Wisconsin ranks second in the United States for total number of organic farms, behind only California. Wisconsin has about 1,180 organic farms, representing about 8 percent of all the organic farms in the country, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 2012 Census of Agriculture.

There were about 1,250 certified organic farms in the state in 2013, up 77 percent since 2005. That’s 2013 data obtained from USDA’s National Organic Program, which also showed 233 certified organic handlers, i.e. businesses and processors.

The figures are from a report on organic agriculture in Wisconsin, released by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems and the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.

According to “Organic Agriculture in Wisconsin: 2015 Status Report,” organic grain production isn’t keeping pace with the growing demand for organic livestock feed and value-added food products. In Wisconsin, there is high demand for organic livestock feed because the state leads the country in organic dairy and beef production. Nearly three out of four organic farms in the state market livestock and poultry, compared to about half of organic farms nationwide.

Wisconsin continues to rank first in the nation in number of both organic dairy and organic beef farms, with 466 and 69 respectively in 2012 Ag Census data. The new report from the UW and state ag department says the number of organic beef farms in the state has dropped 36 percent since 2008, reflecting both the cost of finishing beef on expensive organic grain and the good prices for conventional beef.

While Wisconsin tops the nation for organic dairy and beef, grain production is a bottleneck even though Wisconsin ranks second with 198 organic-grain farms. It’s closely sandwiched between first-ranked Iowa, with 206 organic-grain farms, and third-ranked Minnesota with 192.

“Although organic-grain premiums are strong, significant barriers prevent the transition of farmers and acreage to fill the need for more organic grain,” said Erin Silva, a UW-Madison plant pathologist and one of five authors of the new report. “The three-year-long transition from conventional to organic production, when farmers pay the extra costs of organic management without receiving premium prices, is one example of a barrier that might deter a grain farmer from switching to organic production.”