DEPARTMENT OF PLANT INDUSTRY
Organic Certification Program
WELCOME!!!
On
April 29, 2002, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
announced the accreditation of organizations, private and state, that can
serve as certifying agents for organic certification.
The Department of Plant Industry is
glad to announce its accreditation by the USDA to be able to offer
organic certification services.
"Serving the Organic Community"
ORGANIC FARMING
Organic farming places an emphasis on preventive measures for pest and weed control, emphasizes the use of management practices over the use of off-farm inputs, and utilizes cultural, biological, and mechanical methods as opposed to synthetic materials. Producers must manage plant and animal materials in a way that does not contaminate crops, soil, and water with plant nutrients, pathogenic organisms, heavy metals, or residues of prohibited substances. By focusing on these sustainable aspects of farming, environmentally destructive practices are eliminated.
Accredited by:
|
CERTIFIED ORGANIC
Any operation that claims to produce and/or handle products that are intended to be sold as "100 % Organic", "Organic", or "Made with Organic" must be certified as organic. The National Organic Program (NOP) will ascertain that organically labeled products were produced following a set of rigid, environmentally conscientious standards so consumers can be certain that such products were grown and handled/processed without the use of harmful substances Those operations
that sell less than $5000 annually are exempt from certification
requirements, but must abide by the National Organic Program’s
Standards. Others that may be
exempt or excluded from certification requirements include: handlers that
do not process or repackage products, handlers that only handle products
with 70 percent or less organic ingredients, and handlers that are a
retail food establishment which processes only raw ready-to-eat products. |
