The due date for producer renewals is March 15th! Have you submitted?
The new year is going fast, but we are off to a great start and can’t wait to help meet your organic certification needs again this year. Annual updates are due next week for all existing OneCert clients certified for Crops, Livestock and Wild Crops.
If your operation is certified to one of these scopes, and you haven’t already submitted your updates, consider this your reminder to send them in next week! This article covers a few new forms, tidbits, and reminders to help you meet this deadline.
The primary renewal document is the Annual Update Form (AUF). This was sent to you as a PDF document this year (unless you have requested a paper packet). See the included instructions document for tips and tricks to edit the PDF form. Make sure you include all authorized contacts in the AUF and utilize the checklist on pages 3-5 to help you determine which forms need to be returned to OneCert. Don’t leave any blanks!
We changed a few forms this year to ensure we are collecting necessary information and to make things easier for you to update each year. Some items to note include:
- Fee Schedule – Despite significant increases to inspection costs, we have tried to keep our fees as affordable as possible. Remember that the USDA has Cost Share funding available to help offset certification costs, too! (Find more information here.) You can go ahead and send your payment with your renewal or wait to get an invoice from OneCert once we receive your packet. Be sure to indicate your organic sales in the AUF form to facilitate the invoicing process.
- Crops Organic System Plan (OSP) – New questions were added including a table for packaging on page 13, and table for storage locations on page 15. Packaging and storage were previously reported on the Equipment List, but now need to be included in these sections of the OSP.
- Off-Site Storage Affidavit – NEW form to collect information about leased/off site storage locations. This should be completed for any storage locations in use that are owned and/or managed by an uncertified entity.
- Synthetic Methionine Calculation Worksheet – NEW form for verifying the amount of synthetic methionine fed to organic poultry. If you are certified for poultry, make sure to include this in your packet!
- Excel Lists: The Annual Field Plan (AFP), Field History (FH), Equipment List (EL) and Organic Seed & Planting Stock Search (SPAS) forms are being sent to you this year in Microsoft Excel format. The information being requested has not changed. Each form is also available in PDF format upon request. Please reach out if you need some assistance.
Do you have new crops or new fields to add this year? If so, be sure to list them on page 5 of your AUF and include estimated harvest dates to help us prioritize and plan for inspections.
Review your current Inputs List and complete the “Client Use Only” checkboxes to identify products that are in use or that need to be removed, etc. Note that if you wish to use an input that is NOT listed here, you need to submit an Input Request Form with supporting documentation (like labels and SDS sheets). These can be submitted with your renewal, or at any time throughout the year.
If you are certified for Livestock, don’t forget to include the Livestock List, which is required every year. We also wanted to give you a heads up that National Organic Program (NOP) is focusing on certain types of Livestock operations this year and requiring some changes from certifiers. OneCert will be making some additional procedure and form updates throughout the year to address this NOP directive, so please keep an eye out for communication on this front throughout the certification cycle.
Have you heard about the Real Organic Project (ROP)? OneCert is partnering with the Real Organic Project to distinguish soil-grown and pasture-raised products under the USDA seal. If you are interested in learning more, be sure to check that box in your AUF so we can connect you with the ROP team.
Ready to submit? Send everything to info@onecert.com if you are submitting virtually, or mail paper packets to 2124 Y ST, STE 208, Lincoln, NE 68503. If you have an extremely large number of documents to submit, call or email us and we can provide a link to a Dropbox upload folder.
Last minute questions? Need a little more time? Reach out to us at 402-420-6080 or info@onecert.com!