Number of organic farms has tripled in New York since 2006, while market grows 20 percent in a decade

Debra J. Groom / The Post-Standard

Published: Tuesday, February 09, 2010

Preble, NY -- Paul and Maureen Knapp are fourth-generation dairy farmers. Like generations before them, the Knapps ran conventional operations in Preble, using fertilizer and chemicals and regular feed. All that changed in 2000.

"I'm a big reader and I do a lot of research on things, Maureen said. When I first read about organic farming it was intriguing to me. The more I read I thought why not? It made sense we should be doing things the way they always were done (hundreds of years ago)."

Now, the Knapps have completely transformed their farm to do things the natural way, producing organic milk, strawberries, beef and pork, poultry and eggs.

They are not alone. Since 2006, the number of New York farms certified as organic, have tripled from 200 to 600, said Kate Mendenhall, executive director Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York, also known as of NOFA-NY.

As a follow-up to the 2007 Census of Agriculture, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has just released its first wide-scale survey of organic agriculture in the nation and New York. The survey was done to show how the growth of organic farming is changing the face of U.S. agriculture. It also shows organic farming has been one of the fastest growing segments of U.S. agriculture for over a decade.

One fact from the study: There are 14,540 certified and exempt organic farms in the United States. The study shows 827 certified and exempt organic farms in New York state.

A certified organic farm is one that goes through the certification process with an organization such as NOFA-NY. An exempt organic farm is one that follows National Organic Standards, but is too small to go through the certification process.

A certified farm can use the USDA Organic seal on its products. An exempt farm can use the term organic, but cannot use the USDA Organic seal.

Just as the number of organic farms has grown, so too has consumer demand for their products, even though organic goods often are more expensive than non-organic counterparts. And that demand has given rise to more organic farms.

"The market grows every year," Mendenhall said. "With all the publicity about public health and eating healthy and environmental reasons, the market has grown 20 percent for the last decade."

The USDA survey of organics, that covered the year 2008, shows total organic product sales in the United States of nearly $3.2 billion. New York state registered about $105 million in sales.

Wegmans markets prove the popularity of organic products. Tim Keser, produce coordinator for Wegmans in Syracuse, said his markets have expanded space devoted to organic products to keep up with consumer demand for such goods.

"Ten years ago, you'd be lucky to find a handful of organic items in our store," Keser said. "Today, you'll find some stores with 50-foot sections of organic produce with as many as 150 organic produce items on display."

Wegmans started selling organic products in1998 with such offerings as salad mix, grapes and carrots. Today, Wegmans offers organic vegetables and fruits of nearly every type along with many other products from frozen foods, juices and dairy items to general merchandise and meats.

Dick de Graff, of Grindstone Farm in Pulaski, began switching to organic production in 1985-86 long before it became a trend. "I was exposed to enough chemicals in my previous life," de Graff said. "My father was a conventional farmer who said if one pint of a chemical is good, then two pints is better. I finally decided that doesn't make any sense at all."

He now grows vegetables and fruits and has developed a loyal market. He also has paired with other organic farmers to cross sell items.

Getting into organics is no easy undertaking. The Knapps switched to buying organic feed for the cows, pasturing them during the good weather and getting the land certified as organic. "Initially the paperwork was very time consuming," Maureen Knapp said. "To be certified by NOFA-NY, we had to have a farm plan that shows this is how the farm is run."

To have their land certified, farmers must prove they've added no fertilizers or chemicals to it for three years. They also have to be sure there is a buffer between the organic land and neighbors farmland, so chemicals used there don't end up on the organic land. And then every year, there is more paperwork to recertify the farm.

The Knapps, who milk about 80 cows, shipped their first organic milk in 2001 to Organic Valley, a cooperative of about 1,650 organic farms. Organic Valley uses the milk for fluid milk and to make cheese, cream cheese and butter.

Contact Debra J. Groom at dgroom@syracuse.com, 470-3254 or 251-5586.