Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Organic certification
Products labeled as organic must not include any hormones or synthetic chemicals, including
fertilizers, pesticides, or medicines such as antibiotics. To use this label, you must follow the
rules of the National Organic Program and be certified by an accredited agency. There is a
complete list of certifiers on the NOP website (
www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/NOP
)
.
To become certified, you must submit information to a certifying agent including a list of sub-
stances applied to your land over the previous three years, the ways you plan to use the land
you want certified, and an official organic plan. An
organic plan
lays out how you will run
the organic farm, including what types of feed and fertilizers will be used and where these
substances will come from. The plan must include details on the recordkeeping system you
plan to use. You must hang on to records about production, harvesting, and handling your or-
ganic products.
When you apply for organic certification, an inspector will visit your farm, observe how you
do things, and write a report about this inspection. The certifying agency will review your ap-
plication and the report and determine if you should be certified. If you are certified, you will
be inspected once a year and will have to provide updated information about your organic
management practices, such as the substances you have applied to your field. Your certifying
agent is authorized to conduct unannounced inspections.
Farmers who sell less than $5,000 worth of products per year are not required to obtain certi-
fication, but they must keep records of their production practices just in case.
Other certifications
You can use other agencies for your products whose certification may make them more ap-
pealing to customers.
• American Humane Certified (
www.americanhumane.org
) is an independent verifier of
humane treatment of farm animals.
• Certified Naturally Grown (
www.naturallygrown.org
)
is an organization that adheres to
principles similar to those of the National Organic Program but seeks to reduce much
of the government paperwork and production costs that discourage many small farmers
from seeking certification.
