WYE MILLS -- The organic food industry has been the fastest growing segment of agriculture in recent years, and sales are not about to level off anytime soon, an industry official told a gathering of farmers attending an "Ag Alternatives" conference here this week.
Based on consumer surveys and the worldwide increase in the acreage used for growing crops without the use of chemical herbicides or pesticides, William M. Wolf predicted that organic food sales will grow at a rate close to 30 percent over the next two to three years. This is up from the 20 percent to 25 percent growth rate the industry has enjoyed since the beginning of the decade.
Wolf is president of Wolf & Associates Inc. in Salem, Va., and president of the Organic Materials Review Institute, a clearing house for information on organic products and what is allowed in organic production.
He was a keynote speaker Wednesday at a two-day conference held at Chesapeake College, sponsored by the Future Harvest Project, an Annapolis-based organization composed of farmers and environmentalists to promote and foster the economic stability of agriculture while protecting the environment.
Despite its strong growth, Wolf said organic foods are still a tiny ,, part of the U.S. market -- less than 1 percent last year. Although the final figures are not in, he said the industry expects sales for 1997 to come in at between $4.2 billion and $4.4 billion.
This flurry of activity presents some good opportunities for Maryland farmers, said Early Monroe, a free-range livestock and organic vegetable grower in Frederick County and president of the Maryland Organic Food and Farming Association.
Monroe said the change in people's eating habits are going to generate higher demand for organically grown vegetables as well as grain to feed livestock and soybeans used in the making of tofu, a main ingredient in such products as veggie burgers and fat-free imitation sausage.
Monroe said that organic food processors are paying about $16 a bushel for soybeans, slightly more than double the price of conventional beans.
He said that edible soybeans, used in a wide variety of processed food, are bringing $25 a bushel.
Monroe said he would like to see Maryland's agriculture and economic development agencies take advantage of this trend and move to make the state a center of organic food production.
