increase of organic producers can't keep up with the growing market.
"The bottom line is that there's not enough supply," Jones said.
Jones and Riddle did a demonstration of pouring organic milk into a jar but there was only enough milk to fill 85 percent of the jar. The demonstration represented the amount of demand the organic dairy industry can fill.
Riddle said the U of M has 300 acres certified organic or in transition to be used in organic research. He also said there's a push for the 2007 farm bill to contain more money for research for organic agriculture. |
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