Are You Ready to Go Organic?

This is a good self assessment tool from CCOF to help you determine if you’re ready to pursue organic certification.

ATTRA Sustainable Agriculture Program

ATTRA, or Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas, is a trusted source of sustainable agriculture information and maintains a knowledge base of practical multimedia resources for farmers, ranchers, and educators.

eOrganic

The eOrganic Community of Practice of the Extension Foundation is for farmers, ranchers, agricultural professionals, certifiers, researchers and educators seeking reliable information on organic agriculture, organic farming research results, farmer experiences, and certification. Content is focused on general organic agriculture, dairy production, and vegetable production.

National Organic Program (NOP)

The NOP is a federal regulatory program that develops and enforces consistent national standards for organically produced agricultural products sold in the United States. This website is a good starting point if you want to understand how it works and what they do.

OFRF FAQs page

Answers to common questions about organic farming & production systems.

OFRF’s Resources page

A collection of free resources on organic management, including online courses, workbooks, factsheets, videos and more.

Organic Certification Made Simple, video series

USDA bite-size video series, created in partnership with Florida Organic Growers includes farmer testimonials and walks through the certification process including what to expect in an inspection, parallel/split operations, and more.

Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI)

The Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) supports organic integrity by developing clear information and guidance about materials, so that producers know which products are appropriate for organic operations. They review products such as fertilizers, pest controls, livestock health care products, and numerous other inputs that are intended for use in certified organic production and processing.

Organic Certifier Locator, Organic Integrity Database

A comprehensive, searchable database of certified organic operations around the world.

Transitional Production Plan (TPP) – Crops

Transition plan worksheet from the USDA for “for crops producers transitioning to organic as part of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Organic Transition Initiative (OTI) Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP). These transitional producers have an organic system in place, are implementing practices that are expected to lead to compliance with the USDA organic regulations (organic rules), and are not using prohibited substances.”

Transitional Production Plan (TPP) – Livestock

Transition plan worksheet from the USDA “for livestock producers transitioning to organic livestock production practices as part of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Organic Transition Initiative (OTI) Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP).”

USDA Transitioning to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP)

This is the landing page for the USDA’s Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP) and provides a searchable database of organic and transitioning-to-organic resources.

USDA How to Get Certified

This is the USDA’s step-by step guide to organic certification with links to further resources. The place to go if you’re ready to certify and want to understand the whole process.

USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) Accredited Certifying Agents

The landing page for USDA AMS, this page explains accreditation and has instructions for navigating the Organic Integrity Database to find a certifying agent.

USDA Risk Management Agency (RMA)

This site explains the insurance options for organic and transitioning producers available through various RMS programs. It includes a link to FAQs and related fact-sheets.

USDA Guide for Crop Producers

A USDA guide that provides an overview of the process of becoming certified organic, intended to help lead crop farmers through the organic certification process.

USDA Guide for Livestock Producers

A USDA guide that provides an overview of the process of becoming certified organic. It is designed to explain the USDA organic regulations as they apply to livestock producers.