Franz O’Hanna
Mr. Roddy
GPHC
2 December 2018
On National Geographic’s We don't have enough organic farms. Why not?
  As this article clearly express, “The U.S. organic food market surpassed $45 billion in sales in 2017, according to the Organic Trade Association, a six percent increase over the prior year and more than double the sales a decade ago.” In addition to this, over the last 7 years the total acreage of organic farming land has increased by 20%, and now totals over 5 million acres. That may sound like a lot, but it really isn’t (Cernansky). The U.S. is about 2.3 billion acres, and 5 million acres only accounts for 1% of the country’s farmland (“Size of States”; Cernansky). Journalists at Bloomberg have used data from the 2017 Major Uses of Land in the United States (MLU) report, published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service, to create a map of American land use (Merrill):
 
As shown by the image above, agriculture represents a large portion of American soil, which by last count rakes in about $992 billion a year (Melton). Taking this into account, why aren’t farmers switching over to organic after the sector more than doubled its sales in the last decade (Cernansky)? The consumer demand is clearly there, as the U.S. “imported more than $2 billion in organic food last year, and likely significantly more—USDA tracks only 40 imported foods (Cernansky).” The main problem seems to be that the transition itself from conventional farming to organic farming is a losing proposition for the first three years. Farmer transitioning to organic practices are required to keep their farms free of pesticides, and chemical fertilizers for three years before being certified by the USDA. As John Reganold puts it, a professor of soil science at Washington State University, “They’re basically farming organically, but they don’t get the premium (Cernansky).”
Organic farming is more labor intensive than conventional farming, and comes with upfront costs. Pest and weed management requires more thought and strategies without the use of pesticides and herbicides, while organic agriculture at large monoculture scales requires additional equipment for weeding (Cernansky; “Machinery Makers Focus on Organic Farming Equipment”). Crop rotation, a technique involving the rotation of crop species every season, is a must in organic farming as well. This means farmers can’t just plant and sell crops solely based on which crops are being traded for a higher price that season. The practice of crop rotation does come with reasoning though. According to the Nobel Research Institute, crop rotation can improve weed control, disease and insect control, soil health, and crop yields, which all in all makes the farmer more profitable in the long term (Mosali). On the upside of organic farming, however, it has the capacity to generate more jobs than conventional farming, and it’s healthier for you and the planet. The National Geographic journalist Rachel Cernansky commented in the context of a small scale primarily wheat driven organic farm, that “A conventional farm of similar size could support one family, with some seasonal employment opportunities; his organic farm supports five families (Cernansky).”
I believe with proper infrastructure supporting the transitional period of conventional farming to organic farming, the U.S. could see a boom in organic farming, not only in demand but also in supply, bringing costs down and allowing organic food to be more economically feasible. It is my hope that this comes true, and as a result that more sustainable agricultural practices, such as crop rotation, that are already implemented within organic farming one day become the standard.      

Work Cited
Cernansky, Rachel. “We Don't Have Enough Organic Farms. Why Not?” National Geographic, National Geographic Society, 21 Nov. 2018, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/future-of-food/organic-farming-crops-consumers/. Accessed 2 Dec. 2018.
Melton, Alex. “What Is Agriculture's Share of the Overall U.S. Economy?” United States Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service, United States of America, 14 Oct. 2016, www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/chart-gallery/gallery/chart-detail/?chartId=58270. Accessed 2 Dec. 2018.
Merrill, Dave, and Lauren Leatherby. “Here’s How America Uses Its Land.” Bloomberg, Bloomberg L.P., 31 July 2018, www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2018-us-land-use/. Accessed 2 Dec. 2018.
Mosali, Jagadeesh. “Crop Rotation Yields Many Benefits.” Noble Research Institute, Noble Research Institute, LLC, 1 Nov. 2013, www.noble.org/news/publications/ag-news-and-views/2013/november/crop-rotation-yields-many-benefits/. Accessed 2 Dec. 2018.
NA. “Machinery Makers Focus on Organic Farming Equipment.” Countryfarm Lifestyles, Countryfarm-Lifestyles.com, 2018, www.countryfarm-lifestyles.com/organic-farming-equipment.html#.XATNHRNKjox. Accessed 2 Dec. 2018.
NA. “Size of States.” State Symbols USA, STATE SYMBOLS USA, 2018, statesymbolsusa.org/symbol-official-item/national-us/uncategorized/states-size. Accessed 2 Dec. 2018.

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