Organic Recordkeeping 101 for Growers

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Event Date
August 08, 2018

Well-designed recordkeeping systems can facilitate sound farm management, reduce stress, promote farm sustainability, and track organic products from start to finish. Join the CCOF Foundation and the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) for a webinar that reviews USDA organic regulations related to recordkeeping requirements for crop producers. We will highlight practical recordkeeping methods to meet your farm’s needs for organic certification. This webinar is ideal for farmers interested becoming certified organic, growers new to organic certification, or certified organic producers seeking to improve their recordkeeping systems.

Recordkeeping systems that are well-adapted to one’s operation can be an advantage for growers who are committed to organic practices. Even experienced farmers may need ways to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their methods. Records need to be sufficiently detailed, yet practical to keep. This webinar will provide a framework to help you develop recordkeeping systems that meet USDA regulations for certified organic crop production that are well-adapted and unique to your operation. Maintaining organic recordkeeping can also help you understand your operation’s productivity and profitability. Accurate records support your capacity to make good management decisions, file tax returns, obtain crop insurance, or apply for loans. 

Ann Baier, sustainable agriculture specialist at NCAT, will review both the what and the how of recordkeeping needed to comply with organic regulations. She will discuss key information to track, including documenting inputs coming onto the farm (e.g. seeds, planting stock, and soil fertility/pest management materials); records of on-farm management practices (e.g. monitoring and management of soil, natural resources, and pests); and details of organic products leaving the farm (e.g. field of origin, quantity, and destination). Baier will highlight examples of forms and templates to make the on-farm portion of your recordkeeping easier and more complete. Then, see real-life examples of organic recordkeeping in action from Daniel Parson, the farmer-educator at the Oxford Organic Farm in Oxford, Georgia. Time will be reserved for questions from the audience.

About Our Speakers

Ann Baier is an organic and sustainable agriculture specialist with the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT), working with the ATTRA Project, also known as the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service. She has also worked as an organic inspector for CCOF and other certifiers since 2000, inspecting organic farms, livestock operations, and processing facilities to National Organic Program and international organic standards. She served four years on the board of directors of the International Organic Inspectors Association (IOIA), whose mission is to promote consistency and integrity in the organic certification process. Baier helped develop Organic System Plan templates for CCOF, the Montana Department of Agriculture Organic Program, and the USDA National Organic Program. Baier holds a bachelor of arts degree in biology from Lewis and Clark College and master’s degree in international agriculture development with specialization in agronomy from the University of California, Davis. She has lived and worked with farmers in Central and South America, as well as the Salinas and Central Valleys of California.  

Daniel Parson serves as the farmer educator at the Oxford Organic Farm at Oxford College, one of Emory University’s undergraduate schools located in Oxford, Georgia. He has more than 15 years of organic farming experience in addition to holding a bachelor’s degree in biology and a master’s degree in plant and environmental science from Clemson University. Prior to managing the Oxford Organic Farm, Parson ran his own farm, Parson Produce, near Clinton, South Carolina. He also served as farm manager at the Clemson University Student Organic Farm at the Calhoun Field Laboratory in Clemson, South Carolina and at Gaia Gardens in Decatur, Georgia.

About Our Partners

National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) is a private nonprofit organization established in 1976 that has been serving economically disadvantaged people by providing information and access to appropriate technologies that can help improve their lives. NCAT manages projects sustainable and renewable energy, sustainable community development, sustainable agriculture through the ATTRA project.

California FarmLink links independent farmers and ranchers to the land and financing they need for a sustainable future.

USDA RMA: This webinar is funded in partnership by USDA, Risk Management Agency (RMA), under award number RM17RMEPP522C037.