In Past 2 Years, Half of Imported Organic Soybean to US come From China

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Mark Peters, A Gap in Organic Food Chain; Feed needed by meat and dairy producers falls short; Foreign suppliers required. Wall Street Journal, July 15, 2013.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB ... 94171667940126.html

Quote:

"The U.S. is the world's largest producer and exporter of corn and soybeans, but organic supplies, which are used largely as animal feed for production of organic meat and dairy, are hard to come by here [in US].

"US sales of organic food, meanwhile, grew over the past five years by 35%—nearly three times the pace of the food industry as a whole—to $29 billion, according to the Organic Trade Association.

Note:
(a) row crop (n): "a crop (as corn or cotton) that is usu. planted in rows"
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/row%20crop
(b) The summary of the report is: US farmers are not willing to grow organic soy bean or corn to feed animals that will be labeled as organic. As a result, imports of both grow. But some users of organic feed do not want to use imports from China.
(c) View the graphic, showing import of soybeans over the years: China's share has leapt since the beginning of 2012.
(d) The reasons users in US do not want to take up organic soybean or corn grown in China:

Quote from the WSJ report:

"Amy's Kitchen Inc. of Petaluma, Calif., won't buy imports from China even as it struggles to find enough organic soy and corn for prepared foods [for humans] such as enchiladas and Asian stir fry.

"Bell & Evans, one the nation's largest organic poultry producers, has shunned imported feed, particularly from China. Owner Scott Sechler said the decision means the Fredericksburg, Pa, company pays more, but he doesn't want to damage the trust of consumers who are willing to pay twice as much for his products. 'We don't want to touch imported stuff. It would take away from our credibility,' Mr Sechler said.

"Concerns over food safety are particularly strong when it comes to China, which has faced a string of food-related scandals. The US Department of Agriculture, which requires organic growers abroad—as in the US—to go through a certification process, found organic certifiers in China to be competent in a 2010 report. But the agency warned of challenges to oversight as the industry grows, from the varied education levels of farmers to the sheer size of China.
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