Advancing Organic Agriculture in the Mid-South: Evaluating Systems and Reducing Barriers to Entry

Organic production can significantly improve on-farm income and profitability in comparison to conventional commodity production. At the same time, higher output prices and lower breakeven acreage required can increase profit if production costs can be kept in check (McBride et al., 2015). Premiums are rising and improved genetics and management tools combine to make overall yields very competitive with conventional crops (Fisher, 2011; McNeil, 2018). Once an operation gets through the transitional stage (i.e., the learning curve and organic certification), the farm is positioned to increase income significantly via premiums that often reach two to three times that of standard commodities (Fisher, 2011).