Developing an Individual Farm Organic System Plan

To sell agricultural products in the U.S. as organic, farmers and processors must follow the legal standards of the USDA National Organic Program (NOP) that certify the organic integrity of the production and marketing process. Exempt are those farmers whose gross agricultural income from organic sales total $5,000 or less. This exemption helps smaller farmers forego the expense of certification, but they must still understand and follow the regulations of the NOP. Farmers who are exempt but want to sell to a processor of certified products must go through the inspection process in order for the processor to be able to market the product as certified organic.

Farmers must read and be familiar with the USDA’s National Organic Program (NOP) production standards (NOP §205.200) and all regulations relevant to organic farming. For these and the current National List of allowed substances for organic production (NOP §205.601), go to: www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/nop.