State of the States, 2nd Edition:
Organic Systems Research at Land Grant Institutions, 2001 - 2003

by Jane Sooby

State of the States, 2nd Edition: Organic Systems Research at Land Grant Institutions, 2001 - 2003 download the report (Adobe pdf, 1,078k)

© 2003 Organic Farming Research Foundation

Background

State of the States, 2nd Edition, updates the original report released in 2001 by the Organic Farming Research Foundation. SOS II catalogues organic research, education, and extension projects currently in place at the nation’s 68 public land grant agriculture schools, and at public research stations and through Cooperative Extension.

Though the total number of organic research acres in the U.S. land grant system has more than doubled between 2001 and 2003, it’s not keeping pace with the growth of commercial certified organic acreage in the U.S. Organic research occupies only 0.13% of available research acreage in the land grant system (up from 0.07% in 2001), while 0.3-2% of U.S. farmland is certified organic, depending on crop type. Certified organic research acreage is only 0.06% of the total research acreage available, up from 0.02% in 2001.

State of the States is a useful resource for farmers, scientists, students, and others seeking current work in organic agriculture. It also serves to measure the level of commitment each public agricultural institution has to serving organic growers with research and extension services.

This report is particularly suited for use in an electronic format, as it contains links to many websites. Information is presented by state, and is organized primarily by the following topics: research, production; research, consumer/economic; Extension; education. To find research in particular topic areas, use the search tool in the Adobe Reader.

Hard copies of State of the States, 2nd Edition may be ordered by contacting OFRF at info@ofrf.org. A tax-deductible donation of $10 is requested to help cover printing and postage costs.