Sales from organic U.S. farms reached $5.5 billion last year, which represent a 72% increase from 2008. The USDA data, compiled through farmer surveys, showed that milk was the top organic commodity in 2014 with sales of about $1.1 billion. Sales of organic eggs, which are laid by hens raised without cages, totaled $420 million.

Demand for organic foods, from fruits and vegetables to meat and grains, has risen steadily in the past decade as shoppers have become more concerned about genetically modified products, as well as chemicals used in the food chain. Sales at natural and organic retailers rose 9 percent in the past year, compared with a 1.3 percent gain at supermarket chains and other conventional retailers, according to data from Spins, a market research firm that tracks data from store scanners.

Nevertheless sales are geographically concentrated, with 10 states accounting for 78% of business in 2014, according to the USDA. California alone represented 41% of sales, according to the USDA. Nationwide, the total number of organic farms dropped by 3% to 14.093 last year from 14.540 in 2008, according to the USDA. On the other side, the number of larger farms that are certified as organic rose 15% from 2008 to 12.634.

Differences in survey methods from 2008 to 2014 may have affected the count of smaller farms, said Troy Joshua, chief of the environmental economics and demographics branch of the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service. Also, some smaller farms have expanded into bigger, certified operations.

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Tags:   organic farm ,  USDA