The Organic Truth

Although the popular image of the organic farmer is of a counterculture dropout eking out a living on a couple of acres, a recent survey by the Organic Farming Research Foundation in Santa Cruz found a different picture.

According to the survey, 59% of organic farmers have at least a bachelor’s degree and 19% have earned advanced degrees. On average, they work more than 100 acres and 64% report receiving “no annual operating credit from any source [government, bank or family member].”

The typical organic farmer, the survey found, is male (77%), between 41 and 50 years old (39%), has been farming organically for between one and five years (39%) and is either a sole proprietor or single-family farmer (67%).

The most popular organic crops are vegetables, particularly tomatoes, potatoes and peppers. Of the fruits, berries, apples and pears are favored.

And though they do not appear to be wildly profitable (only 28% say the majority of their income comes from organics), organic farmers are still optimistic; 96% say they plan to either increase or maintain acreage in the future.