Organic Paperwork Is Not That Cumbersome
Jim Shrefler
OSU / WWAREC
Lane
Robert Stelle
Sunrise Acres
Blanchard
Why Keep Farm Records?
Drawbacks– Wastes time you could spend on
other activities– Potential for self incrimination?– More work and information to
keep track of
Why Keep Farm Records?
Benefits– Impress IRS and OTC auditors– Enable financial evaluation of
the farm operations– Saves time when you want to
know how something was done in the past
– Potential for legal defense– Necessary for careful farm
planning
Farm Record Keeping in General
Kinds of records– Financial and tax related– Land use, including weed and
disease incidence– Crop varieties and associated
market response, productivity, pest problems etc.
– Fertilizer & manure applications and soil test results
– Pesticide use, inventories, performance observations etc.
Do Record Keeping Requirements Vary for Different
Kinds of Farms?
Requirements may vary among farm types:- Conventional- Hobby / personal use- Certified Organic - Organic, but not Certified
Certified Organic Farming Requires ….
CommitmentPlanningTotal Farm Management Time / PatienceEffective Production PracticesAchieving Certification
Certified Organic Farming Requires ….
CommitmentPlanningTotal Farm Management Time / PatienceEffective Production PracticesAchieving Certification
Doing these things successfully requires the maintenance of suitable records!
Let’s Focus on Certified Organic Farming …. For What Will
Records Be Needed?
For Certification Purposes– Transition status– Initial Certification– Recertification
For Farm Profitability Purposes– Keeping crops productive– Being competitive at market– Financial stability of farm
Farm Certification
Initial Certification– 3 year process (+ / -)– Transition period
Recertification: The Yearly Maintenance of Certification
Record Keeping
Document that the operation is in compliance with the regulationsVerify the information provided to the certifying agentAccess to these records must be provided to authorized representatives of USDA, including the certifying agent.
Types of Information Needed
Materials applied during the previous 3 years, current year, & two years projectedOrganic crops/products being grown Organic plan, - practices and substances usedMonitoring practices to be performed to verify that the plan is effectively implementedDescription of record-keeping systemDescription of the practices to prevent co-mingling of organic and non-organic products
Lane Center Certifications
Initial Certification in Dec. 2005– Vegetable Project - Christmas trees– Meadow Area – Meadow for 10+ years
Yearly Maintenance of Certification– Recertified for 2007, 2008
Some close calls!
Organic Paperwork Is Not That Cumbersome
Jim Shrefler
OSU / WWAREC
Lane
Robert Stelle
Sunrise Acres
Blanchard
Why Keep Farm Records?Why Keep Farm Records?Producer’s Point of View Producer’s Point of View
Fill out re-certification form Fill out re-certification form
Answer questions during on-site Answer questions during on-site inspectioninspection
Make decisions about what to Make decisions about what to growgrow
Decide when to plant (to Decide when to plant (to schedule harvest)schedule harvest)
Make pricing decisions to Make pricing decisions to maximize profitsmaximize profits
Examples of Organic Records Examples of Organic Records
Seed research and purchaseSeed research and purchase
Planting (Crop rotation)Planting (Crop rotation)
Fertilizer applicationFertilizer application
Pest control applicationPest control application
Harvest dates and quantitiesHarvest dates and quantities
Sales quantities (not $$$)Sales quantities (not $$$)
Field Layouts Field Layouts Field F
Greenbeans
Carrots
Mustard GreensKaleBroccoli
Cauliflower
Cabbage
Peppers
Field E
Okra
Field D
Sweet Potatoes
Field A
Potatoes
TurnipsRadishes
Beets
Spinach
Field B
Garlic
Tomatoes
Cucumbers
Field C
Squash
Onions
Eggplant
SPRING 2005
Field Planting RecordField Planting Record
Date Field ABed Row Variety
acbacbacbacbacbacb
1
6
2
3
4
5
Certified Organic Farming Certified Organic Farming Records Require ….Records Require ….
A Notebook and a ShoeboxA Notebook and a ShoeboxNotebook is for Journal Notebook is for Journal Write down what you did each dayWrite down what you did each dayShoebox is for everything else..Shoebox is for everything else..Nice if in labeled folders: Seed invoices, Nice if in labeled folders: Seed invoices, Harvest records, etcHarvest records, etc
Additional Records We Keep For Additional Records We Keep For Transplant Growing OperationTransplant Growing Operation
Varieties grown this year Varieties grown this year
95 tomatoes95 tomatoes
51 peppers51 peppers
28 cool crops28 cool crops
40 other vegetables40 other vegetables
61 herbs 61 herbs
Labeling Scheme Lot NumbersLabeling Scheme Lot Numbers
SA for Sunrise AcresSA for Sunrise Acres
Alpha character for transplant class (T for Tomato, Alpha character for transplant class (T for Tomato, L for Heirloom Tomato, P for Pepper, V for Other L for Heirloom Tomato, P for Pepper, V for Other Vegetables, H for Herbs, C for Cool Season Vegetables, H for Herbs, C for Cool Season Vegetables)Vegetables)
One digit for Year (eg. 8 for 2008)One digit for Year (eg. 8 for 2008)
Two digits for item number on transplant listTwo digits for item number on transplant list
One digit for seeding One digit for seeding
Example: LOT# SAP8272 Example: LOT# SAP8272
Sunrise Acres, Pepper, grown in 2008, Carmen Sunrise Acres, Pepper, grown in 2008, Carmen (#27 on list), 2nd seeding(#27 on list), 2nd seeding Carmen Hybrid
Sweet Pepper75-80 daysLOT# SAP8272
Hope to see you at the tourHope to see you at the tour