college of agricultural sciences
Penn State
Organic Crop Production Guide
Contributors
Coordinators
Charlie White, Extension Associate in Sustainable Agriculture
Mary Barbercheck, Professor of Entomology
William Curran, Professor of Weed Science
Brian Bates, Owner, Bear Creek Organic Farm
Doug Beegle, Distinguished Professor of Agronomy
John Berry, Extension Educator in Agricultural Marketing
Alyssa A. Collins, Assistant Professor of Plant Pathology
and Director of the Southeast Agricultural Research and
Extension Center
Benjamin Crockett, Agronomist, Cenex Harvest States, Inc.
Mark Dempsey, Research Technologist in Entomology
Sjoerd Duiker, Associate Professor of Soil Management and
Applied Soil Physics
Beth K. Gugino, Assistant Professor of Vegetable Pathology
Marvin Hall, Professor of Forage Management
Jay Harper, Professor of Agricultural Economics
Heather Karsten, Associate Professor of Crop Production/
Ecology
Dwight Lingenfelter, Plant Science Program Development
Specialist
Lee Rinehart, Director of Education and Outreach, Pennsylvania
Certified Organic
Greg Roth, Professor of Agronomy
Matthew Ryan, Assistant Professor, Department of Crop and Soil
Sciences, Cornell University
David Sandy, Owner, Healthy Harvest Farm
Rick Stehouwer, Professor of Environmental Soil Science
John Tooker, Assistant Professor of Entomology
Co nt e nt s
Penn State
Organic Crop
Production Guide
1
Introduction to Organic Farming and the National Organic Program Standards
Charlie White, Mary Barbercheck, and Brian Bates
2
Maintaining Organic Integrity
Lee Rinehart
3
Soil Physical Properties and Management
Sjoerd Duiker
4
Soil Health and Biological Properties
43
Charlie White, Mary Barbercheck, and Sjoerd Duiker
5
Soil Fertility
53
Doug Beegle and Rick Stehouwer
6
Cover Crops
105
Sjoerd Duiker and Charlie White
7
Weed Management
121
William Curran, Dwight Lingenfelter, Matthew Ryan, David Sandy, Mark Dempsey, and Benjamin Crockett
8
Insect Management
151
Mary Barbercheck and John Tooker
9
Disease Management
163
Beth K. Gugino and Alyssa A. Collins
7
10 Marketing Organic Crops
John Berry
171
11 Planning Crop Rotations
Heather Karsten
179
12 Grain Crops
Greg Roth
187
205
13 Forages
Marvin Hall
14 Organic Field Crop Budgets
Jayson Harper
1
231
17
1
Cont e nt s
Introduction to Organic Farming
and the National Organic
Program Standards
Charlie White
Mary Barbercheck
Brian Bates
Understanding the NOP Standards 3
§205.2: Organic Production Defined 3
§205.103: Recordkeeping 4
§205.105: Allowed and Prohibited Substances 4
§205.201: Organic Production and Handling System Plan 4
§205.202: Land Requirements 4
§205.203: Soil Fertility and Nutrient Management 4
§205.204: Seeds 4
§205.205: Crop Rotation 4
§205.206: Pest, Weed, and Disease Management 4
§205.271: Facility Pest Management 4
§205.272: Commingling and Preventing Contact with Prohibited Substances 4
Deciding Whether or Not to Be Certified 5
Steps to Certification 5
Choose a Certifier 5
Transition to Organic 5
Submit an Application 6
Maintain Certification 6
References and Resources 6
chapter 1
T
he philosophy and methods
of organic farming have been
practiced in the United States
for more than a century. In 1990, the
U.S. Congress passed the Organic Food
Production Act, which requires the U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA) to
develop, implement, and administer
national standards for the production,
handling, and labeling of organic agricultural products. Since implementation
of the organic rule in 2002, the responsibilities of the National Organic Program
(NOP), housed in the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service, have included
the development of regulations and
guidance on organic standards, management of the National List of Allowed
and Prohibited Substances, and accreditation of domestic and foreign certifying
agents, who inspect organic production
and handling operations to certify that
they meet USDA standards. To legally market an agricultural product as
organic, farmers or processors with gross
annual sales of more than $5,000 worth
of organic products must first complete
the USDA organic certification process
to demonstrate that their practices meet
the NOP standards.
Organic certification is designed to
maintain the integrity of organically
produced food by certifying that agricultural products have been produced
in accordance with the standards of the
National Organic Program. Organic certification verifies that your production
practices meet the regulations and can
offer new marketing opportunities for
your farm products. Consumer interest
in organic food continues to increase,
making organic farming a growing
opportunity for many Pennsylvania
farmers.
The Benefits and Challenges of Certified
Organic Farming
Benefits
• Learning new, ecologically based practices
•Some costs of production may be lower
• Improved recordkeeping practices
• Certification that your practices meet
national organic standards
• Access to new, expanding markets and
price premiums
• Reduced exposure to synthetic agricultural
chemicals
Challenges
• Certification costs money
•Some costs of production may be higher
• Increased recordkeeping requirements
• Restricted use of synthetic chemicals and
fertilizers
• Increased management intensity
•Organic price premiums not available
during transition
Organic farming systems rely on ecologically based practices, such as cultural
and biological pest management, and
virtually exclude the use of synthetic
chemicals in crop and animal production. In addition, the nontherapeutic use
of antibiotics and hormones in livestock
production is prohibited. Genetically
modified (transgenic) crops such as
those that contain genes that express Bt
(Bacillus thuringiensis) toxins or confer
herbicide resistance are not allowed. In
organic farming systems, the fundamental components and natural processes
of ecosystems, such as soil organism
activities, nutrient cycling, and species
distribution and competition, are used
to work directly and indirectly as farm
management tools. For example, crops
are rotated, planting and harvesting
dates are carefully planned, and habitat
that supplies resources for beneficial organisms is provided. Weeds are managed
with mechanical practices such as tillage,
cultivation, and mowing or with cultural
practices such as mulching. Soil fertility
and crop nutrient needs are managed
through crop rotations and cover crops,
and supplemented with manure, composts, crop waste material, and other
allowed substances. Sewage sludge is not
allowed as a fertilizer.
Understanding the NOP
Standards
The standards that farmers and processors must meet to achieve organic
certification are administered by the
National Organic Program and defined
in the federal rules and regulations titled
“7 CFR Part 205.” This document includes the national list of approved and
prohibited substances, production and
handling standards, labeling standards,
certification standards, and the accreditation procedures and standards for
organizations that certify producers and
processors. The document is amended
on a regular basis as the set of organic
standards evolves over time in response
to concerns from farmers, consumers,
and certifiers. The most up-to-date version of 7 CFR Part 205 is posted in the
electronic code of federal regulations,
available through the NOP website at
www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/nop.
Below is a summary of the standards
in 7 CFR Part 205 that relate to crop production. It should be noted that a farmer’s organic certification agency makes
the final decision as to whether specific
production practices comply with the
organic standards. The following points
are provided only as a general summary
of the standards.
§205.2: Organic Production Defined
Organic production is defined as a
system that is managed to “respond to
site-specific conditions by integrating
cultural, biological, and mechanical
practices that foster cycling of resources,
promote ecological balance, and conserve biodiversity.”
ch apt er 1: In trod uct ion t o O r ganic Far m ing an d t h e N a t i o n a l O r g a n i c P ro g r a m S t a n d a rd s 3
§205.103: Recordkeeping
For any certified operation producing
agricultural products intended to be
sold or labeled as “100 percent organic,”
“organic,” or “made with organic ingredients” records must be maintained that
document all production, harvesting,
and handling practices. Further, these
records must be kept for at least 5 years
after their creation, fully disclose all activities and transactions of the operation,
demonstrate full compliance with USDA
organic regulations, and be made available during normal business hours.
§205.105: Allowed and Prohibited
Substances
Certified organic products must be
produced and handled without the use
of sewage sludge, ionizing radiation, and
most synthetic substances. The National
List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances
(often referred to as the “National List”)
specifies allowed synthetic substances and
prohibited nonsynthetic substances for
use in crop and livestock production in
parts §205.601 to §205.604.
§205.201: Organic Production and
Handling System Plan
Certified producers and handlers must
develop an organic system plan in cooperation with an accredited certifying
agent. Such a plan must include a description of practices (including frequency) to
be performed, a list of each substance to
be used (detailing composition, source,
and location of use), a description of
monitoring practices and procedures to
ensure effective implementation of the
plan, a description of the recordkeeping
system implemented, a description of
management/handling practices and
established physical barriers to prevent
commingling of products and contact
of organic production with prohibited
substances, and any other information
deemed necessary by the certifying agent.
§205.202: Land Requirements
Any field or farm parcel intended to
produce crops represented as “organic”
must be managed in accordance with the
provisions set forth in §205.203 through
4
§205.206, have no prohibited substances
applied for the 3 years immediately preceding crop harvest, and have distinct,
defined boundaries and buffer zones
to prevent unintended application or
contact with prohibited substances from
surrounding acreage.
§205.203: Soil Fertility and Nutrient
Management
Producers must utilize tillage and
cultivation practices that maintain or
improve physical, chemical, and biological conditions of soil and minimize soil
erosion. Crop nutrients and soil fertility
must be managed through rotations,
cover crops, and applications of plant and
animal materials. Producers must manage
plant and animal materials so as not to
contribute to contamination of crops, soil,
or water. Lastly, producers must not use
sewage sludge, burning as a means of crop
residue disposal, or any fertilizer, plant, or
animal material that contains an unallowable synthetic substance as detailed on the
National List of allowable substances for
organic production.
§205.204: Seeds
Unless otherwise unavailable, producers
must use organically grown seeds, annual
seedlings, and planting stock. Nonorganically produced seeds, annual seedlings,
and perennial planting stock may be used
under certain exceptions, such as unavailable equivalent varieties, lack of commercial availability, or in the case of perennial
planting stock, if it is managed organically
for at least a year following purchase.
§205.205: Crop Rotation
Because crop rotations maintain or
improve soil organic matter content,
provide for pest management, manage
deficient or excess plant nutrients, and
provide erosion control, producers must
implement a crop rotation including but
not limited to sod, cover crops, green
manure crops, and catch crops.
§205.206: Pest, Weed, and Disease
Management
Producers must use management practices such as crop rotations, sanitation mea-
sures, and cultural practices taking into
account site-specific conditions to prevent
crop pests, weeds, and diseases. Pest
and weed problems may be controlled
through mechanical or physical methods
such as habitat development for natural
pest enemies; nonsynthetic controls such
as lures, traps, and repellents; biodegradable mulching, mowing, livestock grazing;
or plastic mulch (provided that it is
removed after each season). Disease problems may be controlled through management practices that suppress the spread
of disease organisms or the application
of nonsynthetic biological, botanical, or
mineral inputs. If the above measures
are insufficient, a biological, botanical,
or synthetic substance from the National
List may be applied if the condition for
using the substance was documented in
the organic system plan.
§205.271: Facility Pest Management
Producers or handlers of organic facilities
must utilize management practices that
prevent pests and control pests through
physical, cultural, and mechanical means
such as traps, light or sound, and lures
and repellents made with substances
allowed on the National List. Should these
measures prove ineffective, synthetic
substances not on the National List may
be applied provided that methods are
agreed upon with the certifying agent and
measures are taken to prevent contact
of the synthetic substance with organic
products.
§205.272: Commingling and
Preventing Contact with Prohibited
Substances
Organic handling operations must
implement practices that protect organic
products from contact with prohibited
substances and prevent the commingling
of organic and nonorganic products.
This is especially important for the use
and reuse of containers, bags, etc., that
may come into contact with many different products and could risk compromising the organic integrity of any organically produced product or ingredient.
Pe nn S tat e O r g a nic Cr o p P r o d u c tion G ui d e
Deciding Whether or Not
to Be Certified
Deciding whether or not to be USDA
certified organic is a personal decision
that should be based on your own unique
situation. Some people farm in an organic
manner but forgo certification because
their market does not require it or they do
not want the extra burden of paperwork,
recordkeeping, and certification costs.
Others might become certified primarily
to obtain price premiums or because the
market they sell to requires the certification. One thing to be aware of is that if you
sell less than $5,000 of products annually,
you are exempt from the certification requirement. You may label your products as
organic if you follow the NOP regulations,
but you cannot use the USDA Organic seal
of certification. You must meet all certified
organic grower and handler requirements
to maintain the integrity of the organic
products, including the development of an
organic system plan. Knowingly selling or
mislabeling products that were not produced and handled in accordance with the
regulations can result in a civil penalty of
up to $11,000 per violation. Costs associated with certification and inspections vary
depending on the certifier and gross farm
sales but usually range from $700 to $2,000
for small and medium-sized farms. Costshare programs for organic certification
are sometimes available from government
agencies and can ease the burden of certification costs. For more information on
cost-share programs, contact your certifier
or state department of agriculture.
Steps to Certification
Choose a Certifier
Many organizations are accredited by
the USDA to serve as certifying agents.
Obtaining recommendations on a certifier
from other organic farms near you can
be particularly valuable. You should also
determine if the market where you plan
to sell your products requires the use of
a particular certifier. In addition to NOP
standards, some certifying agents can
certify to standards of other programs,
such as the International Foundation for
Organic Agriculture (IFOAM) or the Eu-
ropean Union. When choosing a certifier
you may also wish to consider the fee
structure, the quality of customer service,
the level of involvement in the community, and whether the certifier offers benefits
such as publications and educational or
marketing events. Pennsylvania Certified
Organic is currently the only accredited
certifier based in Pennsylvania, but any
USDA-accredited certifier may be used. A
full list of accredited certifiers is available
on the NOP website (www.ams
.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/nop).
Once you have decided on a certifier,
obtain the certifier’s organic certification
packet. Familiarize yourself with the
regulations and required paperwork.
Establishing a relationship with your
certifier early in the transition will help
you stay informed about changes in
requirements that may occur. Attending
organic educational events, such as field
days and conferences in your region, will
also keep you informed about organic
practices and help facilitate a successful
transition and certification. Many farmers that have undergone organic certification have also stated that developing
a mentor relationship with another
certified organic farmer was beneficial in
helping them transition.
Organically Speaking
“In the 15 years of growing processing vegetables conventionally, I never did like using
the pesticides and fertilizers. I felt that it was
ruining the farm and I thought all the money
that was being spent on them was ridiculous.”
—Carl Schmidt, Muncy, Pa.
“We were unhappy with the conventional milk
price, and we just felt we always have farmed
a little different. We never used a lot of sprays
and we just kept putting in another step and
another step until we got where we really
didn’t have to do too much to get the ground
certified.”
—Preston Yoder, Belleville, Pa.
Transition to Organic
The NOP requires that land or animals
that are to be certified organic must be
managed according to NOP regulations
for a certain period of time prior to
certification being granted. For land, 3
years must pass in which no prohibited
substances have been applied. Slaughter
livestock must be managed organically
from the last third of gestation, and from
the second day of life for poultry. Dairy
animals require 12 months of organic
management before milk products can
be sold as certified organic. You can
transition some fields on a farm first
with other fields to follow later on. If
you do this, be aware of the regulations
requiring you to clean machines and
implements that are used on nonorganic
fields before they are used on organic fields. Records of cleanout must be
maintained and submitted during the
farm’s annual inspection.
It is important that you contact a certifier before transitioning to organic so
that you understand allowed and prohibited production practices and materials.
Certifying organizations commonly
review and approve materials according
to the NOP List of Allowed and Prohibited Materials and offer review services
and approved lists for their members. In
addition, the Organic Materials Review
Institute (OMRI) is a private organization that reviews materials intended for
use in organic farming and publishes a
well-known list of materials that they
find to meet the NOP regulations. However, each certifier’s list of allowed and
prohibited materials may take precedence over the OMRI Product List. The
lists maintained by accredited certifiers
often include locally sourced substances
that may not have been submitted to
OMRI for review. During the certification process, the certifier’s list, not the
OMRI Product List, is used to determine
whether a substance is allowed. You
should always check with your certifier
before you start using any new product
or material to be sure that it is allowed
for use in organic production.
Keep records that clearly describe
your farming practices and inputs used.
ch apt er 1: In trod uct ion t o O r ganic Far m ing an d t h e N a t i o n a l O r g a n i c P ro g r a m S t a n d a rd s 5
Save receipts for all materials and seeds
and non-GMO certificates for seeds
purchased. You will need these records
and receipts as proof that the land has
been free of prohibited substances for 36
months prior to the harvest of the first
organic product. It is also important to
record dates and application rates of fertilizers and other inputs, as well as dates
of practices such as planting, tillage, and
harvest. Sample recordkeeping forms can
be obtained from most accredited certifiers or other sources such as the National
Center for Appropriate Technology
(NCAT) Sustainable Agriculture Project
(www.attra.org).
Submit an Application
Once you have transitioned to organic
practices, the next step is to submit an
application for certification to your certifying agency. The application process differs slightly from certifier to certifier, but
it will always include the development of
an organic system plan (OSP) and a site
inspection. The OSP is a document that
describes in detail how your production
practices comply with the regulations of
the NOP. Organic system plan templates
can be obtained from most accredited
certifiers.
The purpose of the site inspection
is to allow the certifying agent to verify
that the farm is managed according to
the OSP. You should have in order all
documentation and maps required by
the certifier. The inspector will examine
production and input records, facilities,
equipment, and fields and ask questions
about your management practices. The
inspector will also look at buffer zones
that protect your farm from chemical
drift that may originate from nonorganically managed land. After the inspection,
the inspector will submit a report to the
certification agency, which will determine if certification should be awarded.
Your certifying agent will grant you certified USDA Organic status if your farm
management complies with the regulations of the NOP and you complete all
the steps of the application process.
6
Maintain Certification
Organic certification is an ongoing process and certification must be renewed
annually. The renewal process includes
your submission of an annual update to
your OSP, an inspection of your farm
or processing facility, a review of farm
records by the certifying agent, and
payment of a recertification fee.
USDA National Organic Program. www
.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/nop.
References and Resources
Penn State Extension Publications
Barbercheck, M. E., W. S. Curran, and
J. M. Dillon. “Organic Crop Production,” in the Penn State Agronomy Guide,
123–31. University Park: Penn State
College of Agricultural Sciences, 2009.
extension.psu.edu/agronomy-guide.
Brown, J. L. Organic Labels. University
Park: Penn State Extension, 2003.
Sánchez, E. S., M. D. Orzolek, J. K.
Harper, and L. F. Kime. Agricultural Alternatives: Organic Vegetable Production.
University Park: Penn State Extension,
2003. pubs.cas.psu.edu/FreePubs/pdfs/
ua391.pdf.
Sánchez, E. S., and T. L. Richard. Using
Organic Nutrient Sources. University
Park: Penn State Extension, 2009. pubs
.cas.psu.edu/FreePubs/pdfs/uj256.pdf.
Other Publications, Organizations,
and Websites
eXtension.org. “Organic Agriculture
Resource Area.” www.extension.org/
organic%20production.
Organic Materials Review Institute.
Phone: 541-343-7600. omri.org.
Organic Trade Association. “How to Go
Organic.” www.howtogoorganic.com.
Pennsylvania Certified Organic. Phone:
814-422-0251. www.paorganic.org.
Rodale Institute. “Organic Certifiers
Database.” newfarm.rodaleinstitute
.org/ocdbt.
Rodale Institute. “Transitioning to
Organic” Online Course. www.tritrainingcenter.org/code/index.php.
Pe nn S tat e O r g a nic Cr o p P r o d u c tion G ui d e
2
Co nt e nt s
Maintaining Organic Integrity
Lee Rinehart
The Role of the Certifier 9
The Role of the Organic Producer 9
Records and the Audit Trail: Documenting Organic Integrity 10
Records 10
Inspections 11
Keys to Maintaining Organic Integrity 11
Land Integrity and Adjoining Land Use 11
Materials Use: Prohibited and Restricted Material Input 11
Monitoring for Crop Contamination 12
Preventing Commingling and Contact with Prohibited Substances 12
Equipment, Harvest, and Transportation 13
References and Resources 14
chapter 2
M
aintaining organic integrity is
the responsibility of the organic
farmer, working hand in hand
with the certifier. Each has their own responsibilities to ensure organic products
are consistently produced in accordance
with the strict standards of the National
Organic Program. The farmer’s task is to
implement specific practices on the farm
in accordance with the standards, document those practices, and justify them
to the inspector. The certifier’s task is to
ensure the farm’s organic system plan
and on-farm practices conform to the
standards. Remember, the whole point
of organic certification is to establish a
valid audit trail that verifies all products
were produced in accordance with the
NOP standards. Consumers of certified
organic products rely on the organic
label as a promise that what they are
buying is the real thing.
The following chapters of this book
are concerned with the ecological and
production aspects of organic agriculture. Soil and biological diversity are the
foundations of organic production and
provide benefits from increasing soil
tilth to mitigation of pest and disease
problems. Farmers who choose to certify
their farms as organic under the USDA
National Organic Program (NOP) might
also realize financial profitability from
organic premiums in the marketplace.
The USDA organic seal is a sign that
organic products have been produced
and handled according to the strict
standards of the national regulations,
and provide assurance to consumers that
certified organic products are authentic.
It is a promise to consumers that what
they are buying has been third-party
verified as produced according to organic standards. Organic certification is not
meant to be a guarantee of food safety or
that a product is pesticide free, rather it
is a verified system of farm management
that ensures products were produced in
accordance with a rigorous standard.
To ensure that the organic system is
not compromised during the various
stages of production, operational and
administrative organic system plans
are developed to document production practices and address areas where
compromise may occur. Producing
agricultural products according to the
NOP standards and an organic system
plan, as well as an annual on-site audit/
inspection to verify the process, ensures
that organic integrity is maintained
throughout the production chain.
The NOP defines organic integrity
as the quality of an organic product or
system that is achieved through verified
adherence to organic standards from
farm production through all points of
handling and processing to the point of
final sale to the consumer. This chapter
goes into detail on the responsibilities of
the certifier and farmer and offers some
suggestions and guidance on maintaining organic integrity. Many organic
farmers find that the tasks associated
with maintaining and documenting
organic integrity can be more daunting
than the actual production work they
do on their farms. Maintaining scrupulous records and hosting an inspector
once a year on the farm are challenging
tasks, especially for those new to organic
certification. This chapter provides some
resources that will allow producers to
address some of these requirements
and may help alleviate some of these
burdens.
The Role of the
Certifier
The USDA accredits independent agencies to certify that farms and processors
are producing agricultural products
according to the NOP standards. The
principal responsibility of certifying
agencies, which can be state departments of agriculture or independent
ch apt er 2: Ma intaining O r ganic I nt egr it y organizations like Pennsylvania Certified
Organic (PCO), is to ensure that organic
integrity is maintained and verified
throughout the production and handling process. Organic certifiers review
organic system plans for compliance to
the standards and grant certification to
the producer if all noncompliances are
addressed in a satisfactory manner.
Annual inspections are one of the
avenues by which certifiers provide
third-party verification of compliance
to the NOP standards. All organic
operations must have an annual onsite inspection. Additional inspections,
whether announced or unannounced,
are scheduled at the discretion of the
certifier.
As part of providing certification
services, certification agencies often
conduct material reviews to determine
whether material inputs a producer
wants to use, such as fertilizers and pest
control products, are in fact compliant with the requirements of the NOP
regulations. Producers should check
with their certifiers before using any
new material in order to maintain full
compliance and ensure organic integrity.
The Role of the Organic
Producer
The organic producer is the gatekeeper for maintaining organic integrity.
Whereas an inspector makes a visit to
the farm only once a year, the farmer
controls the operation and makes the
day-to-day decisions that affect organic
integrity. The farmer then becomes the
“first line of defense” in making sure that
all products grown or produced on the
farm have been managed according to
the organic standards.
The farmer begins the process by
writing an organic system plan and
having it approved by the certifier. The
organic system plan (OSP) serves as
a blueprint for farm operations and
9
describes in detail the management
practices used on the farm as well as the
methods employed to prevent contamination of land, livestock, and product
from prohibited materials. For an organic farmer, documentation is everything.
Records, receipts, invoices, and organic
certificates from purchased products are
used to establish an audit trail to verify
that approved and appropriate materials
were used in the production of certified
organic products.
Records and the Audit
Trail: Documenting
Organic Integrity
The audit trail is a fundamental part of
verification that products were produced
according to organic regulations. The
audit trail is essentially the sequence
of records and receipts that establish
traceability, which assures consumers
that an organic-labeled product has
been produced, processed, handled, and
verified in accordance with very rigid
organic standards. According to the
NOP, records must disclose all activities
and transactions of the certified operation in sufficient detail as to be readily
understood and audited, and kept for a
minimum of 5 years.
Records
Many certifiers offer recordkeeping forms
that can be used by certified operators.
However, there is no standard recordkeeping format requirement, according
to the NOP, as long as the records can be
readily understood and contain the necessary information to demonstrate compliance with the organic requirements.
Per the NOP, some of the records a
certified organic crop farm may need to
maintain include the following:
• Application records for crop-production aids, pest control products,
fertilizers, and soil amendments for
the previous 3 years
• Copy of the organic certificate if the
land was previously certified under
another producer’s certificate
• Clean truck affidavits
• Compost production records
10
• Cropping history or land use for the
previous 3 years
• Custom harvest records
• Field, pasture, and farm maps showing buffers
• For seed savers: harvest records
showing production of organic seed
• Invoices for contracted services (e.g.,
seeding, mowing, spreading manure)
• Invoices or receipts for all materials
purchased, including custom applicator and contracted services, seeds,
and transplants
• Lease agreements
• Letters from seed suppliers concerning the availability of organic seeds
• Organic certificates for purchased
organic transplants
• Phone logs of attempts to obtain
organic seeds and transplants
• Receipts from processor or warehouse for delivery of organic product
• Recommendations from pest or other field consultants
• Records of cultivation practices and
weeding and planting dates
• Sales deposit records, ledgers, and
receipts
• Sales summaries from wholesalers or
processors
• Seed catalogs, seed packages, and
labels/tags
• Seed treatment records
• Soil, water, and tissue analysis reports
• Verification from supplier that nonorganic seed is not genetically modified
• Yield records (e.g., pounds harvested,
weigh tickets, boxes harvested)
In addition to the above records for
crops and/or pasture, organic livestock
producers should keep the following records pertaining to livestock production:
• Animal identification records
• Breeding, birthing, and weaning records (e.g., calendar, chart, notebook,
veterinary documents)
• Date and weight at slaughter for meat
animals
• Egg production records
• Feeding records
• Grazing records including dry matter
intake on pasture for ruminants and
pasture rotations
• Harvest and storage records for feed
grown on the farm
• Invoices, healthcare records, and
organic certification verification for
all purchased animals
• Loss/cull records
• Medication records
• Milk production and quality records
for dairy animals
• Organic certificates for all purchased
feed, including grain, hay, or silage
• Records of inclement weather and
when animals were temporarily confined
• Records of purchased feed supplements and animal healthcare products
• Vaccination records
A quick glance at the preceding list
of recordkeeping items makes it clear
that organic farmers are tasked with a
high level of recordkeeping responsibility. Surveys conducted by certifiers have
shown that recordkeeping requirements
are often one of the most dreaded aspects
of organic certification. But, as was stated
before, records are necessary to verify
compliance to the regulations and assure
the consumer that organic products are
produced according to strict standards.
Recordkeeping, in essence, is what backs
up the veracity of the organic label.
Fortunately, many good sources of
organic recordkeeping materials are
available, most free of charge. In addition
to forms provided by certifiers, ATTRA’s
Documentation Forms for Organic Crop
and Livestock Producers provides a set of
documentation forms to help producers
of organic crops and livestock record their
on-farm practices and production activities. The sample forms serve as templates
to help farmers organize the records that
will be reviewed at inspection. This publication is offered as a free download from
the ATTRA website at https://attra.ncat
Pe nn S tat e O r g a nic Cr o p P r o d u c tion G ui d e
Ground beetle cover photo by Joseph Berger, Bugwood.org
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