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New to organic certification or looking to become certified and not sure where to start?
You might find these FAQ topics most useful:


No, you cannot use lumber treated with arsenate or other prohibited materials for new installations or replacement purposes in contact with soil or livestock. You may use treated lumber on parts of your property that are not included in your certification, or in areas where the lumber will not contact soil or livestock.
Yes, transplants must be from certified organic sources. Growers must maintain certificates and invoices showing all annual transplants are certified organic.There are two situations in which transplants may come from nonorganic sources:Non-organically produced annual seedlings may be used to produce an organic crop when a temporary variance has been granted in accordance with 205.290(a)(2);Seeds…
To add a crop to your Organic System Plan (OSP) and Client Profile send the following to inbox@ccof.org: The parcel number where the crop is grown or planned to be grown The crop The crop acreage If you would like to submit more than one crop at once, use the…
Yes, as long as you use inputs, such as potting soil, pesticides and fertilizers, allowed under organic standards.  Treated wood is not allowed in contact with plants or soil.
Organic seed and planting stock must be used unless organic versions are not commercially available, with the exception that organic seed must always be used for production of edible sprouts. Commercial Availability is defined by the NOP as the ability to obtain a production input in an appropriate form, quality, or quantity to fulfill an essential function in a system of organic production or…
The land requirements for wild crops are the same as managed crops. Verification that the land has been free from prohibited substances for a period of three years prior to harvest of the wild crop is required. The OSP section, Grower Application - Parcel…
The NOP regulations do not have specific prescriptive requirements regarding distance for buffering your organic crop from potential contaminants. Prior to implementation of the NOP, 25 feet was used as a baseline for appropriate buffers. CCOF still uses this as a threshold of concern to guide our decision making process along with other mitigating factors such as physical barriers and…
U.S. farmers and ranchers, agricultural educators, and farmer-assistance organizations can get answers about specific farming practices from ATTRA. Ask an expert. Need outside help? CCOF cannot actively consult with our clients regarding organic certification compliance. We do offer a list of organic consultants and…
A wild crop is a plant or portion of a plant that is collected or harvested from a site that is not maintained under cultivation or other agricultural management. This means that in order for a crop to be considered wild it cannot be watered, fed, or otherwise managed. In order to certify a wild crop as organic it must be harvested in a manner that ensures that such harvesting or gathering will…
Potting soil, soil amendments, fertilizers, and pesticides/herbicides are not certified organic. These types of products are “approved for organic production” by agencies like the Organic Materials Review Institute or Washington State Department of Agriculture, who certify products to be allowed for use in organic production.…
Crops intended for human consumption and whose edible portion has direct contact with the soil surface or soil particles require a 120 day pre-harvest interval (PHI). A 90 day PHI is required for those crops whose edible portion does not come in contact with soil particles (i.e. orchard fruit). How the crop is grown and harvested with regards to soil contact will determine which pre-harvest…