The 2008 Organic Production Survey counted 162 Nebraska farms and ranches that were either USDA certified organic or exempt from certification because their sales totaled less than $5,000, according to USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, Nebraska Field Office.

These operations comprised 146,188 acres of land, of which 51,015 acres were harvested cropland and 69,866 acres were pasture or rangeland.

Nebraska organic product sales in 2008 totaled $48.6 million, including $26.5 million in crop sales and $22.1 million in sales of livestock, poultry, and their products. Organic production expenses totaled $32.9 million, or $204,508 per farm.

Most Nebraska organic producers sold their products locally and regionally, with 54 percent of sales taking place less than 500 miles from the farm.

The 2008 Organic Production Survey is the first organic production and practices survey conducted on a national level by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).

The survey showed the nationwide farm value of organic production to be nearly $3.2 billion on the 14,540 estimated farms. The 2008 Organic Production Survey provides acreage, production, and sales data for a variety of organic crop and livestock commodities as well as information on organic production expenses and organic production and marketing practices.

Complete results of the 2008 Organic Production Survey are available at: www.agcensus.usda.gov/Publications/2007/Online_Highlights/Organics/index.asp