CASCADE, Iowa (AP) – The number of organic farms in Iowa is growing rapidly, but they still constitute only a small percentage of farms in the state. Data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture show that Iowa has seen a 42 percent increase in organic farms from 2008 to 2015. The state had more than 670 organic farms in 2015, which was less than 1 percent of the farms in the state.

Iowa Organic Association Managing Director Kate Mendenhall tells the Telegraph Herald that a growing demand for organic products is driving the increase in organic farms. Kim and Marvin Lynch had their Cascade dairy farm certified as organic in 2009. The couple had to stop using fertilizers, insecticides and synthetic herbicides for three years before becoming certified.