| |
Obtain USDA Certified Organic Authorization
Certified Organic is a required statement on the label of any agricultural products sold as organic. This is a United Stated Department of Agriculture (USDA) requirement, and they provide the certification. The Organic Foods Protection Act of 1990 set standards for organic foods and products. This act formed the National Organic Program (NOP), and designated the USDA as the certifying authority. The USDA has designated and accredited 56 domestic and 41 foreign organic certifying agencies to perform organic certification.
If you're practicing organic gardening just for personal satisfaction, don't worry too much if you spray a little weed killer on the tough ones. However, if your planning on marketing your produce and labeling it as organic it must be certified organic. This page contains some general guidelines on the certification process and contact information to get you started. If you plan on turning the results of your organic gardening into a product for sale to the public, it important to remember that the terms natural and organic are not the same. You can put terms such as free-range, hormone-free, and natural on your food labels and advertising, but they can't be labeled and sold as organic. In order to sell food products labeled certified organic, the product and your process must meet USDA organic standards. If you're only planning a roadside stand for your garden vegetables, don't get put off too much by all the paper work required to become certified organic. The certification process seems to be primarily for large producers. If you are planning a large organic farming or ranching operation, you probably will have to go through the process. No matter what level your operation, the best thing to do is check with a local county agriculture authority or the closest NOP accredited agency from the table below. This table lists just the agencies in California. The NOP website has contact information for the rest of the domestic and foreign accrediting agencies, plus all details on the required procedures.
NOP Certified Organic Website
|
Agricultural
Services Certified Organic
P.O. Box 4871
Salinas, California 93912
Contact: Katherine Borchard, Director
Phone: 831-449-6365
Fax: 831-449-6365
E-mail: ascorganic@aol.com
Scope: crop, livestock, wild crop, and handling
Accredited: 04/07/06
|
California
Crop Improvement Association
Parsons Seed Certification Center
One Shields Ave.
University of California
Davis, CA 95616-8541
Contact: Dr. Larry Teuber
530-752-0544
E-mail: lrteuber@ucdavis.edu
Website: http://www.ccia.ucdavis.edu
Scope: crop, handling
Accredited: 8/7/02
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
California
Organic Farmers Association
3678
North Modoc
Kerman, CA 93630
Contact: Laura Horne
866-305-5771
E-mail: cofa2000@cofa.net
Scope: crop, livestock, wild crop, handling
Accredited: 4/29/02
|
CCOF
Certification Services
2155
Delaware Ave., Suite 150
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
831-423-2263
E-mail: jake@ccof.org
Website: www.ccof.org
Scope: crop, livestock, handling
Accredited: 4/29/02
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Global
Culture
P.O.
Box 1640
Crescent City, CA 95531
Contact: Linda Van Hook
707-464-6913
E-mail: globalculture@earthlink.net
Scope: crop, livestock, wild crop, handling
Accredited: 4/14/03
|
Guaranteed
Organic
Certification Agency
41911 5th St.
#202
Temecula, CA 92590
Contact: Charles Heermans
951-676-5154
Fax: 951-676-5156
E-mail: Heermans@tfb.com
Website: http://www.goca.ws/
Scope: crop, livestock, wild crop, handling
Accredited: 4/29/02
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Marin
County
Agriculture
– Weights and Measures
1682 Novato Bldg., Ste. 150-A
Novato, CA 94947
Contact: Stacy K. Carlsen
415-499-6700
E-mail: marin.dept.ag@co.marin.ca.us
Scope: crop, livestock, handling
Accredited: 4/29/02
|
Monterey
County Certified Organic
Monterey County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office
1428 Abbott St.
Salinas, CA 93901
Contact: Kenneth Allen
831-759-7325
E-mail: allenke@co.monterey.ca.us
Scope: crop, livestock, wild crop, handling
Accredited: 4/29/02
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Scientific
Certification Systems
d/b/a NutriClean
2200
Powell Street Suite # 725
Emeryville, CA 94608
Contact: Heena Patel Work
(direct line): 510-452-8024
Cell: 510-821-9818
Fax: 510-452-8001
Company Number: 510-452-8000
E-mail: hpatel@scscertified.com
Scope: crop, livestock, handling
Accredited: 4/29/02
|
Organic
Certifiers, Inc.
6500 Casitas Pass Rd.
Ventura, CA 93001
Contact: Susan Siple
805-684-6494
E-mail: organic@west.net
Scope: crop, livestock, wild crop, handling
Accredited: 4/29/02
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Primuslabs.com
2810
Industrial Parkway
Santa Maria, CA 93455
Contact: Brian A. Mansfield
805-922-0055
Fax: 805-922-8462
E-mail: brian@primuslabs.com
Scope: crops and handling
Accredited: 1/22/06
|
Quality
Assurance International
9191 Towne Centre Dr., Ste. 510
San Diego, CA 92122
Contact: Joe Smillie
858-792-3531
Fax: 858-792-8665
E-mail: qai@qai-inc.com
Scope: crop, livestock, wild crop, handling
Accredited: 4/29/02
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Yolo
County Department of Agriculture
70 Cottonwood
Street
Woodland, CA 95695
Contact: John Young
Phone: 530-666-8141
Fax: 530-662-6094
E-mail: John.Young@yolocounty.org
Scope: crops, livestock, wild crop, and handling
Accredited: 1/22/06
|
|
Don't worry about using a little weed killer on tough weeds in your private garden. If you're practicing organic gardening, you can achieve satisfaction simply by doing the best you can with organic methods. However, if your planning on marketing your produce and labeling it as organic it must be certified organic. Certified Organic is a required statement on the label of any agricultural products sold as organic. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) provides certification through the National Organic Program (NOP). Hopefully this page has provided you with adequate guidelines and contact information to get you started toward certified organic.
Modoc Country Living - Organic Gardening
Return to Modoc Country Living Home Page
|
