DTN writer Katie Dehlinger reported yesterday that, “Acreage planted to organic field crops is on the rise while land planted to non-GMO corn and soybeans declined, according to a new report from Mercaris, a market data and trading platform for the identity-preserved grain industry.
“The number of farms certified under USDA’s National Organic Program increased 3% in 2018 to 17,648, with the biggest gains coming in the Northeast, Corn Belt and West Coast.
“Mercaris estimates the number of certified organic acres in 2018 will total 6.5 million, up 2% from last year.”
The DTN article added that, “Mercaris also released an estimate of crops raised from non-genetically modified seed by extrapolating from USDA data on overall acreage and biotechnology usage rates.
“In 2018, farmers planted fewer total acres of corn and soybeans and used more genetically modified seed varieties. As a result, overall non-GMO acreage declined 5% from 2017 to 12.1 million acres.
“Total U.S. non-GMO corn acreage declined for the second year in a row.”
