Does Proximity Determine Organic Certification Among Farmers Using Organic Practices?

Organically produced products are one of the fastest growing segments of food sales in the U.S. The extent to which proximity to consumer markets influences certification among producers that farm using organic practices was estimated in this study. Data from a 2012 survey of 16 states with 36.15% response rate was used. A logit model was analyzed. Distance to markets was found to be positively associated with the decision to certify. Our results provide important information about what motivates farmers who are using organic production practices to become certified.