Organic Production

To become certified as organic, growers must follow the production practices contained in the National Organic Standards and be certified by a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)-accredited certifying agency. In Utah, the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food is the official certifying agent. There are other certifying agents listed in the National Organic Standards. Farmers may use any certification agency as long as they are USDA-accredited and authorized to certify operations to the USDA organic standard. 

The cost to become certified is quite high since the farm must pay based on farm size, distance the certifying agent must travel, and the time spent conducting the evaluation. Some of the benefits to becoming “certified organic” include the potential for premium prices, better access to local, regional, or international markets, increased protection of natural resources, and access to additional assistance. The USDA carefully regulates the term "organic,” and only certified farms can use the USDA organic seal. Not all growers or farms need to be certified to call themselves organic. Growers whose annual gross farm income from organic products is less than $5,000 are exempted from certification. However, even producers on these very small farms must use production practices that meet the National Organic Standards requirements.

To become a certified organic farm typically requires a three-year transition period. During the transition, all farm practices must comply with the National Organic Standards. Organic production is a longterm plan. It may take several years for organically managed farms to reach their full productivity potential. Growers wanting to become certified organic must provide a detailed description of the operation, document what was applied to the land, describe the organic products grown, raised, or processed, and create a written organic plan describing the practices and substances to be used.

During the certification process, the grower adopts organic practices and submitsan application with fees to the certifying agent. The certifying agent then reviews the applications to verify compliance with USDA organic regulations and conducts an on-site inspection. Upon compliance verification, the certifier issues an organic certificate. Each year, the farm must go through the recertification process. Growers must provide annual updates to the certifying agent, schedule an on-site inspection of the farm, and pay the appropriate fees. From this information, the certifying agent determines if the applicant still complies with the USDA organic regulations and if the organic certificate should be re-issued.

More Information

• Fruit and Vegetable Organic Certification Basics
• Sustainable Manure and Compost Application: Garden and Micro Farm Guidelines
• Nutrient Management Strategies for Organic Vegetable Production