Steps to organic certification detailed at conference

By MONETTE TAYLOR | South Central Texas Edition

Dr. Bart Drees (left) talked with Bouche Mickey, Fort Bend County Extension agent for urban development, during a break at the conference. Mickey was one of the event's coordinators. -Staff photo by Taylor

February 20, 2003 -- After attending the recent Gulf Coast Vegetable Conference in Rosenburg, gardeners hoping to raise organic crops came away with a cornucopia of information.

Many folks have ideas of what organic products are, and how to become a producer. Yet, between certifications from the National Organic Standards/Program and the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) Organic Certification Program, you've got to be on your toes, well-read, and aware of all the new rules and regulations, if you want to be a "certified organic farm" producer.

TDA's Dudley Allen, along with Dr. Bart Drees, Texas A&M professor and Extension entomologist, presented a history of organic gardening in Texas and how it has progressed in the past 16 years.

"In 1987, TDA formed an 18-member task force. The reason being, we had retailers who were interested in selling organic, but they were questioning how authentic the stuff out there on the market really was," Allen explained.

Between 1988-'92, Allen said farmers, retailers and consumers were on a "volunteer" program. If each believed they were practicing "organic gardening," then it must be so.

In 1993, the 73rd Texas Legislature "codified" House Bill 2446, moving the states organic certification program from a voluntary program to a program which mandated in-state and out-of-state producers, processors and distributors to be certified by TDA or an accredited organic certifying agent.

Texas became the first state to have a certified organic program, said Allen, and Oklahoma, Maryland and Idaho have adopted identical programs.

"In '90, the federal government implemented an Organic Food Production Act that authorized the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to establish the National Organic Program," said Allen.

Following that action, in 1998, national standards were proposed, and in 2000, USDA adopted the rules. The standards took affect April 21, 2001, and were fully implemented in Texas in the following 18 months.

Texas organically grown crops include wheat, corn, rice, soybeans, mungbeans, pintos and many other peas and beans. Also, sesame, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, citrus, peaches, plums, apples and melons are certified crops. Finally, pecans, peanuts, vegetables, herbs, aloe vera, mushrooms, sprouts and wildflower and grass seeds are included, as well.

In the near future, TDA has plans to make certification available for production and processing of livestock, including beef, pork, poultry and dairy, according to handouts from TDA.

If a producer is thinking of starting an organic farm, he should, first, get in touch with a TDA representative and discuss the necessary procedures in order to be certified. There is a very definite process, and as of today, it is continuing to change to keep up with USDA rulings.

According to TDA, the Organic Certification Program "certifies crops produced under an organic farming system. That is, a system of ecological soil management that relies on building humus levels through crop rotations, recycling organic wastes and applying balanced mineral amendments."

All of this means lots of planning, written documentation, and applications by the producer, and on-site interviews/tours by TDA. It is not a simple process, but one that must be adhered to in order to obtain organic certification.

Producers who have satisfied all requirements for certification must have a three-year period where the land farmed is free of disallowed products, or they can only claim to be "transitional" producers.

Finally, to obtain full certification from TDA and USDA, producers will need to be on top of documentation and record keeping, requirements for soil, weed, insect pest, and disease management, and the producer or farm manager needs to have a "thorough knowledge of organic standards and certification procedures," says TDA.

So, if you are still interested in becoming a certified organic producer of various products, your work is cut out. All organic certification begins with TDA in Austin, and the chief contact there is Leslie McKinnon, coordinator for Organic Certification (phone 512-475-1641 or by e-mail at organic@agr.state.tx.us).

"If you're going to use the term 'organic', with regard to food crop production, you need to be very careful with what you claim to be 'organic' or not!" said Drees.

(More information online is found at the National Organic Program and National Organic Standards website, www.ams.usda.gov/nop, or on TDA's website, www.agr.state.tx.us.)