At a time when eating has become a political statement, the government is paying up to $19 billion a year to subsidize commodity crops in a glutted global market. Federal officials say that nearly 40% of all farm income now comes directly from government subsidies, and the farm bill signed by President Bush this year will pay $190 billion over 10 years, which includes $83 billion in new spending. However, there are two market niches that are growing at an amazing rate, the organic market and the simple farmers' market.
The organic market provides less than 2% of the nation's food supply and takes up less than 1% of its cropland. But organic farms are flourishing as never before. Over the past decade the market for organic food has grown by 15 to 20% and every year 40% of U.S. consumers occasionally reach for something labeled organic. Sales for organic foods are expected to top $11 billion this year. Conglomerates as big as Heinz and General Mills are now launching or buying organic lines and selling them in mainstream supermarkets.*