Q&A

DEAR NEW FARM:

We are in the process of building hydroponic greenhouses for growing certified-organic produce. We would like to understand more about seasonality price and demand effects. Is there a way to see the historic [OPR] price indexes and not just the current month so we can see seasonality effects? Do you have any other recommendations for us in researching market demand?

Thanks very much,
Sarah Nayer
Texas

DEAR SARAH:

Thank you for your interest in the Organic Price Report (OPR) data. While we do indeed have archived historical price data, we are not at this time allowed by the USDA (our project funder) to make that data available to the public. We are hoping to receive guidelines from the Risk Management Agency (RMA) shortly on how we can make the data available, and we will make a public announcement on this matter once it has been resolved.

In the meantime, we'd encourage you to talk with the folks at the Texas Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (TOFGA) www.tofga.org about market demand in your area.

NF

Contact us with comments, suggestions and questions.