Local farmers growing crops including mushrooms, tangerines, broccoli, sunflower seeds and sweet potatoes have helped make organic food production bigger in Hawaii than it is in 14 other states, according to a national report.
The report produced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture said there were 166 organic farms in Hawaii which covered 3,505 acres and generated $13.4 million last year.
Hawaii’s crop value was higher than in 14 other states, including Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Georgia, Nevada and New Jersey, though the number of farms and acres farmed in Hawaii surpassed only 10 other states.
Nationally there were 14,093 organic farms which covered 3.7 million acres and generated $5.5 billion last year.
Among states, California dominated the industry with 2,805 farms which generated $2.2 billion. Delaware was the least productive in organic farming, with 10 farms which generated $253,000.
Kathy King, statistician for the Hawaii field office of the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, said organic food production in the state appears to be growing despite challenges such as plant pests.
“Just because of the locavore movement that’s going on everywhere and all the emphasis there is about natural and organic foods, so many people are asking for it,” she said. “I think it’s a growing market. I’m not sure how much farther it’s got to grow.”
The $13.4 million in organic food produced in Hawaii last year included $8.7 million in vegetables, $3.4 million in fruit and about $1 million in other food, including beef and eggs.
No one in Hawaii is commercially producing organic milk, watermelon or strawberries, according to the report. Some of the more popular organic crops locally are coffee and avocado with about 40 farms each. There were also 19 organic herb producers who generated $3.4 million in sales, and 19 organic lettuce producers whose combined sales were not disclosed.
The average size of an organic farm in Hawaii was 21 acres, compared with 260 acres nationally.
Local organic farmers mainly sold their crops within Hawaii to retailers, though a considerable amount of production was sold directly to consumers and nationally.
The report said 37 percent of Hawaii organic farmers sold to retailers, 35 percent to wholesalers and 28 percent to consumers. Buyers were mainly within Hawaii (65 percent), while 30 percent were national and 5 percent international.
The age of most Hawaii organic farms is relatively young, with 110 of the 166 farms being less than 20 years old. Only three farms have been operating for more than 40 years.
One of the longtime organic farmers in Hawaii is Una Greenaway, who started Kuaiwi Farm in Captain Cook on the Big Island 38 years ago and has seen the industry grow slowly.
“Most of us became organic farmers because we were concerned about pesticides,” said Greenaway, who is also president of the Hawaii Organic Farming Association.
Greenaway primarily grows coffee, and has 1,900 coffee trees on her 5-acre farm. Other organic crops at Kuaiwi Farm include macadamia nuts, cacao, bananas, avocado, citrus and vegetables.
Greenaway said she believes that organic farming is expanding in Hawaii, though challenges inherent to farming that include weather, pests and attracting a younger generation of farmers are probably restricting that growth.
It’s difficult to gauge industry growth based on prior USDA organic farm reports, which are based on surveys sent to farmers as part of a farm census, because different methodology was used to produce prior reports.
The USDA produced two previous organic-farm reports in 2008 and 2011. The 2014 report, published last month, included certified organic farms, farms that follow organic procedures but generate less than $5,000 a year and are exempt from certification, and farms transitioning to certification.
The 2011 report included only certified farms, while the 2008 report didn’t account for misclassified farms.
To see the 2014 report, go to 808ne.ws/1hVs0kY.
