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Organic Certification, Farm Production Planning, and Marketing

Laura Tourte, Mark Gaskell, Richard Smith, Calvin Fouche, Steven Koike and, Jeff Mitchell (2006)

Summary

This fact sheet addresses the fact that organic agricultural operations have special needs for production, planning, and management beyond those of conventional farms because of limitations imposed by the terms of organic registration and certification. New legislation may eventually establish nationwide standards that will require certification by a USDA-approved certifying agency. At present, registration is a legal requirement and certification is a private process independent of government and used by growers and marketers to maintain the integrity of the organic product.