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Organic Farming
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"Organically grown" food is food grown and processed using no synthetic fertilizers or pesticides. Pesticides derived from natural sources (such as biological pesticides) may be used in producing organically grown food.
- Background
- National Organic Program
- National Standards on Organic Agricultural Production and Handling
- Organic Foods Production Act
- Organic Production and Handling Standards
- Guidance for Labeling Pesticides Under the National Organic Program
- Other Organic Farming Links
Related topics
Biopesticides
Integrated Pest Management
Pollution Prevention, Best Management Practices, and Conservation
Sustainability
Related publications from the Ag Center
Biopesticides
Integrated Pest Management
Organic Farming
Pollution Prevention, Best Management Practices, and Conservation
SustainabilityEPA grants available to reduce pesticide use
Strategic Agricultural Initiative Grants
Background
Organic production has been practiced in the United States since the late 1940s. From that time, the industry has grown from experimental garden plots to large farms with surplus products sold under a special organic label. Food manufacturers have developed organic processed products and many retail marketing chains specialize in the sale of "organic" products. This growth stimulated a need for verification that products are indeed produced according to certain standards. Thus, the organic certification industry also evolved.More than 40 private organizations and state agencies (certifiers) currently certify organic food, but their standards for growing and labeling organic food may differ. For example, some agencies may permit or prohibit different pesticides or fertilizers in growing organic food. In addition, the language contained in seals, labels, and logos approved by organic certifiers may differ. By the late 1980s, after an attempt to develop a consensus of production and certification standards, the organic industry petitioned Congress to draft the Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA) defining "organic".
National Organic Program
The National Organic Program (NOP) is a marketing program housed within the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service, the agency that sets marketing standards. The NOP mission is to develop and implement national standards that govern the marketing of agricultural products as organically produced, to facilitate commerce in fresh and processed food that is organically produced, and to assure consumers that such products meet consistent standards.
The Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 requires the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances which identifies synthetic substances that may be used, and the nonsynthetic substances that cannot be used, in organic production and handling operations.
More information from USDA
National Organic Program
USDA Accredited Certifying Agents
ISO Guide 65 Assessments of Organic Certifying Agencies
National List of Allowed and Prohibited SubstancesMore information from other organizations
National Organic Program Compliance Checklist for Producers
National Standards on Organic Agricultural Production and Handling
The National Standards on Organic Agricultural Production and Handling (NOP rule) was issued on December 21, 2000, by USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service. The standards in the NOP rule are similar to most of the standards organic producers and handlers currently use, and are intended to be flexible enough to accommodate the wide range of operations and products grown and raised in every region of the United States. The Organic Foods Production Act and the NOP rule require that agricultural products labeled as organic originate from farms or handling operations certified by a state or private agency that has been accredited by USDA. Neither the Organic Foods Production Act nor the NOP rule address food safety or nutrition.Food labels must be in compliance by early 2001.
The NOP rule prohibits the use of genetic engineering (included in the list of excluded methods), ionizing radiation, and sewage sludge. The rule includes the following:
- Production and handling requirements, which address organic crop production, wild crop harvesting, organic livestock management, and processing and handling of organic agricultural products
- The National List of Allowed Synthetic and Prohibited Non-Synthetic Substances (7 CFR 205.600-205.606)
- Labeling requirements for organic products
- Compliance, testing, fee, and state program approval requirements
- Certification and recordkeeping requirements
- Accreditation requirements for receiving and maintaining accreditation, as well as requirements for foreign accreditation
- Other administrative functions of the National Organic Program, which include evaluation of foreign organic certification programs.
More information from USDA
National Organic Standards Regulations (English)
National Organic Standards Regulations (PDF) (Spanish) (120 pp, 286K)
National Organic Standards Regulations (PDF) (Japanese) (62 pp, 6.6MB)
NOP Organic Production and Handling Standards (English)
NOP Organic Production and Handling Standards (Spanish)
Organic Foods Production Act
The Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA) of 1990, adopted as part of the 1990 Farm Bill, requires the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to develop national standards for organically produced agricultural products to assure consumers that agricultural products marketed as organic meet consistent, uniform standards. The Act also requires USDA to establish an organic certification program based on recommendations of a 15-member National Organic Standards Board. In addition to the Board's recommendations, USDA reviewed state, private, and foreign organic certification programs to help formulate the final organic regulations.More information from USDA
Organic Foods Production Act of 1990
National Organic Standards Board
Organic Production and Handling Standards
The National Organic Program (NOP) final rule contains regulations that will ensure that organically labeled products meet consistent national standards.- What agricultural operations are affected by the
standards?
Any farm, wild crop harvesting, or handling operation that wants to sell an agricultural product as organically produced must adhere to the national organic standards.
> Handling operations include processors, manufacturers, and repackers of organic products.
> These requirements include operating under an organic system plan approved by an accredited certifying agent and using materials in accordance with the National List of Allowed Synthetic and Prohibited Non-Synthetic Substances.
> Operations that sell less than $5,000 a year in organic agricultural products are exempted from certification and preparing an organic system plan, but they must operate in compliance with these regulations and may label products as organic.
> Retail food establishments that sell organically produced agricultural products but do not process them are also exempt from certification. - Standards apply to production process
> The national organic standards address the methods, practices, and substances used in producing and handling crops, livestock, and processed agricultural products.
> The requirements apply to the way the product is created, not to measurable properties of the product itself.
> Although specific practices and materials used by organic operations may vary, the standards require every aspect of organic production and handling to comply with the provisions of the Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA).
> Organically produced food cannot be produced using excluded methods, sewage sludge, or ionizing radiation. - Crop standards
The organic crop production standards say that:
> Land will have no prohibited substances applied to it for at least 3 years before the harvest of an organic crop.
> The use of genetic engineering (included in excluded methods), ionizing radiation and sewage sludge is prohibited.
> Soil fertility and crop nutrients will be managed through tillage and cultivation practices, crop rotations, and cover crops, supplemented with animal and crop waste materials and allowed synthetic materials.
> Preference will be given to the use of organic seeds and other planting stock, but a farmer may use non-organic seeds and planting stock under specified conditions.
> Crop pests, weeds, and diseases will be controlled primarily through management practices including physical, mechanical, and biological controls.
> When these practices are not sufficient, a biological, botanical, or synthetic substance approved for use on the National List may be used. - Livestock standards
These standards apply to animals used for meat, milk, eggs, and other animal products represented as organically produced. The livestock standards say that:
>Animals for slaughter must be raised under organic management from the last third of gestation, or no later than the second day of life for poultry.
> Producers are required to feed livestock agricultural feed products that are 100 percent organic, but may also provide allowed vitamin and mineral supplements.
> Producers may convert an entire, distinct dairy herd to organic production by providing 80 percent organically produced feed for 9 months, followed by 3 months of 100 percent organically produced feed.
> Organically raised animals may not be given hormones to promote growth, or antibiotics for any reason.
> Preventive management practices, including the use of vaccines, will be used to keep animals healthy.
> Producers are prohibited from withholding treatment from a sick or injured animal; however, animals treated with a prohibited medication may not be sold as organic.
> All organically raised animals must have access to the outdoors, including access to pasture for ruminants. They may be temporarily confined only for reasons of health, safety, the animal's stage of production, or to protect soil or water quality. - Handling standards
The handling standards say that:
> All non-agricultural ingredients, whether synthetic or non-synthetic, must be included on the National List of Allowed Synthetic and Prohibited Non-Synthetic Substances.
> Handlers must prevent the commingling of organic with non-organic products and protect organic products from contact with prohibited substances.
> In a processed product labeled as "organic," all agricultural ingredients must be organically produced, unless the ingredient(s) is not commercially available in organic form.
More information from USDA
Organic Food Standards and Labels: The Facts
National List in the Final Rule
National List Petition Process
Policy for National List Updates
National List Materials Review Process (PDF) (1 pg, 78K)
Further information from USDA
Guidance for Labeling Pesticides Under the National Organic Program
EPA issued the Final Guidance on Labeling Pesticide Products Under National Organic Program on January 31, 2003. The guidance describes how registrants can obtain EPA approval of label language indicating that all ingredients (active and inert) in a pesticide product and all uses of that pesticide meet the criteria defined in the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Organic Program (NOP) Rule.The guidance provides an example of acceptable label language and the procedures for adding such identification to product labels. The information on the pesticide label will assist organic growers and those persons certifying organic production methods in knowing which pesticide products meet the requirements of the NOP Rule for use in organic agriculture.
More information from EPA
Labeling of Pesticide Products under the National Organic Program (PR Notice 2003-1) (PDF) (12 pp, 73K)
Federal Register notice (March 5, 2003)
Other Organic Farming Links
- The
New Farm®: Farmer-to-Farmer Know How from The Rodale Institute®
Organic No-Till/Cover Crop Roller - farming neighbors designed and constructed a front-mounted cover-crop roller that allows you to knock down a weed-suppressing mat and plant through it, all in one quick pass.
- Alternative Farming Systems
Information Center (AFSIC)
AFSIC specializes in locating and accessing information related to alternative cropping systems including sustainable, organic, low-input, biodynamic, and regenerative agriculture. AFSIC also focuses on alternative crops, new uses for traditional crops, and crops grown for industrial production.
This page is sponsored by
EPA's Ag Center. 