Thinking about organic certification for your farm? Many farmers are giving it serious consideration:
1) organic crops receive premium pricing
2) minimizes chemical use
3) preservation of biodiversity
4) healthier soil
5) ecological benefits
6) precursor to healthier foods for consumers.
You can visit the USDA/NOP (National Organic Program) web site to learn what's involved. Easy-peasy: find a certifier (they'll give you a list), draft your OSP (organic system plan) fill out the application, send it in, get inspected, bingo! Yeah... right. This is the federal government we're talking about, the same people that said they would simplify your income tax forms. They outsource compliance certification to independent certifiers that each have their own way of doing things and their own small mountain of paperwork.
Then... you have to keep all that paperwork, dozens of pages, up-to-date (at least monthly, more often weekly), you have to do seed searches, document how you handle manure, what and how you feed your livestock, how you clean your equipment, yada, yada, yada. There is also the issue of marketing your crops and products because "organic is different". There must be a better way, and there is... Organic Xpress.
The first step is to learn if organic certification is right for your farm and your family, revenue, profit, and social goals, the focus must be on you.
We meet with you at your farm to discuss organic certification and what it entails, both in the short and long terms.
We do NOT charge for the initial consultation, so why not give us a call?
1. We meet with you to draft your Organic System Plan (OSP) and supporting documents.
Consultation Request Form. After you sign-on as a new client we work closely with you to develop your conventional-to-organic transition plan.
2. We contact the certifier and prepare and submit the application for you.
3. We work with the certifier to keep your data current and solve problems as needed.
4. We meet with the organic inspector for your on-site annual inspection.
5. We follow up after the inspection to address any issues the certifier has.
6. We can help you development marketing and business development plans.
7. We can help you with regulatory compliance with your state regulatory agencies.
From initial document submittal, to scheduled inspections, to unannounced inspections, to letters from the certifier or USDA, we look out for your interests.
We mean it when we say "you farm, we handle the paperwork". Farming is hard enough without having to deal with government agencies. Refer letters and phone calls to us, it's what you pay us for.
We will also help you by interfacing between you and your state regulatory agencies. We're NOT lawyers, so we cannot represent you in court. But we can represent you, or at the very least, help you with state and local regulatory agencies.
Organic is different. Marketing your crops and products in the organic marketplace is different than the conventional market.
We help you identify your market opportunities, create a marketing plan to efficiently reach those opportunities, and even help you with website development and deployment, Podcasting, and other non-traditional approaches to getting the most from your farm, dairy, or processing business.
Please take a few minutes to look through our website and contact us if you have any questions.