Organic Farmers in the US: Opportunities, Realities and Barriers

Dobbs, Thomas L.

doi:10.1094/cm-2006-0921-03-rv

Cited by 5 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 27 publications

(17 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Organic soybean acreage, for example, declined 7% during this period, to 126,000 acres in 2008 (0.2% of US soybean acreage), while organic apple acreage doubled to 18,000 acres (5% of US apple acreage). Producers in every sector face numerous production and marketing challenges in transitioning to organic production (2,5,7,22). For grains and oilseeds, the costly transition period and uncertainty of future returns reduce the probability of organic conversion, and organic producers may abandon organic management when returns to conventional crop production are high (4).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Organic Data and Research from the ARMS Survey: Findings on Competitiveness of the Organic Soybean Sector

McBride

Greene

2013

Crop. manag.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Organic production has expanded rapidly in the US over the last decade, particularly for specialty crops. In 2005, USDA's Economic Research Service (ERS) and National Agricultural Statistics (NASS) began to include targeted sub‐samples of organic producers in its major annual economic survey, the Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS). In this article we use data from the 2006 ARMS to examine the characteristics of producers adopting the organic production approach to soybean production, and contrast these with conventional producers. Organic soybean producers were younger, had less acreage, were less likely to work off‐farm, and were more often located in northern states than conventional soybean producers. Also, differences in the costs of production for each system are derived. Results indicate that the average costs for producing soybeans were higher for producers using the organic approach in 2006 after accounting for the influence of other factors on production costs, sample selection bias, and organic transition costs, but were covered by the higher premiums that year. However, the organic price premium for soybeans has narrowed since 2006, and reduced the economic incentive for converting to or maintaining an organic system.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Organic Data and Research from the ARMS Survey: Findings on Competitiveness of the Organic Soybean Sector

McBride

Greene

2013

Crop. manag.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The owners of the vineyard also had to prove that none of these prohibited products were being used near the production area for this three‐year period. This transition period presented significant difficulties for the owners of these vineyards, as they had to bear the costs of tending their crops in an organic manner without being able to realize the benefit of being able to use their grapes for organic wines (Duram, 2006). Any field used for producing organic crops had to be certified by the appropriate agency of the country in which it was located.…”

Section: Organic and Biodynamic Production Methods In Vineyardsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Organic wine production: the case of Bodega Colomé in Argentina

Zilber

Friel

Nascimento

2010

International Journal of Wine Business Research

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to be a teaching case about organic wine in Argentina, in a sustainable perspective, showing the advantages that this country has related to others in terms of organic and biodynamic production of wine. It shows also the potential of this kind of production, and its limitations, using for that the case of Bodega Colomé, owned by Donald Hess, a global wine producer.Design/methodology/approachThis paper uses case study methodology; this is an adequate approach, as Argentina has some specific characteristics (geography, labor and other conditions) that makes it unique. The information about Bodega Colomé was obtained from secondary data such as academic articles, specialized magazine articles, web sites about wine production, and an interview conducted with the General Manager of Bodega Colomé, Caspar Eugster, in July, 2009.FindingsOrganic and biodynamic wine production are discussed as an alternative to the traditional production in developing countries, specifically in Argentina, where a series of factors – geographic characteristics (altitude), lands and technology used in a sustainability logic, labor conditions, tradition, history, brand and nature characteristics – allow a competitive advantage to develop. Donald Hess, president of Bodega Colomé, bets in the direction of investment maintenance in organic wines, given the favorable conditions cited, adding brand value, but this kind of production is impossible for less expensive wines as producing wines organically is labor intensive.Research limitations/implicationsThe main limitation of this case is its uniqueness and its findings cannot be applied to the universe of companies in Argentina, the country studied; but it encourages future research and more investigation about the subject. The main implication of this case is the possibility of generating some discussion about the theme: do the wine producers of developing countries, such as Argentina, Chile and Brazil produce organic wine (added into the company's sustainability actions) for export, or should they dedicate themselves to the production of traditional wines for internal market?Practical implicationsThis case study is relevant for groups of students or professionals interested in discussing the strategies of wine production and marketing. The case may also be used by policy formulators of the winegrowing industry.Originality/valueThe organic and biodynamic production of wine is a recent subject and there are few studies about this theme. Mainly, the role of Latin American players is not very clear and this paper contributes to the discussion about the opportunity of organic and biodynamic wine production as a possible source of competitive advantage to Latin American wine producers in the global market.

show abstract

“…While numerous technical, ideological, and financial barriers to organic adoption have been identified globally (Freyer et al 1994;Padel and Lampkin 1994;Lohr and Salomonsson 2000;Costa et al 2005;Darnhofer et al 2005), in the US the lack of subsidies for the 3-year conversion period was identified as the key constraint (Lohr and Salomonsson 2000;Duram 2006;Greene et al 2009). The 2008 Farm Bill removed that constraint in hopes that pragmatic conventional farmers in the US would convert to organics.…”

Section: Pragmatic Conventional Producermentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Again, unlike Europe, the NOP included no official government position stating that organic foods were superior to conventional foods. This lack of direct support for conversion represents a major barrier to organic adoption in the US (Lipson 1997;Duram 2006;Greene et al 2009). …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The hostile political environment and bias against organics dampened adoption Klintman and Boström 2004;Duram 2006;Volpe III 2006;Constance and Choi 2010). The first national study that demonstrated organic feasibility and profitability of organics included several recommendations regarding research, education, and public policy support for existing organic farmers and for conventional farmers interesting in conversion (United States Department of Agriculture 1980).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation