How much is organic certification worth?

To help ensure consumers get what they generally pay extra for, the USDA next month will enforce closer oversight over organic farms. But for some small family farms, the cost and time that go into securing the “organic” label is coming into question.

The organic farming industry is booming. Since the U.S. Department of Agriculture launched its federal organic certification program in 2002, the number of organic farms has more than doubled. U.S. organic food sales have also grown from $1 billion in 1990 to $31.5 billion in 2011, according to the Organic Trade Association.

Read the rest of this article about organic certification, a Central MO grocery store, a MO certified organic vegetable/CSA operation and a previously MO certified organic cattle/hog operation.