Regulations
Certifying
Agencies
ORGANIC CERTIFICATION-LEGALITIES
AND LOGISTICS
In 1990, the U.S. Congress passed the Organic Food Production Act (OFPA).
This law was heralded by many as the first U.S. law established to regulate
a system of farming. This law can be accessed through the website http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop/indexNet.htm.
OFPA requires that anyone selling products as "organic" must
follow a set of prescribed practices that include avoidance of synthetic
chemicals in crop and livestock production, and in the manufacturing of
processed products. Organic certification agencies became established
in the U.S. to deal with a required "third-party certification."
States, including Iowa, followed suit and established their own organic
laws. Iowa passed Chapter 190 in 1990, which defined organic as above,
and established penalties for producers falsely identifying their products
as organic. Iowa allows private certification agencies to operate in the
state, as well as their own state of Iowa certification program, which
will be available in 2000. This system is in contrast to the state of
California, for example, which relies on California Certified Organic
Farmers (CCOF-a private certifier) and the state of Washington, which
requires that all farmers be certified through the state. Inspection fees
average $250 per year per farm to support the independent inspection structure.
Additional fees are based on sales or individual acreage, depending upon
the agency.
Proposed rules, implementing
the federal OFPA law, were promulgated in 1997 after seven years of revisions.
Unfortunately, these rules did not meet the criteria set forth by the
private certification agencies, and are once again, in the revision phase,
with an anticipated delivery date of 2001. Federal rules will require
that all farmers who gross more than $5,000 per year from organic sales
must be certified through an agency accredited with the USDA National
Organic Program (NOP). The "small
farmer exemption" allows for small-scale producers to receive the
benefits of premium prices (provided produce is raised organically) while
avoiding certification fees. This allowance may change in the future,
however, and all farmers are encouraged to join a certifying association
to participate in the benefits of sharing information among members.
CERTIFICATION
AGENCIES practicing in Iowa include the following:
Organic Crop Improvement Association (OCIA) International (World Headquarters)
6400 Cornhusker Hwy
Suite 125
Lincoln, Nebraska 68507-3160 USA
Phone: 402-477-2323
Fax: 402-477-4325
Email info@ocia.org
http://www.ocia.org/
OCIA United States (Regional)
Loti Tvrdy
6400 Cornhusker Hwy
Suite 125
Lincoln, Nebraska 68507-3160 USA
Phone: 402-477-2323
Fax: 402-477-4325
Email: ltvrdy@ocia.org
LOCAL OCIA CHAPTERS:
OCIA of Iowa Chapter 1, Inc.
Wilma Miles
6534 220th St
Arthur, IA 51431-8007
Phone: 712-367-2442
Fax: 712-367-2342
Email: ociaia1@netins.net
http://www.ocia.org/Contact%20Us/Chapters_USA.html
OCIA Iowa Chapter 2
Leon Kruse
1011 County Road W 14
Fort Atkinson, IA 52144-7122
Phone: 563-534-7396
http://www.ocia.org/Contact%20Us/Chapters_USA.html
Southeast Iowa Organic Association-Iowa Chapter 3
Rita Smith
31396 190th St
Bonaparte, IA 52620-9725
Phone: 319-592-3266
Email: smitfarm@netins.net
http://www.ocia.org/Contact%20Us/Chapters_USA.html
North Iowa Organics Association
Janet Pratt
2410 Asherton Ave
Nashua, IA 50658-9427
Phone: 641-435-2156
Email: janetp@fiai.net
http://www.ocia.org/Contact%20Us/Chapters_USA.html
Farm Verified Organic, Inc.
R.R. 1, Box 40A
Medina, ND 58467
Phone: 701-486-3578
Fax: 701-486-3580
Email: farmvo@daktel.com
http://www.ics-intl.com/
Midwest Organic Services Association, Inc. (MOSA)
PO Box 821 / 122 West Jefferson Street
Viroqua, WI 54665
Phone: 608-637-2526
Fax: 608-637-7032
Email: mosa@mosaorganic.org
http://www.mosaorganic.org/
Quality Assurance International (QAI)
Ellen Holton
9191 Towne Centre Dr Ste 510
San Diego, CA, 92122-1231
Phone: (858) 792-3531 x 115
1-800-792-3531
Fax: (858) 792-8665
Email: qai@qai-inc.com
http://www.qai-inc.com
California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF)
1115 Mission Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Phone: (831) 423-2263
Fax: (831) 423-4528
Email: ccof@ccof.org
http://www.ccof.org/
Oregon Tilth
470 Lancaster Dr. NE
Salem, Oregon 97301
Phone: (503) 378-0690
Fax: (503) 378-0809
Email: organic@tilth.org
http://www.tilth.org/
STATE OF IOWA
ORGANIC CERTIFICATION PROGRAM
The Iowa Department of Agriculture & Land Stewardship (IDALS) offers a state organic certification program. Farmers may elect to use the state program in place of, or in conjunction with, their private certifier. The state program has the same rules and a similar fee structure as private certification agencies operating in Iowa.
Contact: Maury Wills, IDALS Organic Program
Telephone: 515-281-5783.
Email: maury.wills@idals.state.ia.us
http://www.agriculture.state.ia.us/agdiv/organic.htm
|
