On Tuesday last week, Ben and I finished Rock Spring Farm's organic certification application for 2012. Organic certification is the process whereby a state or private certification agency verifies compliance with the USDA’s organic standards, which provide for an organic production system that responds to site-specific conditions by integrating cultural, biological, and mechanical practices that foster cycling of resources, promote ecological balance, and conserve biodiversity. Producers must document inputs, field and production activities, harvests, and sales to verify compliance with the standards.
For several years now, we have listened to other growers say things like, “We follow the organic standards but choose not to certify,” or, “Organic certification requires too much paperwork for a small farm,” while they continue to advertise their products as organic. We have chosen to stick to our guns and apply for certification every year, because we believe in the power of having somebody looking over your shoulder – just like having a coach to make certain you are following the details of a training plan (and not sneaking donuts on the side!), or a referee in a ball game to parse out the rules of just when a runner is safe at second. Although we may think that an input is allowed (or should be allowed), certification reminds us to double check our judgment with that of the larger organic community before making a decision.
To qualify for organic certification, prohibited materials—including chemical fertilizers and pesticides, as well as genetically-modified organisms such as those found in seeds and many biological controls—must not have been applied to organic crops or the soil in which the crops are grown for a minimum of 36 months prior to harvest. Certified organic farmers have to follow strict standards for applying manure or manure products, such as compost: unless the compost is fully mature, organic farmers have to apply the compost at least 90 days before harvesting a crop for human consumption, and 120 days if the edible portion of the crop touches the ground.
In addition, certified organic farmers have to use certified organic seed whenever it is available, and always have to use certified organic transplants. Inputs for organic production have to meet certain standards as well, such as not being produced from genetically modified organisms (as many bacterial seed inoculants and biological insecticides and fungicides are). Some of the insect and disease controls, as well as mineral fertilizers, are regulated regarding under what circumstances and how often they can be applied, guaranteeing that least-toxic approaches are used first; for example, if we use a copper-based fungus control, we have to demonstrate that we have used other methods of disease control first, such as proper spacing for air circulation and selection of resistant varieties—and, we have to document our usage to show that we don’t use copper repeatedly in the same field, so that we don’t have a toxic buildup.
Certified organic farmers are also required by law to work to enhance biodiversity, conserve soil and water, and not deplete natural resources. To qualify for organic certification, a farmer must demonstrate the maintenance or improvement not only of their soil, but of their surrounding environment, as well.
Each year, certified organic farmers develop an Organic Farm Plan that lays out how they plan to comply with the organic rules. Then, they complete an application for organic certification, and submit their farm to an inspection by an independent, third-party inspector. These inspectors are trained not only to verify the information in the organic farm plan, but also to look for signs that the plan is actually being implemented. An inspector might look for cover crop residues in the soil, examine crops for signs of residual herbicide damage, and check that farmers actually have labels from the bags of seed they claim to have used.
Because real organic farming is much more about what you actually do, rather than what you don’t do, the certification process requires a farmer to go through the process, every year, of thinking their way through their organic farm plan and how they will actively enhance biodiversity, conserve natural resources, and produce healthy, clean food, rather than simply avoiding certain products and practices. In our busy schedule, it is always a challenge to find time to do this, but it is always a worthwhile exercise.
For several years now, we have listened to other growers say things like, “We follow the organic standards but choose not to certify,” or, “Organic certification requires too much paperwork for a small farm,” while they continue to advertise their products as organic. We have chosen to stick to our guns and apply for certification every year, because we believe in the power of having somebody looking over your shoulder – just like having a coach to make certain you are following the details of a training plan (and not sneaking donuts on the side!), or a referee in a ball game to parse out the rules of just when a runner is safe at second. Although we may think that an input is allowed (or should be allowed), certification reminds us to double check our judgment with that of the larger organic community before making a decision.
To qualify for organic certification, prohibited materials—including chemical fertilizers and pesticides, as well as genetically-modified organisms such as those found in seeds and many biological controls—must not have been applied to organic crops or the soil in which the crops are grown for a minimum of 36 months prior to harvest. Certified organic farmers have to follow strict standards for applying manure or manure products, such as compost: unless the compost is fully mature, organic farmers have to apply the compost at least 90 days before harvesting a crop for human consumption, and 120 days if the edible portion of the crop touches the ground.
In addition, certified organic farmers have to use certified organic seed whenever it is available, and always have to use certified organic transplants. Inputs for organic production have to meet certain standards as well, such as not being produced from genetically modified organisms (as many bacterial seed inoculants and biological insecticides and fungicides are). Some of the insect and disease controls, as well as mineral fertilizers, are regulated regarding under what circumstances and how often they can be applied, guaranteeing that least-toxic approaches are used first; for example, if we use a copper-based fungus control, we have to demonstrate that we have used other methods of disease control first, such as proper spacing for air circulation and selection of resistant varieties—and, we have to document our usage to show that we don’t use copper repeatedly in the same field, so that we don’t have a toxic buildup.
Certified organic farmers are also required by law to work to enhance biodiversity, conserve soil and water, and not deplete natural resources. To qualify for organic certification, a farmer must demonstrate the maintenance or improvement not only of their soil, but of their surrounding environment, as well.
Each year, certified organic farmers develop an Organic Farm Plan that lays out how they plan to comply with the organic rules. Then, they complete an application for organic certification, and submit their farm to an inspection by an independent, third-party inspector. These inspectors are trained not only to verify the information in the organic farm plan, but also to look for signs that the plan is actually being implemented. An inspector might look for cover crop residues in the soil, examine crops for signs of residual herbicide damage, and check that farmers actually have labels from the bags of seed they claim to have used.
Because real organic farming is much more about what you actually do, rather than what you don’t do, the certification process requires a farmer to go through the process, every year, of thinking their way through their organic farm plan and how they will actively enhance biodiversity, conserve natural resources, and produce healthy, clean food, rather than simply avoiding certain products and practices. In our busy schedule, it is always a challenge to find time to do this, but it is always a worthwhile exercise.
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