Organic Certification
Beginning Farmer and Ranchers Development Program
Kohala Center
NOTES from class on July 20, 2019 by Jim Crum
Presentations by Maile Woodhall (for registered students):
– Part 1
– Part 2
Maile Woodhall, Kohala Center
Organic certification and record keeping
Mwoodhall@kohalacenter.org
808-640-0177
– business planning
– certifications
– USDA auditor and inspector
Organic Certification
– in 2000 it became federal program
– organic certification agencies are accredited by USDA but are not part of the federal government
– exempt if making less than $5000 gross they can claim they are organic
Farm is the first step in Organic
What can be certified?
– orchard
-Row crop
– Perrienial
– Greenhouse
– Hydroponic
Types
– all organic
– split different crops
– parallel dame or similar crops
Can do just a portion
Standards: different if dealing with different countries Annual inspection required
Must have land with 36 months without use if prohibited substances (new land owners have to show history for first 3 years)
3 agencies that certify on HI
– organiccertifiers.com
– ics-intl.com
– ccof.org
Note who it is certified by on the label
Under 10 acres = $800 fee
Organic System Plan- document your organic strategy
Land: have distinct and defined boundaries and buffer zones ($25ft is standard)
Soil: biological – cover crops, compost, animal products.
Physical – ground rock, like phosphate and greensand.
Cultural – rotations, legumes, contour plowing. Batch sampling of manure from outside sources.
Manure: – without manure: mulch, green waste, plant manure- with raw manure: initial C:N between 25:1 and 40:1— static pile: 131-170 degrees for 3 days— windrow: 131-170 for 15 days, turned at least 5 times— edible portion no contact for 120 days before harvest, any is no soil contact for 90 days before harvest
Pest management: can use Neem, etc. use these
– Perennial peanut (weeds)
– Chicken tractors (pests)
– Organic hay (weeds)
– Shade cloth (pests and weeds)
Disease management
– clean equipment and greenhouse
– crop rotation to break disease cycles
– good drainage and water management and air flow
If using inputs, keep records on
– soil testing
– preventative practices
– collect MSDS labels
– keep receipts
– document dates of input
– proper storage of materials: locked, ventilated, dry chemicals are above the liquid
Can’t have treated fence posts installed.
Use “Eco friendly” brand paint for treated surfaces.
Review of substances to ensure products are organic- OMRI- WSDA
If you are unable to source organic seeds, document 3 attempts, and you can get non-organic. Non-GMO tho’.
You need to implement and document your crop rotation plan. You can use the same crop as long as a different variety
Water: not an issue if no well or sharing of tank. Test 4x/yr for 126ppm or less generic E. coli per ml. Ag water otherwise exempt. Post harvest must be potable water.
Testing labs: microbiology consulting services in Kona 808-345-6549, Pololei Labs in Hilo 808-938-0569.
?1oz bleach/1000gal per week?
Harvest: clean containers, common sense. Remove from field ASAP. Post harvest: what sanitizers, rinse water additives, pest control,
DOCUMENT, DOCUMENT, DOCUMENT.
*USDA NRCS – handout about what grows where well*A place for quick questions. Forum for questions. * share with all of the grads