In the growing field of organic farming, New York state ranks third in the country in number of certified farms, according to a new report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

New York had 597 certified organic farms in 2011, behind California with 1,898, and Wisconsin with 870, the USDA’s New York field office said in a news release today.

New York’s certified organic farms sold a total of $107 million in organically produced commodities, including $38.5 million in crop sales and $68.3 million in sales of livestock, poultry, and associated products, the USDA said. Average sales totaled $186,668 per organic farm in the state.

Milk was the major driver of the Empire State’s organic farm sales, accounting for 56 percent, or $60.2 million, of total organic sales.

Organic crop sales included more than $22.1 million from field crops, $14.5 million from vegetables, and $1.36 million from fruit and berries, according to the USDA.

The USDA’s 2011 Organic Production Survey counted 9,140 certified organic farms and ranches in the U.S., comprising 3.6 million acres of land. Total certified organic product sales totaled $3.5 billion, up by $340 million from 2008. The average organic farm produced sales of $414,725 in 2011, nearly double sales of $217,675 in 2008.

Contact Rombel at arombel@cnybj.com