HAWAII’S ORGANIC PRODUCTION VALUE SURGES SINCE 2008

News Release from USDA NASS October 7, 2015

Honolulu, HI –The 2014 Organic Production Survey conducted in Hawaii found 166 farms with 3,505 acres in organic production, according to Kathy King, Hawaii State Statistician, USDA, NASS.  Of those farms, 61 are producing vegetables with a value of over $8.7 million, and 126 farms are producing organic fruit with a value of over $3.4 million.  Organic vegetable value in 2008 was $4.3 million, while fruit value in 2008 was $3.3 million.

Value-added organic products were produced and sold on 44 farms with a value of over $1.8 million, an average of $41,737 per farm.

The first point of sales was within 100 miles for 49% of Hawaiian organic farmers, with 16% occurring from 101 to 499 miles, and 30% occurring nationally.  Five percent of organic sales were to international markets.  Twenty-eight percent of organic farmers sell direct to consumers, while 37% sell direct to retail, and 35% sell at wholesale markets.

The majority of organic farmers in Hawaii used the following production practices:  organic mulch/compost, green or animal manures, no-till or minimum till, maintained buffer strips, and water management practices.  Other production practices utilized were biological pest management, maintaining beneficial insect or vertebrate habitat, selecting planting locations to avoid pests, releasing beneficial organisms, choosing pest resistant varieties, and planning plantings to avoid cross-contamination.

Thirty percent of organic farmers say the biggest production challenge is regulatory, while 25% say the biggest challenge is production problems.

For more information, please see the complete report at http://www.agcensus.usda.gov/Publications/2012/Online_Resources/Organics/

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NASS is the federal statistical agency responsible for producing official data about U.S. agriculture and is committed to providing timely, accurate and useful statistics in service to U.S. agriculture.