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Ask The Certifiers
Dear Organic Producer Magazine,
We have been growing watermelons, squash, and different kinds of cuberids on our small farm of 10 acres here in southern IL. We feel we produce enough to take our produce to market. But we want to be USDA Certified through a certifier that you recommend. We want to certify our land, but why do we need to wait a full three years when our land has never been farmed on before? Is there a way to bypass the wait and get some soil testing done? How long will the entire process and are there certifiers out there that are faster than others?
Thanks for any advice - keep up the great work.
--Paul & JoAnne Turner
Dear Paul & JoAnne,
First, congratulations to you both for keeping a small farm going—not an easy feat these days. We’ll get to your questions but our readers need to be clear on some terms here first. The USDA accredits certification agents to implement the National Organic Program (NOP). You’ll need to employ one of these certification agents if you want to sell your crops as organic. (There are some exemptions to this requirement for certification, but that’s a topic for a future column). So, all this means is that you’ll be certified to the National Organic Program—which is under the authority and oversight of the USDA—but will be certified by the organization or company of your choosing.
The NOP maintains a web site www.ams.usda.gov/nop that provides a wealth of information—the organic standards, guidelines, announcements about regulations, and importantly, a list of UDSA-accredited certification agencies. There are dozens of them, some of whom operate in very small regions, some just in the US, and others who operate internationally—each listing provides you with a name and contact information to start your search. There are pros and cons for every one of them. Take your time and do your research before making this decision. You can change from one certifier to another, but that can be challenging, so its better to do your homework and get it right the first time. By that, we mean that you need to find a certifier that fits your philosophical and business needs. Some good questions to ask:
• Are you a for-profit or non-profit organization?
• A governmental agency or private company?
• Do you offer membership affiliations?
• Do you offer educational programs?
• Are you active in the greater organic community and industry? How so?
• If I have a question about my certification or the standards, will someone be available by phone to answer my call?
• What is the level of experience and education of the office staff?
• How soon will I get a call back?
• Is there someone on staff who knows about cucurbits? (If they say yes, ask to speak to him or her and test them yourself—throw out terms like full slip and splotch and see if they have any idea what you’re talking about).
Of course ask about fee schedules and get a fee estimate from the person you’re talking to, but also dig deeper about their ability to provide you with service. Low cost certifiers end up being pretty expensive if you can’t get timely service or accurate answers. Ask also about the inspector pool they intend to use and make sure they are hiring experienced inspectors with a solid track records. You can check to see if particular inspectors are members of the Independent Organic Inspectors’ Association (IOIA) on their web site www.ioia.org.
We’ll have to stop short of recommending one over another, but we can give you a few of the organizations—in no particular order—that have a good understanding of farms, certify numerous farms in your neck of the woods, and have been accredited since the start of the NOP: GOA, ICS, MOSA, OCIA, and OTCO (Oregon Tilth). Start with these, ask your questions, then call others if you don’t hear what you want to hear.
Next: the three year rule. The standards require that at least three years separates the application of prohibited materials (prohibited under organic standards) and the harvest of crops to be sold as organic. So, in the case of land that hasn’t been farmed before, you’ll need to provide verification (to the satisfaction of the certifier you choose) that no prohibited materials have been applied on that ground in the three years prior to your first expected organic harvest—you won’t necessarily need to wait three more years. This is another good thing to ask potential certifiers—what documentation do they require about land use history in a case like this?
Next: how long will the process take? This varies widely from certifier to certifier and season to season. We’ve seen it take less than a week (under very unusual circumstances) and over a year (again in very unusual circumstances), but the typical range we’ve heard reported from certifiers is between 8 and 20 weeks. Again, this is an excellent question to ask of potential certifiers.
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Dear Organic Producer,
I have seen this answered before on many discussion boards, but I need to get your input: If one certifier has problems certifying a producer, can the producer search out different certifier to take their place? What seperates one certifier from another?
--Mike Hanson
Dear Mike,
Some of what we said in the previous letter addresses your question, too, but there can be more to it. The short answer is “Yes, a producer can get certified by a different certifier.” What you mean by “…has problems…” is important here. If it just that certifier A can’t get an inspector out to do the farm inspection or can’t come to a certification decision in a timeframe that fits your needs, that’s no problem. Any producer can surrender his or her certification at any time. If certifier A has issued a non-compliance to the producer however, it’s a little more complicated, but not impossible. In that case, the producer is required to notify certifier B (as part of the application process) of the outstanding non-compliance issued by certifier A and provide evidence and documentation that the prior non-compliance has been resolved or has otherwise become inapplicable. This notice and resolution is mandated in the standards.
What separates one certifier from another is a short question with very long answers. The central differences tend to revolve around the following concerns:
• Ability to service their certified operators…this includes timeliness, accuracy, and understanding of the standards themselves.
• Ability to provide direction and clarification to their clients.
• In-office staff that can provide answers to regulatory, crop production, and organizational questions.
• Fee structure that is realistic, sustainable, and fair.
• Understanding of the crops, conditions, and markets.
• Philosophy, mission and intention of the organization to help producers be organic and sustainable.
Like any relationship, its often not one or two things that make it work or make it fail—it’s the basic fit between the producer and the certifier that influences the outcome little by little. How well do you communicate? Do you have the same expectations? Are you working toward the same goal? Are you a good team? Do you have a future together?
Are you happy?
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