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Why Certify?

What is Organic?

A Production System...

managed to respond to site-specific conditions

integrating cultural, biological, and mechanical practices to foster cycling of resources

promote ecological balance

and conserve biodiversity

What Fertility or Pest Control Input Can I Use?

§205.204 Seeds and Planting stock

§205.205 Crop Rotation

§205.602 Nonsynthetic substances prohibited for use in organic crop production

§205.601 Synthetic substances allowed for use in organic crop production

Record Keeping

History of Organic Certification in the USA

Pest Management

  • Planning turns to records
  • Revise seed order plans to actual orders
  • Record plantings on planning sheets
  • Keep good business records
  • Receipts from seed and fertilizer companies
  • Sales records: invoices and CSA lists

Disease Management

§205.203 Soil Fertility and Nutrient Management

Must be organic...

Organic in the 1980s

Farmers

Consumers

Retailers

There was uniform definition of organic. Thus, individual states passed laws regarding organic food.

In Florida, this was the "Florida Organic Farming and Food Law" passed in 1989.

Consumers want food grown without synthetic chemicals. They want "organic food" but it's not clear as to what "organic food" really is.

Retailers were demanding organic certification from 3rd party certification agencies.

However, each certification body had it's own organic standards which differed from others making it difficult for retailers, processors, and handlers of organic products to market their products.

Crop Management

Soil and Crop Fertility Management

Organic Standards

A uniform definition was thus developed. And the 1990s began the journey to national organic certification.

§205.103 Record keeping

Weed Management

§205.201

Organic System Plan

§205.202 Land requirements

NOP Publishes Final Rule

Where we are today

Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA)

Record Keeping

The hardest and best aspect of certification

  • Seed order records
  • Planning changed to record of season
  • Daily diary of what’s done
  • Land preparation and pest/weed control
  • Planting and fertilization
  • Harvest: where and how much

NOP publishes Final Rule in Federal Register in 2000, establishing national organic standards. Rule is effective 60 days after publication and is fully implemented 18 months after effective date.

The Organic Food Production Act of 1990 required that the USDA develop national standards for organic products.

As of the end of 2012, 17,750 organic farms and processing facilities in the United States were certified to the USDA organic regulations, fueling a $31.4 billion U.S. organic industry!

That’s approximately a 240 percent increase since NOP’s tracking began in 2002.

Worldwide, there are now over 28,000 certified organic operators across 133 countries.

No new installations of treated lumber

§205.206 Crop Pest, Weed, and Disease

1992

2002

"A planned pattern or sequence in successive crop years so that crops of the same species or family are not grown repeatedly without interruption in the same field”

Fully disclose all activities and transactions of the certified operation in sufficient detail to be readily understood and audited.

2014

2000

1990

NOP Organic Regulations

National Organic Program

  • Start with healthy crops
  • Keep a clean greenhouse
  • Rotations break up disease cycles
  • Good drainage and air flow
  • Proper fertility management
  • Keep up with developments in control

Compost and manure use

‘Compost’ refers to specific process

Non-manure sources OK without composting

  • Natural resources
  • Conservation practice
  • Water quality and sources

In 1992, USDA establishes the National Organic Program and appoints National Organic Standards Board

USDA organic regulations “go live” (are fully implemented) on October 21, 2002.

Sewage sludge is prohibited!

  • Tillage and cultivation practices that maintain or improve structure of soil, organic matter, and minimize erosion

  • Crop rotations, cover crops, and application of plant and animal materials.

  • Does not contaminate crops, soil, or water by plant nutrients, pathogenic organisms, heavy metals, or residues of prohibited substances.

Description of:

  • Management practices and procedures
  • Record keeping system
  • List of inputs in use

QCS Application = OSP

  • Managed organically per regulations.

  • Have had no prohibited substances applied to it for a period of 3 years.

  • Have distinct, defined boundaries and buffer zones to prevent unintended application of prohibited substances.

  • Non-organic untreated seeds and planting stock may be used when an equivalent variety is not commercially available.

  • Organic seed must be used to produce edible sprouts.

  • Annual seedlings must be organic- unless a temporary variance is granted.

  • Non-organic perennial planting stock may be planted but must be managed organically for one year before it can be represented, labeled, and sold as organic.

Managed by everything else

  • Rotations, cover crops, diversity, attracting beneficials

Limited use of OMRI approved products

  • Bt for cabbage worms
  • Insecticidal Soap for aphids

Hand picking and trap cropping

Animal Manure Usage

e.g. purchase invoices, field activity records, input application, spray records, planting records, harvest, and sales records.

What are the problem weeds?

  • Cultivation
  • Mulching
  • Plastic mulch must be removed at season's end
  • Natural materials decompose to improve soil
  • Flame weeding
  • Rotations and crop timing

Composting

A managed process…

How do you confront challenges?

  • Weed Management
  • Pest Management
  • Disease Management

Evaluation of all areas

  • Soil contact: 120 days before harvest

  • No direct soil contact: 90 days before harvest

  • Uncomposted plant materials lack these requirements

Composting Tips

that combines plant and animal materials with an initial C:N ratio between 25:1 and 40:1

  • Static pile: between 131F and 170F for 3 days

  • Windrow: 131F and 170F for 15 days, turned at least 5 times

  • Vegetable based ‘mulch’ doesn’t need composting

  • Use a regular formula of ingredients

  • Keep records and take temperatures

Must implement a crop rotation plan!

Perennial cropping systems employ alley cropping, intercropping, and hedgerows…in lieu of crop rotation

Sod, cover crops, green manure crops, and catch crops that...

  • maintain or improve soil organic matter
  • provide for pest management in annual and perennial crops
  • manage deficient or excess nutrients
  • provide erosion control

Monitoring is most important!

Always contact your certifier to approve inputs!

How do I get certified?

Marketing Your Products...

Processing & Handling

Maintaining

Organic Integrity

Soil and Crop Fertility Management

Soil and Crop Fertility Management

Retail

100% Organic

Maintaining Organic Integrity

  • All ingredients and processing aids must be certified organic.
  • Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)
  • Farmer's Markets
  • U-Pick

Organic

  • Adjoining Land Use
  • Buffer zones of forest and grass strips
  • Neighbor’s policies of pesticide use
  • Conventional cross-over
  • Split operations can raise conventional crops
  • Prevent commingling of products and tools

Monitoring of fertility:

  • Soil testing
  • Observation of soil and plant

Fertility sources

  • Cover cropping
  • OMRI listed fertilizer
  • Decomposed mulch: brewery grains

  • Biological:

Cover crops, compost, animal products

  • Mechanical:

Ground rock: lime, phosphate, greensand, etc.

  • Cultural:

Rotations, legumes, contour plowing, etc.

  • Harvest and preparation

  • Containers used--new, source verified

  • Storage of crop including pest control

  • Transportation and marketing

  • Dedicated vehicle, or document cleaning

  • Containers
  • All agricultural ingredients must be certified organic.
  • Non-organic ingredients allowed per National List up to a combined total of 5% of non-organic content (excluding salt & water).

Non-retail

Made with Organic

  • Grocery Markets
  • Brokers/Distributors
  • Restaurants
  • At least 70 percent of the product must be certified organic ingredients (excluding salt & water).

§205.239 Living conditions

§205.240 Pasture Practice

§205.238 Livestock Health Care

Year round living conditions that support health and the natural behaviors of animals...

Year round access for all animals to

  • Shade and shelter
  • Outdoors
  • Exercise area
  • Direct sunlight
  • Clean water
  • Fresh air

Note animals may be temporarily denied access to the outdoors but reasons must be documented.

Suitable to stage of life and environment.

Pasture = crop

Minimize disease and parasites

Stocking density, size of pastures, type

(annual or perennial)

e.g. mob grazing and MIG grazing

Preventative health care practices such as

  • Breed suitability and disease/parasite resistance
  • Nutrition, sanitation, appropriate housing
  • Vaccines are allowed
  • Antibiotics are prohibited
  • Restrictions on use of parasiticides in dairy animals.
  • Not allowed for meat or poultry

§205.237 All feed must be grown on certified organic land or purchased certified organic.

  • Conventional dairy herd can be transitioned into organic after being managed for one year on certified organic pasture.

(Additions to herds must be from on-farm breeding or buying certified animals.)

  • Ruminants 30% of DMI must come from rooted pasture, 70% from certified hay, silage, or grain. Pasture grazing must be at least 120 days per year minimum (dependent on geographical location.)

§205.236 Origin of Livestock

Must be managed organically from last third period of gestation for meat production

Poultry must be managed from 2nd day of life.

What's the Cost?

*This data is from the OTA 2011 Survey Report

Covers 75% of Certification Costs up to $750!

Cost Share

Qualified Staff.....

Protecting Integrity

Ensuring Access

Promoting Organic

of the organic certification process

for the products we certify to the world market

agriculture, environmental care, and ethical trade

to assist our clients with their certification requirements

Resources

  • OMRI listings at www.omri.org
  • National Organic Program at www.ams.usda.gov/nop/
  • Appropriate Technology Transfer to Rural Areas www.attra.org
  • Quality Certification Services qcsinfo.org
  • Florida Organic Growers foginfo.org
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