Over the past decade consumers have become increasingly aware of the connection between diet, health and the environment and as a result are demanding transparency in the foods and beverages they put into their bodies.
The market for organic food and beverages continues to grow, achieving sales of over $43 billion (in 2016) in the US alone. Having an organic certification can be a significant marketing asset setting you apart from your competitors, however, the road to certification can be a time consuming and costly process.
The National Organic Program regulates all organic crops, livestock, and agricultural products certified under the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) organic standards. The USDA handles oversight of organic certification, compliance and enforcement activities, and product labeling.
Guidelines
In order to be eligible for organic certification, farms must be in compliance with the following guidelines based on the USDA organic regulations.
Land Requirements
Any field or farm parcel, from which harvested crops are intended to be sold as organic, must have had no prohibited substances applied to it for a period of three years immediately preceding the harvest of the crop.
Land that is certified as organic must have distinct, defined boundaries and buffer zones to prevent the unintended application of a prohibited substance to the crop or contact with a prohibited substance applied to adjoining land that is not under organic management.
Greenhouse management must comply with all aspects of previously stated soil management (with the exception of crop rotations for tabletop production). Certified organic growers who make their own potting soil mix must use approved materials. Purchased commercial potting mixes must be approved and not contain synthetic fertilizers, wetting agents or other prohibited substances.
Lumber treated with arsenate or other prohibited material is prohibited to contact the soil when used for new installations or replacement purposes.
Soil fertility and crop nutrient management practice
A producer must select and implement tillage and cultivation practices that maintain or improve the physical, chemical, and biological condition of the soil and minimize soil erosion. Required crop nutrient and soil fertility management practices:
- Crop rotations (perennials as an exception)
- Cover crops
- Application of plant and animal materials
Plant and animal materials and crop nutrients and soil amendments must be managed to improve soil organic matter content. Producers may not apply plant and animal materials and/or crop nutrients and soil amendments in a way that contributes to the contamination of crops, soil, or water by plant nutrients, pathogenic organisms, heavy metals, or residues of prohibited substances.
Accepted plant and animal materials:
- Raw animal manure applied to land (See below for restrictions. Note, there are no time restrictions for crops not intended for human consumption)
- Composted plant and animal materials, with production documentation that shows a C:N ratio and temperature records that meet the organic standards
- Uncomposted plant materials
Accepted crop nutrient and soil amendments:
- Nutrients or soil amendments included on the National List of synthetic substances allowed for use in organic crop production
- A mined substance of low solubility
- A mined substance of high solubility; the application of the substance must be in accordance with those established on the National List of nonsynthetic materials prohibited for crop production
- Ash obtained from burning of a plant or animal material
- A plant or animal material that has been chemically altered by the manufacturing process
- Burning used to suppress the spread of disease or to stimulate seed germination
Prohibited
- Application of raw manure less than 120 days prior to harvest of a product whose edible portion has direct contact with soil surface or soil particles or 90 days prior to harvest of product whose edible portion does not have direct contact with soil surface or soil particles
- Any fertilizer, crop nutrient, soil amendments or composted plant and animal material that contains a synthetic substance that is not included on the National List of synthetic substances allowed for use in organic crop production
- Sewage sludge (bio solids)
- Burning as a means of disposal for crop residues produced on farm
Crop Rotation
To maintain soil fertility and crop nutrient management, producers must implement a crop rotation including but not limited to sod, cover crops, green manure crops and catch crop that provide the following functions as applicable to your operation:
- Maintaining or improving soil organic matter content
- Providing pest management in annual and perennial crops
- Managing deficient or excess plant nutrients
- Providing erosion control
Seeds and planting stock
Producers of organic crops are required to source certified organic seed, annual seedlings and planting stock. If organic seeds are not commercially available, non-organic untreated seeds may be used. Commercial availability means that the seed is available in the appropriate variety (growing habits, days to maturity, insect and disease resistance, etc.), quality (cleanliness, germination, etc.), form (size, grade, hot water treated etc.) or quantity the producer needs.
Accepted
- Non-organically produced, untreated seeds and planting stock may be used to produce an organic crop when an equivalent organic produced variety is not commercially available.
- Seeds and planting stock treated with a substance included on the National list of synthetic substances allowed for use in organic crop production.
- Non-organically produced planting stock used to produce a perennial crop may be sold, labeled, or represented as organically produced only after the planting stock has been maintained under a system of organic management for a period of no less than 1 year.
Prohibited
- Non-organically produced, untreated seeds and planting stock used to produce an organic crop when an equivalent organic produced variety is readily commercially available.
- Seeds and planting stock treated with a substance NOT included on the National list of synthetic substance allowed for use in organic crop production.
- Nonorganic seed used for edible sprout production.
Crop pest, weed, and disease management practice
Producers must implement management practices to prevent crop pests, weeds, and diseases that include but are not limited to the following:
Accepted pest controls
- Crop rotation and soil and crop nutrient management practices as outlined above.
- Sanitation measures to remove disease vectors, weeds seeds and pest organisms.
- Cultural practices to enhance crop health such as plant species and variety selection with regard to suitability for site-specific conditions and resistance to pests, weeds, and disease.
- Mechanical and physical methods for controlling pest problems, such as:
- Biological controls (natural predators and parasites, habitat to promote biodiversity)
- Nonsynthetic controls such as lures, traps, fencing and repellants
Accepted weed control
- Mulching with fully biodegradable materials
- Mowing
- Livestock grazing
- Hand weeding or mechanical cultivation
- Flame, heat, or electrical means
- Plastic or synthetic mulches if removed from the field at the end of the growing/harvest season
Accepted disease controls
- Management practices which suppress the spread of disease organisms. Examples include plant spacing, choosing resistant varieties, and crop rotations. In greenhouses, this can also include the proper control of environmental factors such as ventilation, humidity and temperature.
- Application of nonsynthetic biological, botanical, or mineral inputs
When the above pest, weed and disease preventative management practices are not sufficient, the following practices are accepted:
- Application of a biological or botanical substance
- Application of a substance included on the National List of synthetic substances allowed for use in organic crop production
Prohibited controls
- Synthetic mulches or remnants left to photo-degrade in the field
- Synthetic herbicides, pesticides or fungicides with the exception of those included on the National List of synthetic substances allowed for use in organic crop production
- Newspaper with color inks
- Biodegradable plastic mulch films not compliant with the NOP guidance
- Nonsynthetic substances included on the National List of nonsynthetic substances prohibited for use in organic crop production
Post-Harvest Handling
Proper sanitation is required at all levels of handling, transport and storage. The use of disinfectants (chlorine materials, hydrogen peroxide) applied to storage containers and handling equipment must be consistent with the National List.
Water used in direct post-harvest crop or food contact is permitted to contain chlorine materials at levels approved by the Food and Drug Administration or the Environmental Protection Agency for such purpose. However, rinsing with potable water that does not exceed the maximum residual disinfectant limit for the chlorine material under the Safe Drinking Water Act (4ppm) must immediately follow this permitted use. Certified operators should monitor the chlorine level of the final rinse water, the point at which the water last contacts the organic product. The level of chlorine in the final rinse water must meet limits as set forth by the Safe Drinking Water Act (4ppm).
Producers must implement measures to prevent the commingling of organic and nonorganic products. Producers must also protect organic products from contact with prohibited substances.
Split Operations – Operations that choose to produce organic and non-organic livestock products or to hire services from custom operators that may service non-organic and organic clients, must implement measures necessary to prevent the commingling of organic and non-organic crop products.
Accepted Practices
- Mechanical or biological methods including but not limited to cooking, baking, heating, drying, preserving, dehydrating, freezing, and chilling crop products.
- Non-synthetic materials, such as rock powders, diatomaceous earth, and herbal preparations to repel storage pests, must be consistent with the National List of non-synthetic substances prohibited for use in organic crop production.
- The use of synthetic materials, such as floating agents, must be consistent with the National List of synthetic substances allowed for use in organic crop production.
Prohibited Practices
- Re-use of bags or containers that have been used in contact with a substance in such a manner as to compromise the organic integrity of any organically produced product placed into the container (such as conventional citrus or soft fruit that are likely to have been treated). Re-used bags or boxes must be thoroughly cleaned and pose no risk of contact between the organic product and any prohibited substance.
- Use of forage or crop preservatives that contain prohibited synthetic ingredients.
- Use of sprayers and other equipment (custom harvesters, truckers, etc.) previously used with prohibited substances and/or conventional crops in organic production without a thorough and documented cleaning protocol. Verify your cleaning protocol with your certifier.
- Use of packaging materials and storage containers or bins that contain a synthetic fungicide, preservative or fumigant
Record Keeping
Records must be kept on an ongoing basis. Records must be “readily auditable” (accessible, organized, complete) and must be maintained for five years. In general, your record keeping system must allow a third party to trace your management from birth/purchase to death/sales.
Records that must be kept include:
- Three year history verification for new crop fields
- Field production logs that include crops planted, dates and rates of manure, compost, fertilizer or other input applications
- Greenhouse records
- Spray records
- Harvest yields for each crop
- Sales records
- Current farm maps
- Purchase records for all inputs (ex. amendments, pest controls)
- Receipts for all purchased seeds (If untreated non-organic seed is purchased, documentation must be available that organic versions were commercially unavailable)
- Production, harvest and/or sales records for buffer crops, transitional or conventional crops
Please talk to an approved certifier for more details on the above regulations or if you have questions about applying the accepted practices.
Once you have decided to become organically certified the actual certification is a five step process (per the USDA website):
STEP 1: Develop an organic system plan detailing how you will comply with the organic regulations described above. Your plan should addressing all practices of your farming or food handling systems, such as tilling, grazing, harvesting, storing and transporting product. They also specify approved substances used during the growing or handling process, monitoring practices for organic systems, recordkeeping systems, and barriers that prevent commingling with nonorganic products or contact with prohibited substances.
The NRCS can help organic producers improve their operations or help producers transition to organic: EQIP Organic Initiative
STEP 2: Implement your organic system plan. Have it reviewed by a certifying agent. Organic operations are certified by private, foreign or State entities that have been accredited by USDA. These entities are called certifying agents and are located throughout the United States and around the world. A list of accredited certifying agents can be found using the USDA Organic INTEGRITY Database located at: https://organic.ams.usda.gov/integrity/Certifiers/CertifiersLocationsSearchPage.aspx
STEP 3: Receive inspection. Every operation that applies for organic certification is first inspected on site by a certifying agent. These comprehensive top-to-bottom inspections differ in scope depending on the farm or facility. For example, for crops they include inspection of fields, soil conditions, crop health, approaches to management of weeds and other crop pests, water systems, storage areas and equipment. For livestock, they include inspection of feed production and purchase records, feed rations, animal living conditions, preventative health management practices (e.g., vaccinations), health records, and the number and condition of animals present on the farm. At a handling or processing facility, an inspector evaluates the receiving, processing, and storage areas used for organic ingredients and finished products.
STEP 4: Have a certifying agent review the inspection report. The inspector presents findings to the certifying agent following observation of practices on the farm or facility as they compare to the organic system plan. In addition to the inspection points mentioned above, the inspector also presents an assessment of the risk of contamination from prohibited materials and might even take soil, tissue or product samples as needed. The inspector also analyzes potential hazards and critical control points and makes sure procedures to prevent contamination are adequate. From there all findings are presented the certifying agent for review.
STEP 5: Receive a decision from the certifier. If an operation complies with the rules, the certifying agent issues an organic certificate listing products that can be sold as organic from that operation. The organic farm or facility continues to update its plan as it modifies its practices, and an inspection is done at least once a year to maintain certification.
Resources
Should you decide to pursue any of the certifications discussed in this section there are a number of online resources you can turn to:
CTAHR Organic Program: http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/organic/
U.S. Department of Agriculture: https://www.usda.gov/topics/organic
USDA Agricultural Marketing Service National Organic Program: https://www.ams.usda.gov/about-ams/programs-offices/national-organic-program
The USDA Organic Integrity Database lists certifiers that serve Hawaiʻi: https://organic.ams.usda.gov/Integrity/Certifiers/CertifiersLocationsSearchPage.aspx