Marketing Information

• Accredited Certifying Agents, National Organic Program, USDA - Current listing of certification agencies.
• Alternative Markets for Fruit: Organic and IFP (Integrated Fruit Production), Washington State University, Wanatchee - This document reviews two major market niches: organic foods and fruit from Integrated Fruit Production.
• Biofuels send organic meat prices soaring, Natural Foods Merchandiser, February 2008.
• Certified Organic Restaurant Links with Organic Cooperative, Market to Market, Iowa Public Television, 2003 - A certified organic restaurant in Washington, D.C., sources part of its produce from a Pennsylvania cooperative.
• Conventional, Mixed and Deregistered Organic Farmers: Entry Barriers and Reasons for Exiting Organic Production in California, California Institute for Rural Studies, 2007.
• Economic Research Service, USDA
  • Market-Led Growth vs. Government-Facilitated Growth: Development of the U.S. and EU Organic Agricultural Sectors, 2005 - This report compares organic agricultural policy in the United States and European Union
  • Organic Agriculture: Innovations in Organic Marketing, Technology, and Research, 2006.
  • Organic Briefing Papers and Research - Statistical information about production and markets.
  • Organic Food Production, Alternative Farming Systems Information Center. 
  • Organic Marketing Features Fresh Foods and Direct Exchange, 2001. 
  • Organic Produce, Price Premiums and Eco-Labeling in U.S. Farmers' Markets, 2004 - This research describes the significance of farmers' markets as outlets for organic farmers.
  • Organic Production - This site includes data on the certified organic farmland acreage and livestock in the United States.
  • Organic Farmgate & Wholesale Prices, Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA - Provides wholesale prices for select conventional and organic fresh produce items in the San Francisco and Boston wholesale markets, based on USDA surveys.
  • Price Premiums Hold on as U.S. Organic Produce Market Expands, 2005 - Fresh produce has long been an important component of the organic food sector and a significant contributor to the organic industry's growth over the last decade.
  • Recent Growth Patterns in the U.S. Organic Foods Markets, 2002.
  • U.S. Organic Agricultural Production in 2005, 2006.
  • U.S. Organic Farming: A Decade of Expansion, Agricultural Outlook, 2002 - This article reviews the shift in U.S. farmland under organic management.
  • U.S. Organic Farming Emerges in the 1990s: Adoption of Certified Systems, 2001. 
  • U.S. Organic Farm Sector Continues To Expand, Amber Waves, 2007 - Explains how most segments of the U.S. organic farm sector have expanded since USDA set uniform organic standards in 2000.
• Organic Food Sales Feel the Bite From a Sluggish Economy, USA Today, August 2008 - This article examines the effects of the economy of organic food purchases.
• Organic Demand:  A Profile of Consumers in the Fresh Produce Market  - An article from the American Agricultural Economics Association Choices publication, 2007 - This article examines the organic produce segment of the organic food market.
• Expanding Organic Industry, Market to Market, Iowa Public Television, 2002 - This program reviews the changing face of the organic food industry.
• Fourth National Organic Farmers' Survey: Sustaining Organic Farms in a Changing Organic Marketplace (Full Report), Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF), 2004 - OFRF's National Organic Farmers' Surveys have collected data about organic farmers and farming for 1993, 1995, 1997 and 2001.
• Fourth National Organic Farmers' Survey: Sustaining Organic Farms in a Changing Organic Marketplace (Executive Summary), Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF), 2004.
• Fundamentals of Organics, Iowa State University, 2003. 
• Growers Group Goes Wholesale, Market to Market, Iowa Public Television, 2003 - Iowa-based Wholesome Harvest is marketing organic meat to restaurants and grocery stores.
• International Developments Related to Organic Agriculture, New Zealand Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, 2005.
• Long-term Agroecological Research (LTAR) in Iowa: An Economic Comparison of Organic and Conventional Grain Crops, Iowa State University.
• Market Trends, Organic Trade Association.
• Merchandising Organic Products, The Gourmet Retailer, 2005 - This article overviews the national/organic industry. Statistics on organic product purchases are listed at the end of article.
• Midwest Organics, Iowa State University, 2006 - Total acres for grains, fruits and oilseeds.
• Natural, Organic, Functional and Soy Foods are Rising Stars in Supermarkets, Profitwise Bulletin, International Dairy-Deli-Bakery Association, 2003 - This issue includes major food trends observed at a natural products show.
• Natural Products Research Report, Organic and soy sales lead category, Gourmetreailer.com/, from the Dairy-Deli-Bakery Association's 2002 Trend Report - The article includes top motivators for organic food and beverage purchases.
• Of Church and Steak: Farming for the Soul, New York Times, 2007 - This article discusses a growing trend, faith-based farming, or farming according to religious principles. Adherents within the Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths stress practices like fair treatment of farm workers, respect for the environment and humane treatment of animals. The article notes that "religious institutions oversee the production of $250 billion per year in food if you bundle together halal, kosher and institutional buying." 
• Organic Agriculture in the 2007 Farm Bill, by Karen Klonsky, AIC Farm Bill Brief #3, 2007 - The 2007 Farm Bill is likely to address issues important for producers and consumers, especially research and development and additional support to facilitate the growth of the organic industry.
• Organic Agriculture in Wisconsin: 2005 Status Report, Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems, University of Wisconsin-Madison.
• Organically grown foods: Evaluate your options, MayoClinic.com - This online article explains the difference between food grown organically vs. conventionally.
• The Organic Food Market, Strategic Marketing Institute Working Paper, Michigan State University, 2007 - This research analyzes the aspects and barriers of the organic food market.
• Organic Food Labeling Confusing, says Consumer Survey, The Gourmet Retailer, 2007 - This article reviews results of a recent consumer survey on organic labeling.
• Organic Link, International Trade Centre - This Web site provides a database for importers and exporters of organic products.
• Organic Marketing Resources, Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas (ATTRA), 2004 - A listing of resources, including prices, sales data and trends, for organic food and fiber products.
• Organic Price Index, Rodale NewFarm Institute - Price Index on fruits, grains, herbs and vegetable in several U.S. market places. 
• Organic Sales Continue to Grow at a Steady Pace, Organic Trade Association, 2006.  
• Trends in the Marketing of Fresh Produce and Fresh-cut Products. Roberta Cook. Agricultural Issues Center, University of California, 2007.  
• U.S. Organic Information - Standards, Foreign Agricultural Service, USDA.
• Wal-Mart's Organic Offensive, Business Week, 2006 - Not everyone is pleased by the giant retailer's push into natural foods, starting with some anxious U.S. farmers.
• Willingness to Pay for Locally Produced Foods: A customer intercept study of direct market and grocery store shoppers, Ohio State University, 2006.
• Will organic shoppers stay loyal?, Dallas Morning News, April 2008.
• The World of Organic Agriculture, Statistics and Emerging Trends 2004, International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements.