RE: on going organic

Anita Graf (agraf@agecon.uga.edu)
Mon, 22 Feb 1999 08:57:17 EST5EDT

Ernie Marx wrote:
>At the risk of appearing cynical, a primary reason (not the only
>reason, but a primary reason) farms switch to organic is
>economic....organic products sell for considerably higher prices and
>can result in greater profits. Get rid of the price differentia

Thank you for your comment. It may be that farmers are switching for
less than idealistic reasons, but there must be more to it than that.
If it were clearly the more profitable option for everyone, we would
presumably see mass switching. Since that isnt' the case, there must
be certain farm or farmer attributes that make switchers more
amenable to switching. One thought I have had is that maybe those
farmers who have not invested so much in capital inputs and can
therefore withstand the (at least initial) drop in productivity and
income. Maybe those who are already well versed in the various
sustainable practices find it less of a stretch than those who do not
practice as many sustainable practices. Perhaps smaller farms find
it easier to switch. I don't know, that's why I asked the question.

Regarding your comment, I have another question. Clearly we pay more
for organic in the store, but what is the premium that actually gets
to the farmers? Any organic farmers out there who can comment?

Anita Graf
313-F Conner Hall
Dept. of Agricultural and Applied Economics
University of Georgia
Athens, GA 30602-7509
(706) 542-1915 phone
(706) 542-0739 fax
agraf@agecon.uga.edu

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