Demand for organic foods continues to grow. And according to recent estimates more farmers are switching to organic methods to keep up. In Kansas alone, acreage of organic crops has nearly doubled in the past 15 years. Harvest Public Media’s Luke Runyon reports.
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Walk into a grocery store these days and you’re likely to find whole sections devoted to organic foods. The organic label gives insight into how the food was produced, usually without the aid of synthetic chemicals, antibiotics and food additives.
“Overall, we’re still seeing a lot of positive growth in the organics sector,” says Cathy Greene.
Greene is an economist with the US Department of Agriculture. She says organic has gone beyond just a niche market, with fresh fruits, vegetables and dairy products now leading the charge.
“I guess what we haven’t seen quite as much of is interest in the commodity crop sector: corn, soybeans, cotton,” says Greene.
It’s not just American consumers interested in organic produce. Greene says, consumers in Europe and Japan are increasingly demanding organic foods too.