Transcript Organic

Organic Paperwork Is Not
That Cumbersome
Jim Shrefler
OSU /
WWAREC
Lane
Robert Stelle
Sunrise
Acres
Blanchard
Why Keep Farm Records?
Drawbacks
– Wastes time you could spend on
other activities
– Potential for self incrimination?
– More work and information to
keep track of
Why Keep Farm Records?
Benefits
– Impress IRS and OTC auditors
– Enable financial evaluation of
the farm operations
– Saves time when you want to
know how something was done
in the past
– Potential for legal defense
– Necessary for careful farm
planning
Farm Record Keeping in General
Kinds of records
– Financial and tax related
– Land use, including weed and
disease incidence
– Crop varieties and associated
market response, productivity,
pest problems etc.
– Fertilizer & manure applications
and soil test results
– Pesticide use, inventories,
performance observations etc.
Do Record Keeping
Requirements Vary for Different
Kinds of Farms?
Requirements may vary among
farm types:
- Conventional
- Hobby / personal use
- Certified Organic
- Organic, but not Certified
Certified Organic Farming
Requires ….
Commitment
Planning
Total Farm
Management
Time / Patience
Effective Production
Practices
Achieving
Certification
Certified Organic Farming
Requires ….
Commitment
Planning
Total Farm
Management
Time / Patience
Effective Production
Practices
Achieving
Certification
Doing these
things
successfully
requires the
maintenance
of suitable
records!
Let’s Focus on Certified Organic
Farming …. For What Will
Records Be Needed?
For Certification Purposes
– Transition status
– Initial Certification
– Recertification
For Farm Profitability Purposes
– Keeping crops productive
– Being competitive at market
– Financial stability of farm
Farm Certification
Initial Certification
– 3 year process (+ / -)
– Transition period
Recertification: The Yearly
Maintenance of
Certification
Record Keeping
Document that the
operation is in
compliance with the
regulations
Verify the information
provided to the
certifying agent
Access to these
records must be
provided to authorized
representatives of
USDA, including the
certifying agent.
Types of Information Needed
Materials applied during the previous 3
years, current year, & two years projected
Organic crops/products being grown
Organic plan, - practices and substances
used
Monitoring practices to be performed to
verify that the plan is effectively implemented
Description of record-keeping system
Description of the practices to prevent comingling of organic and non-organic
products
Lane Center Certifications
Initial Certification in Dec. 2005
– Vegetable Project - Christmas trees
– Meadow Area – Meadow for 10+ years
Yearly Maintenance of Certification
– Recertified for 2007, 2008
Some close calls!
Organic Paperwork Is Not
That Cumbersome
Robert Stelle
Sunrise
Acres
Jim Shrefler
Blanchard
Lane
OSU /
WWAREC
Why Keep Farm Records?
Producer’s Point of View
Fill out re-certification form
Answer questions during onsite inspection
Make decisions about what to
grow
Decide when to plant (to
schedule harvest)
Make pricing decisions to
maximize profits
Examples of Organic Records
Seed research and purchase
Planting (Crop rotation)
Fertilizer application
Pest control application
Harvest dates and quantities
Sales quantities (not $$$)
Field Layouts
SPRING 2005
Field F
Greenbeans
Carrots
Field E
Field D
Okra
Sweet Potatoes
Mustard Greens
Kale
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Cabbage
Peppers
Field A
Field B
Field C
Potatoes
Garlic
Squash
Onions
Turnips
Radishes
Tomatoes
Beets
Eggplant
Spinach
Cucumbers
Field Planting Record
Date
Bed Row
a
1
c
b
a
2
c
b
a
3
c
b
a
4
c
b
a
5
c
b
a
6
c
b
Field A
Variety
Certified Organic Farming
Records Require ….
A Notebook and a Shoebox
Notebook is for Journal
Write down what you did each day
Shoebox is for everything else..
Nice if in labeled folders: Seed invoices,
Harvest records, etc
Additional Records We Keep For
Transplant Growing Operation
Varieties grown this year
95 tomatoes
51 peppers
28 cool crops
40 other vegetables
61 herbs
Labeling Scheme Lot Numbers
SA for Sunrise Acres
Alpha character for transplant class (T for Tomato,
L for Heirloom Tomato, P for Pepper, V for Other
Vegetables, H for Herbs, C for Cool Season
Vegetables)
One digit for Year (eg. 8 for 2008)
Two digits for item number on transplant list
One digit for seeding
Example: LOT# SAP8272
Sunrise Acres, Pepper, grown in 2008, Carmen
Carmen Hybrid
(#27 on list), 2nd seeding
Sweet Pepper
75-80 days
LOT# SAP8272
Hope to see you at the tour