A Quick Overview of What It Means and What It Takes to be Organic Presented by George Kuepper Kerr...

A Quick Overview of What It Means and What It Takes to

be Organic

Organic Certification …

and Not

Presented by George KuepperKerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture

Who Must Be Certified?Any producer or

handler who markets more than $5000 of organic product annually MUST be certified

Producers selling less than $5000 of organic products annually are exempt from certification, though they may still opt to be certified.

Exempt producers may sell their organic produce as “organic” but have several restrictions.

Exempt Organic Growers must follow

the same Regulations as

Certified Organic Growers!!!!!!

What Does It Mean to Be Organic?…

Today?

Organic Practices Prohibited Substances

FertilizersPesticides Land Requirement

Food SafetyIntegrity

ContaminationCommingling

Seeds & Planting StockMarketing

What It Means to Be Organic:

Organic Practices Prohibited Substances

FertilizersPesticides Land Requirement

Food SafetyIntegrity

ContaminationCommingling

Seeds & Planting StockMarketing

What It Means to Be Organic:

There are Two Fundamental Strategies for Crop Nutrition:

• Feeding the Plant, Directly, with Soluble Nutrients—the Conventional Approach

• Feeding the Soil Food Web, and Allowing it To Feed The Plant—the Organic Approach

Diverse crop rotations including sod crops, cover crops, green manures, and inoculated legumes

Crop residue management

Application of livestock manures & composts

Liming and use of other natural rock minerals

Mulching with organic materials

Practices that Feed the Soil

Timed planting

Pest barriers and traps

Tillage, cultivation, and hand-weeding

Release of beneficial insects

Sanitation protocols

Grazing and mowing

Organic Cultural Practices

Botanicals (pyrethrum, garlic)

Minerals (coppers, sulfur, DE, baking soda)

Biologicals (B. bassiana, B. thuringiensis)

Soaps (insecticidal soap, herbicidal soap)

Oils (vegetable, narrow-range distilled dormant)

Allowed Pesticides

Organic PracticesProhibited

Substances FertilizersPesticidesLand Requirement

Food Safety Seeds & Planting

StockIntegrity

ContaminationCommingling

Marketing

What It Means to Be Organic:

3-Year Transition for Conventionally-Farmed Land

Rule of Thumb #1

If it is natural (nonsynthetic), assume that it is ALLOWED in organic crop production UNLESS it is specifically prohibited and placed on the National List under §205.602

All synthetic products (fertilizers, amendments, pesticides, growth regulators, etc.) are PROHIBITED, UNLESS specifically allowed and placed on the National List under §205.601

Rule of Thumb #2

Fertilizers & Soil Amendments: See p. 6

Pesticides: See p. 9

Organic PracticesProhibited

SubstancesFertilizersPesticidesLand Requirement

Food Safety Seeds & Planting

StockIntegrity

ContaminationCommingling

Marketing

What It Means to Be Organic:

Food Safety & Manure Management

• Livestock Manure Must either be composted*, applied according to the 90- and 120-day rules, or used on non-food crops.

• Biosolids (Sewage Sludge) is a prohibited substance.• Regulations regarding composting are specific for C/N ratios,

temperatures, turning, etc.

Organic PracticesProhibited

SubstancesFertilizersPesticidesLand Requirement

Food SafetySeeds & Planting

Stock Integrity

ContaminationCommingling

Marketing

What It Means to Be Organic:

Seed And Planting Stock

Organic seed and planting stock must be used

If not commercially available, untreated seed or planting stock may be used; no GMOs

Conventional seed treatments are prohibited, unless required by Federal or State regulations

Organic transplants must be used

Don’t Confuse Hybrids w/GMOs!Crop Hybrids result from

crossing plants using traditional breeding methods that mimic natural processes. Organic hybrids of many crops are found in seed catalogs.

Genetically Modified Organisms result from recombinant DNA and related technologies that change organisms by means not possible under natural conditions, e.g. inserting fish or animal genes into plants.

The 3-Source CustomAOSCA Organic Seed Finder*http://www.organicseedfinder.org/

* Association of Official Seed Certifying Agencies

Finding Organic Seed

Organic PracticesProhibited

SubstancesFertilizersPesticidesLand Requirement

Food SafetySeeds & Planting

StockIntegrity

ContaminationCommingling

Marketing

What It Means to Be Organic:

Ensuring Organic Integrity

Graphic from Four Winds Farm, River Falls, Wisconsin

An Ideal Field Buffer

Horizontal

Ver

tica

l10

Organic PracticesProhibited

SubstancesFertilizersPesticidesLand Requirement

Food SafetySeeds & Planting

StockIntegrity

ContaminationCommingling

Marketing

What It Means to Be Organic:

MarketingDo not sell anything as organic if it’s

not…

Do not say it’s certified if it’s not…

You may display the USDA Organic Seal only if you’re certified.

Small Scale Organics is a guide for exempt organic farms (<$5000 annual sales) and those in the marketplace that interact with these small growers, such as farmers market managers and produce buyers.

This 34-page guide includes details for assessing compliance with the National Organic Standard, templates for abbreviatedOrganic System Plans (OSPs), and simplified record forms.

Copies can be downloaded free-of-charge at:http://www.kerrcenter.com/publications/small-scale-organics.pdf

Print copies can be requested from:

The Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture

P.O. Box 588Poteau, OK 74953Tel: 918-647-9123

DO I NEED BE ORGANIC?

Steps to Certification

What Is Organic Certification?/How Do I Get Certified Organic? http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELDEV3004346

National Organic Program

National Organic Program 1400 Independence Ave., SW

Room 2646-South, STOP 0268 Washington, DC 20250

Tel: (202) 720-3252Fax: (202) 205-7808

www.ams.usda.gov/nop/

Resources for CertificationGuidebook for Organic Certificationhttp://mosesorganic.org/publications/guidebook-for-certification/

How to Choose An Organic Certification Agency & the Organic Certification Processhttp://mosesorganic.org/wp-content/uploads/Publications/Fact_Sheets/07CertificationAgencyprocess.pdf

MOSESPO Box 339

Spring Valley, WI 54767 715-778-5775

info@mosesorganic.orgwww.mosesorganic.org

ResourcesAvailable on the ATTRA Web site* www.attra.ncat.org

Guide for Organic Crop Producers

https://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/summaries/summary.php?pub=67

* Note that many ATTRA publications are no longer free-of-charge. There is a small charge for some PDF downloads and for print publications.

ResourcesAvailable on the ATTRA Web site* www.attra.ncat.org

• Organic Farm Certification and the NOP• The Organic Certification Process• Organic Materials Compliance• Documentation Forms• Preparing for an Organic Inspection

* Note that many ATTRA publications are no longer free-of-charge. There is a small charge for some PDF downloads and for print publications.

Thanksfor your

attention!

George KuepperThe Kerr Center

P.O. Box 588Poteau, OK 74953

918-647-9123gkuepper@kerrcenter.comhttp://www.kerrcenter.com/