Transcript Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food & Forestry

Workshop on Enhancing the
Adoption of Organic Farming
Organic Rules & Regulations
October 14, 2008
Presented by Bryan Buchwald
Oklahoma Department of
Agriculture, Food & Forestry
Organic
• (Organic) means crop produced under a
system of organic farming and which are
processed, packaged, transported, and
stored to retain nutritional value without the
use of artificial preservatives, coloring
agents or other additives, ionizing radiation
or prohibited substances
Who needs to be certified?
• Producers and Handlers of agricultural
products that are sold, labeled, or
represented as “100 percent organic”,
“organic”, or “made with organic”
“EXEMPTIONS”
• Operations selling less than $5,000 of
organic products annually are exempt from
certification
• May sell as organic without certification
(Must register with ODAFF)
• Must still follow organic guidelines
• Cannot display USDA seal or CA’s seal
Certification Process
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Choose an accredited certifier
Submit an Organic Systems Plan
Review of OSP by certifier
On-site inspection
Exit Interview
Review of inspection report
Organic Certification
Continuation of Certification
• Annual inspections will be conducted
• Updates of information will be provided
annually to the certifying agent
• Certifying agents must be notified of any
changes affecting an operations compliance
with the regulations
Organic Certification
• Certification will remain in effect until
terminated, either voluntarily or through the
enforcement process
Land History Requirement
• No prohibited substances for at least 3 years
before the harvest of an organic crop
Certified Organic Farming is
NOT
Simply Omitting Synthetic Pesticides
and Fertilizers on land
Certified Organic Farming
Emphasizes
• Farm Planning (OSP)
– Practices and substances used
– Record keeping procedures
– Prevent commingling of organic and nonorganic products
• Total Farm Management
• Proactive Management
Soil Fertility and Crop Nutrients
• Managed through:
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Tillage & cultivation practices
Crop rotations
Cover crops
Animal waste & crop residue materials
Certain allowed synthetic materials
Soil Fertility and crop nutrient
management practices should
• Maintain or improve the physical and
biological condition of soil
• Minimize soil erosion
• Not contaminate crops, soil or water by
pathogenic organisms, heavy metals, or
residues of prohibited substances
The Producer must not use
• Burning as a means of disposal for crop
residues produced on the operation: Except
That, burning may be used to suppress the
spread of disease or to stimulate seed
germination
Pest Control
• Primarily through management practices
– Physical, mechanical, and biological
– Crop rotation
– Soil and crop nutrient management practices
Pest Management
• Sanitation measures to remove disease
vectors, weed seeds, and habitat for pest
organisms
• Selection of plant species and varieties with
resistance to prevalent pests, weeds, and
diseases
Pest Management
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Mulching with fully biodegradable materials
Mowing
Livestock grazing
Hand weeding
Flame, heat, or electrical means
Plastic or other synthetic mulches: Provided
removed at the end of growing or harvest season
Record Keeping
Information
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Land use changes
Seed Documentation
Pest problems
Weed problems
Any type of Inputs
Production logs
Storage and Sales
Record Keeping
• Documents that support that the operation is
in compliance with the regulations
• Verify the information provided to the
certifying agent (ODAFF)
• Access to these records must be provided to
authorized representatives of USDA
Levels of Product Labeling
• (100% Organic) all ingredients certified
organic
• (Organic) must contain not less than 95 %
ingredients produced certified organic
• (made with organic) at least 70 % of the
ingredients produced certified organic
• 70% or below may state organic ingredient
in ingredients statement
Penalties for Mis-Labeling
• People who sell or label a product “organic”
when they know it does not meet the USDA
standards can be fined up to $11,000 for
each violation through USDA compliance.
Useful Organic Web Sites
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www.oda.state.ok.us
www.ams.usda.gov/nop
www.ota.com
www.attra.ncat.com
www.omri.org
Contact Information
• Bryan Buchwald, Organic Program
Coordinator
• Cell phone 405-397-1895
• Office phone 405-522-5924
• Address: 2800 N. Lincoln Blvd. OKC, OK
73152