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| Pathway to Organic: Producers // Processors |  |
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Organic Trade Association (OTA) is a membership-based business association that focuses on the organic business community in North America.
PO Box 547
Greenfield, MA 01302
413-774-7511
Organic certification requires an annual inspection by an independent inspector hired by your certifying agency. The inspector's job is to insure that you are in compliance with all relevant organic standards, and that your record keeping is in order. They then report back their findings to the certifying agency, and the certifying agency reports to USDA.
Most farmers and inspectors report that it's actually a valuable and constructive process. While inspectors can't recommend any specific products or practices, they can answer general questions about certification, organic practices and record keeping.
The documents linked to below describe the inspection process, and give you tips on how to prepare for your inspection.
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Resource Listing
 Farm Inspection |
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ATTRA on Organic Inspection and the Organic Certification Process This guide helps producers and handlers understand, prepare for, and get the most from the process of organic certification. It discusses the... |  |
| MOSES' Fact Sheet, How to Choose an Organic Certification Agency This fact sheet walks farmers through the questions to ask when choosing an organic certification agency. It also explains what an organic... | |
| Most Common Mistakes Made by Certified Organic Producers At the bottom of this web page is a section listing the most common mistakes made by certified crop operators. Producers can learn how to avoid... | |
| MOSES' Fact Sheet: The Organic Certification Process This fact sheet describes the step-by-step process of becoming a certified organic producer. | |
| Pennsylvania Certified Organic's Certification Manual PCO's Certification Manual focuses on PCO's certification process but includes a page on frequently asked questions about certification. The manual... | |
| Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) Organic Certification Program Under the Organic Certification Program, TDA inspects and certifies organic farms as well as processors, distributors and retailers of organic food... | |
| Tips from Inspectors by ATTRA This issue of ATTRAnews talks about what producers can expect as they move through the process of switching to organic production. The newsletter... | |
| Independent Organic Inspectors Association The Independent Organic Inspectors Association (IOIA), located in Montana, is a non-profit, professional association of organic farm, livestock,... | |
| National Organic Program on Certification From this web page, producers and processors can find out the basics of who needs to be certified, who does not need to be certified, how to become... | |
| ATTRA on Preparing for an Organic Inspection This guide helps producers and handlers understand, prepare for, and get the most from their annual inspections for organic certification. It helps... | |
| Calendar of Events from the Independent Organic Inspectors Association This calendar features conferences and workshops around the country in addition to training workshops for those who want to become organic... | |
| Clemson University's Organic Certification Program Clemson University's Department of Plant Industry offers organic certification services. Producers and processors can find certification... | |
| Shanti Leinow, Independent Organic Inspector in Arizona The owner of Whipstone Farm, Shanti Leinow, is an independent organic inspector. In the past she has worked with organic certifying agencies to... | |
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| Pathway to Organic: Producers // Processors | |
Regional Guide: United States | |
North American Directory | |
Key Resources |
Disclaimer: Organic Trade Association (OTA) is providing this information solely as a resource to the public. Although the information contained on this site is believed to be correct at the time of posting, OTA disclaims all responsibility for any damages or liability that may result from use or reliance on this web site or information contained herein
© 2010 the Organic Trade Association