USDA Organic Survey Favors Dairy, Eggs

The USDA NASS annual organic farming survey was released last week; the document showed dairy and eggs to be the predominant commodities in the organic sector, with $1.2 billion in organic dairy sales, and $732 million in organic eggs sold last year. The latest figures, documented in NASS’ 2015 Certified Organic Survey, speak to the concentration of organic farms in certain sectors. Broiler chickens, apples, and lettuce—in that order—were the organic agriculture sectors earning the next most.

Total U.S. organic farming sales hit $6.2 billion last year—up 13% from 2014. Approximately 151,000 acres were seen as currently transitioning to certified organic. California and Wisconsin were the two largest producing states. (NASS).

EU Approves GM Maize

On Friday, the EU said that it would authorize 11 different varieties of GM maize produced by a major seed firm, for use as feed and food. The authorization does not include cultivation—a hot topic for EU growers—but is valid for 10 years, and subjects the GM maize to “labeling and traceability rules”. (Reuters).

South American Projections for New Seed

Farmers are expected to sow 57% more acres using the next-generation seed of a prominent seed technology. The new seed, Intacta RR2 Pro, which is both glyphosate-resistant and resistant to pests, was planted on 35.8 million acres in Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay in the 2015/16 growing season, according to estimates. A representative of the company that produces the seed indicated that between 31% to 38% of the planted area in Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay will use the soybean technology this season—up from 24% in the 2016/17 crop year. (Reuters).