Driving down the county road, you admire the beauty of the end of summer morning. As you near your organic fields the dew is starting to fade as the summer sun beats down. Stepping out of your truck on the cool brisk morning there is a difference in your field’s appearance. Leaves are curled upward […]
Certification
STOP! Don’t sell or market your product as organic until you take these important steps:
Learn when you can start selling your processed products as organic.
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Organic Assistance Through the USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA)
Producers of agricultural commodities have many resources and programs at their disposal, one of them being the Farm Service Agency (FSA). Since the 1930s, FSA has provided invaluable support to America’s agriculture producers. The Farm Service Agency (FSA) supports farms and farming communities with programs including disaster relief, conservation programs, commodity price guarantee programs, and […]
Apply Today! 2021 Organic Cost Share Program
As summer winds down and we start to look toward fall, there is one important deadline to remember: The application deadline for Organic Certification Cost Share Program (OCCSP) is November 1, 2021! On August 17, 2021 the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that organic producers and handlers can submit their applications for cost share […]
Mexico Trade Update: Take Action Now for Exports in 2022!
Starting January 1, 2022, organic products exported to Mexico will need to have LPO certification. As you may have heard, in December of 2020 the Mexican government published new import requirements for organic products entering Mexico. These new requirements state that all organic products entering Mexico must be certified to Mexico’s LPO standards or come […]
Comment Period Open: NOP Origin of Livestock Proposed Rule
On May 12, the AMS National Organic Program (NOP) will announce in a Federal Register Notice the reopening of the public comment period for the Origin of Livestock proposed rule originally published in 2015. The comment period will be open for 60 days: May 12 – July 12, 2021. The Origin of Livestock Notice proposes […]
Making “Natural” Claims? Proceed with Caution!
OneCert has become aware of some recent lawsuits targeting organic products that falsely make a “natural” claim. In recent years there have been many lawsuits and FTC complaints over the use of “all natural” or “100% natural claims” claims, when in fact, the product contains synthetic ingredients. For examples, see this 2016 FTC blog post: […]
Global Textile Certification by OneCert
Did you know that OneCert also certifies textile products? OneCert has been certifying to the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) since 2008 and has since added certification to a group of other textile standards owned by Textile Exchange. Although we still certify textile operations in the US, the accreditation for these programs is now maintained […]
United States Streamlines Organic Trade with Taiwan
The USDA has announced a new U.S.-Taiwan equivalence arrangement, effective May 30, 2020, that streamlines organic trade with Taiwan. The arrangement allows organic products certified in the United States or Taiwan to be sold as organic in either market. It also protects access for American organic farmers, ranchers, and businesses to this significant export market. Taiwan […]
Preparing Your Records for Inspection in The Covid-19 Era
While the organic record-keeping requirements for certified operations aren’t likely to change any time soon, the way organic operations are asked to present their records may be–at least temporarily. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the USDA’s National Organic Program (NOP) office emphasizes that annual organic inspections must go on, though certifying agencies have been asked to […]