Florida’s organic farming profile spans two useful measurement periods. The 2015 Certified Organic Survey – Florida counted 159 certified organic farms, 12,757 certified organic acres, and $62.831 million in certified organic sales. A later 2022 organic agriculture table reported $113,311 thousand in total organic product sales from farms with certified or exempt production, alongside detailed producer and sales-band figures.
Contents
- Florida organic farms, acreage, and sales
- Florida compared with the United States
- Where organic farms sold products
- Florida organic crop sales in 2015
- Organic agriculture and sales bands in 2022
- Florida organic producers in 2022
Florida organic farms, acreage, and sales
The 2015 Certified Organic Survey – Florida provides a snapshot of certified organic production in Florida and a comparison point with 2014. Florida had 159 certified organic farms in 2015, up from 146 in 2014. The same source counted 12,757 certified organic acres in 2015, compared with 19,245 certified organic acres in 2014.
Sales moved in the opposite direction from acreage during these two reported years. Florida generated $62.831 million in certified organic sales in 2015, compared with $57.103 million in 2014. These are reported sales totals for the respective years, not a forecast or a current-year estimate.
| Measure | 2014 | 2015 |
|---|---|---|
| Certified organic farms | 146 | 159 |
| Certified organic acres | 19,245 | 12,757 |
| Certified organic sales | $57.103 million | $62.831 million |
The survey also described how long operations had held certification. In 2015, 31% of Florida’s certified organic farms had been certified for 10 years or more. That percentage describes the age of certification, not the age of the farm or the length of time a particular field had been farmed organically.
The 2015 survey recorded production intentions as well. Forty-two percent of Florida certified organic operations planned to increase certified organic agricultural production over the next five years. This is a reported plan from the 2015 survey period, so it should be read as an intention rather than a later production result.
Florida compared with the United States
The 2015 Certified Organic Survey – Florida also reported national totals. The United States had 12,818 certified organic farms in 2015, 4,361,849 certified organic acres, and $6.163472 billion in certified organic sales. In 2014, the national totals were 12,634 certified organic farms, 3,642,933 certified organic acres, and $5.451377 billion in certified organic sales.
| Geography and year | Certified farms | Certified acres | Certified organic sales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida, 2014 | 146 | 19,245 | $57.103 million |
| Florida, 2015 | 159 | 12,757 | $62.831 million |
| United States, 2014 | 12,634 | 3,642,933 | $5.451377 billion |
| United States, 2015 | 12,818 | 4,361,849 | $6.163472 billion |
The national figures provide scale for Florida’s reported certified organic activity. They are included as a comparison, while the Florida totals remain the relevant figures for understanding the state’s organic farming sector. The source labels these figures as certified organic farms, acres, and sales, so they should not be combined with the later 2022 table without noting the difference in year and table scope.
Where organic farms sold products
Florida’s certified organic farms used several market channels in 2015. The 2015 Certified Organic Survey – Florida reported that 87 farms sold to wholesale markets. Seventy-five farms sold directly to consumers, and 58 farms sold directly to retail markets and institutions.
These channel counts describe farms reporting sales through each channel. They are not presented as mutually exclusive categories, so the figures should not be added together to estimate the number of farms in Florida. A farm could use more than one route to market.
The distance to the first point of sale was also reported. For 79% of Florida certified organic farms, the first point of sale was within 100 miles of the farm in 2015. For 38%, the first point of sale was 100 to 499 miles from the farm. These percentages describe reported first-point-of-sale distances and offer a view of market reach without identifying individual buyers or destinations.
The combination of wholesale, direct-to-consumer, retail, and institutional channels shows that Florida’s certified organic farms reported more than one type of market relationship. The distance figures add a geographic dimension: the largest reported distance category share was the within-100-mile group at 79%, while 38% reported a first point of sale between 100 and 499 miles away.
Florida organic crop sales in 2015
Vegetables, potatoes, and melons were the largest specifically reported crop-sales category in the 2015 Certified Organic Survey – Florida. Open-field vegetables, potatoes, and melons were sold by 54 farms and generated $40.103599 million in sales. The same crop grouping grown under protection was sold by 19 farms and generated $864,826 in sales.
Other fruits were sold by 29 farms and generated $2.207953 million. Berries were sold by 49 farms and generated $8.651028 million. Tree nuts were sold by 7 farms and generated $8,975 in sales.
| Crop or production category | Farms reporting sales | Sales reported |
|---|---|---|
| Open-field vegetables, potatoes, and melons | 54 | $40.103599 million |
| Vegetables, potatoes, and melons under protection | 19 | $864,826 |
| Other fruits | 29 | $2.207953 million |
| Tree nuts | 7 | $8,975 |
| Berries | 49 | $8.651028 million |
The survey also recorded several smaller categories. Two Florida farms reported certified organic floriculture and bedding crops in 2015. One farm reported certified organic nursery crops, including aquatic plants. One farm reported certified organic propagative materials sold, and one farm reported certified organic mushrooms.
The crop figures are category-specific reports from 2015. They should not be treated as a complete ranking of every organic product grown in Florida, and the farm counts should not be summed across categories because farms may have reported more than one product category.
Organic agriculture and sales bands in 2022
Table 51, “Organic Agriculture: 2022 and 2017,” provides a later view with a different scope. In 2022, Florida had 222 producers on farms with certified or exempt organic production. Those farms reported $113,311 thousand in total organic product sales, and the average was $510,411 in organic sales per farm.
The table also grouped Florida farms by organic sales band. Florida had 66 farms in the $1 to $4,999 band, 157 farms in the $5,000 to $9,999 band, 21 farms in the $10,000 to $24,999 band, 129 farms in the $25,000 to $49,999 band, and 30 farms with $50,000 or more in organic sales.
| 2022 organic-sales band | Florida farms |
|---|---|
| $1 to $4,999 | 66 |
| $5,000 to $9,999 | 157 |
| $10,000 to $24,999 | 21 |
| $25,000 to $49,999 | 129 |
| $50,000 or more | 30 |
Table 51 also reported 469 USDA National Organic Program certified farms in Florida in 2022 and 91 USDA National Organic Program exempt farms. Separately, 88 farms had acres transitioning into USDA National Organic Program organic production in 2022.
Because Table 51 includes certified or exempt production and uses producer-characteristics and sales-band measures, its 2022 counts are not a direct replacement for the 2015 certified-farm count. The two sources describe different years and scopes. The 2022 total organic product sales figure is reported in thousands of dollars, while the 2015 survey figure is reported as certified organic sales in millions of dollars.
Florida organic producers in 2022
The producer-characteristics portion of Table 51 reports 53 male producers and 319 female producers on farms with certified or exempt organic production in Florida in 2022. It also reports 181 organic producers whose primary occupation was farming and 278 whose primary occupation was other than farming.
The table’s occupation categories describe primary occupation, not whether a producer participated in farming at all. Likewise, the sex categories are reported producer counts for the table’s population and should be read within that source’s definitions.
Florida organic producers averaged 17.0 years on their present farm in 2022. Their average age was 57.8 years. These are averages for the reported 2022 producer population, not values for every individual producer.
Taken together, the 2022 figures show a sector with reported certified, exempt, and transitioning operations, a broad spread of sales bands, and producers with substantial average tenure on their present farms. The 2015 figures add detail on certified acreage, crop categories, sales channels, and first points of sale, giving Florida Guides readers two dated views of organic agriculture without treating either period as a current forecast.