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USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service implemented a National
Organic Program in 2002 as a way to support organic
farmers and processors and provide consumer assurance.
USDA harmonized the differing standards among dozens of
State and private certification organizations that had
emerged by the late 1990s, and continues to update rules
on organic production and processing.
- USDA requires organic farmers and food handlers to
meet a uniform organic standard and makes certification
mandatory for operations with organic sales over $5,000.
About 50 State
and private certification programs in the U.S.,
and over 40 foreign programs, have been accredited by
USDA.
- The 2008 Farm Act includes a new provision—the
Organic Transition Support provision—which makes
conservation practices related to organic production
and transition eligible for Environmental
Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) payments, subject
to a $20,000 annual limit and an $80,000 cap over a
6-year period.
Steps for Organic Certification
The steps to become a certified organic farming or handling
operation include picking an organic certifier, following
national organic standards, keeping records of practices
and materials used, and having an annual inspection. A
3-year transition period is required for land used in
organic production unless records prove that no prohibited
substances were used in or near the production area during
the previous 3 years.
An applicant must submit specific information to an accredited
certifying agent.
Information must include:
- The type of operation to be certified;
- A history of substances applied to land for the previous
3 years;
- The organic products being grown, raised, or processed;
- The organic system plan (OSP) – a plan describing
practices and substances used in production. The OSP
also must describe monitoring practices to be performed
to verify that the plan is effectively implemented,
a record-keeping system, and practices to prevent commingling
of organic and nonorganic products and to prevent contact
of products with prohibited substances.
USDA's National
Organic Program—Provides the complete regulatory
text of the national organic standards and the contact
information for USDA-accredited certifiers and State
organic contacts.
Certification Provides Consumer Assurance
"Certified organic" means that agricultural products
have been grown and processed according to USDA's national
organic standards and certified by USDA-accredited State
and private certification organizations. Certifying agents
review applications from farmers and processors for certification
eligibility, and qualified inspectors conduct annual onsite
inspections of organic operations. Inspectors talk with
operators and observe their production and processing
practices to determine if they are in compliance with
organic standards that, for example, virtually prohibit
synthetic pesticide use in crop production and require
outdoor access for animals in livestock production.
Technical Assistance Expanding
Congress has increased Federal research funding on organic
farming in recent years, and U.S. universities and Federal
agricultural experiment stations have broadened their
organic research and education projects. For example,
according to the Organic Farming Research Foundation,
18 States had land-grant institutions with research acres
under certified organic management in 2003, up from 6
States in 2001 (see State
of the States
for a listing of projects in each State). Organic farming
systems trials—in experiment stations and onfarm
settings—seek to answer basic research questions
about yields, profitability, and environmental impacts,
as well as to address farmer-defined management and production
obstacles to adoption of organic production systems.
National and Regional Links for Information
Cooperative Extension System’s eOrganic, a collaboration
of Land Grant Research and Extension, NGO, and government
partners—offers articles on organic
production and marketing, including an introduction
to the
organic certification process and a discussion of
organic
inputs—and links to local Extension offices.
ATTRA (National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service)—Publishes
online technical bulletins on the steps for organic
certification, organic
production and marketing methods, and State-level
organic enterprise budgets.
USDA's
Alternative Farming Systems Information Center (AFSIC)—Offers
resource lists, directories, bibliographies, databases,
and research tutorials on organic production, marketing,
and foods, including a directory
of marketing resources, and bibliographies on organic
livestock production and the evolution
of organic and sustainable agriculture.
USDA's Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education
(SARE) program—Offers an online bulletin on the organic
transition process and other reports on ecological
production methods.
USDA's Market News Service (AMS)—Provides price
reports on organic
poultry and eggs at the national level and organic
grains in the Upper
Midwest and Eastern
Corn Belt (use the main AMS page to access
the latest biweekly reports). Some organic
fruits and vegetables in terminal market and shipping
point price reports are also available. AMS also publishes
monthly estimates of total U.S. sales of fluid
milk products, including whole and reduced-fat organic
milk.
Rodale Institute—Publishes an online news bulletin,
The New Farm,
with organic farming perspectives and research updates,
as well as a comparison of organic
certifiers. Consolidates current USDA and other organic
price information.
See related
readings on organic agriculture.
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