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USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service implemented a National
Organic Program in 2002 as a way to support organic
farmers and processors and provide consumer assurance.
USDA harmonized the differing standards among dozens of
State and private certification organizations that had
emerged by the late 1990s, and continues to update rules on organic production and processing.
- USDA requires organic farmers and food handlers
to meet a uniform organic standard and makes certification
mandatory for operations with organic sales over $5,000.
About 50 State
and private certification programs in the U.S.,
and over 40 foreign programs, have been accredited
by USDA.
- A few States offer some financial support for conversion
to organic farming as a way to capture the environmental
benefits of these systems, and some run certification
programs that subsidize program costs with general
revenue. Although the Federal Government does not
currently offer support for transitioning to organic
agriculture, technical assistance is becoming more
widely available (see U.S.
Organic Farming in 2000-2001: Adoption of Certified
Systems
 for
a list of organic policy initiatives at the Federal
level).
Steps for Organic Certification
The steps to become a certified organic operation include
picking an organic certifier, following national organic
standards, keeping records of practices and materials
used, and having an annual inspection. A 3-year transition
period is required unless records prove that no prohibited
substances were used in or near the production area
during the previous 3 years.
National and Regional Links for Information
ATTRA (National Sustainable Agriculture Information
Service)—Publishes
online technical bulletins on the steps for organic
certification, organic
production and marketing methods, and State-level
organic enterprise budgets.
USDA's
Alternative Farming Systems Information Center (AFSIC)—Offers
resource lists, directories, bibliographies, databases,
and research tutorials on organic production, marketing,
and foods, including a directory
of marketing resources, and bibliographies
on organic
livestock production and the evolution
of organic and sustainable agriculture.
USDA's National
Organic Program—Provides the complete regulatory
text of the national organic standards and the contact
information for USDA-accredited certifiers and State
organic contacts.
USDA's Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education
(SARE) program—Offers an online bulletin on the
organic
transition process and other reports on ecological
production methods.
USDA's Market News Service (AMS)—Provides price
reports on organic
poultry and eggs at the national level and organic
grains in the Upper
Midwest and Eastern
Cornbelt (use the main AMS page to access
the latest biweekly reports). Some organic
fruits and vegetables in terminal market and
shipping point price reports are also available.
AMS also publishes monthly estimates of total U.S.
sales of fluid
milk products, including whole and reduced-fat
organic milk.
Rodale Institute—Publishes an online news bulletin,
The New Farm,
with organic farming perspectives and research updates,
a comparison of organic
certifiers. Consolidates current USDA and other
organic price information.
Certification Provides Consumer Assurance
"Certified organic" means that agricultural
products have been grown and processed according to USDA's
national organic standards and certified by USDA-accredited
State and private certification organizations. Certifying
agents review applications from farmers and processors
for certification eligibility, and qualified inspectors
conduct annual onsite inspections of organic operations.
Inspectors talk with operators and observe their production
and processing practices to determine if they are in
compliance with organic standards that, for example,
virtually prohibit synthetic pesticide use in crop production
and require outdoor access for animals in livestock
production.
Technical Assistance Expanding
Congress has increased Federal research funding on
organic farming in recent years, and U.S. universities
and Federal agricultural experiment stations have both
broadened their organic research and education projects.
For example, according to the Organic Farming Research
Foundation, 18 States had land-grant institutions with
research acres under certified organic management in
2003, up from 6 States in 2001 (see State
of the States for
a listing of projects in each State). Organic farming
systems trials—in experiment stations
and onfarm settings—seek to answer basic research
questions about yields, profitability, and environmental
impacts, as well as to address farmer-defined management
and production obstacles to adoption of organic production
systems.
See related readings
on organic agriculture.
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