Organic System Plan (OSP) – a written plan that explains how a farmer or business follow organic rules. It should include: farm map, crops or animals that will be used, how records are kept, steps to prevent fraud, and harvest and handling methods.
National Organic Programs (NOP) – is a regulatory program run by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) that sets and enforces the rules for organic farming and production in the U.S.
Independent Organic Inspectors Association (IOIA)- is a non-profit professional association of organic farm, livestock, and process inspectors. Provide inspectors training and networking services to bring knowledge in organic inspection process.
Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) – is a non-profit organization that evaluates products like fertilizer, pest control, and other inputs to ensure they meet organic standards and certifies products for use in organic agriculture. The organization adds a seal in products that have been reviewed and approved for organic production.
Compliance: in organic agriculture it means following all the rules and standards that are required to be certified organic.
Certifier: is also called a certifying agent, is an organization or agency approved by a government (such as USDA), that checks whether farms and food businesses are following organic rules. The certifier grants or denies the organic certification. Kentucky Department of Agriculture (KDA) is a certifier in Kentucky.
Inspector: is a certified agent sent by the certifier to report and see the operation meets organic standards.
NOP Standards: the official rules set by the USDA that define how organic food must be grown, handled, and processed.
Part 205: refers to Tittle 7, Part 205 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) in the United States. It contains official rules and standards for the National Organic Program (NOP).
Composting
Natural Pest Control
Weed Control without chemicals
Building organic market chemicals
Cost of inputs approved for use in organic
Initial learning curve during transition (lower yields, weed management, etc.)
Thank you, Shawn Lucas, Extension Assistant Professor, University of Vermont for his support in preparing this fact sheet.
ATTRA. NCAT. Sustainable Agriculture. https://attra.ncat.org/organic-farming/
Kentucky Department of Agriculture, Organic Marketing.
https://www.kyagr.com/marketing/organic-marketing.html
National Organic Program.
https://www.ams.usda.gov/about-ams/programs-offices/national-organic-program
Organic Association of Kentucky. https://www.oak-ky.org/
OMRI Lists. https://www.omri.org/omri-lists
UK Cooperative Extension Office. extension.ca.uky.eduUSDA
Linelle N. Rivera Rodriguez, B.S., M.S.
Biologist, Certified Organic Crop Inspector
Extension Associate Organic Agriculture
Phone: 502-597-6449 Email: linelle.rivera@kysu.edu