The Rural Voice, 2002-05, Page 55Advice
Organic farming: how to I get started?
By Hugh Martin
Organic Crop Production Lead
Many growers have heard about
great opportunities in organic
production with markets growing 20-
25 per cent per year and price
premiums of 25-100 per cent. But
where do you start? Where do you
get more information?
OMAFRA has a factsheet that
gives some basic definitions and a
list of associations and websites of
general interest. Organic Farming in
Ontario - OMAFRA order number
01-027 or it is on the Internet at
http://www.gov.on.ca/OMAFRA/eng
lish/crops/facts/01-027.htm.
To learn more about organic
farming growers need to build
connections in the organic sector. For
general information, the Ecological
Farmers Association of Ontario is a
good organization to join. Another
good general organization is the
Canadian Organic Growers. Both
organizations have regular
newsletters included in their
membership fetes. The annual organic
conference at Guelph is held on the
last weekend of January and is also
an excellent place to network and
learn more about the organic industry
in Canada.
All stores, processing and export
markets will require the organic
product they buy to be certified.
Organic certification gives assurance
to your customers that you are
following the accepted standards of
organic production. Processors also
need to be certified.
The National Standard of Canada
- Organic Agriculture (CAN/CGSB-
32.310-99) was passed in 1999 and is
the official standard of Canada. This
has been adopted by all organic
certification agencies in Canada as
the minimum standard for organic
product in Canada. OCPP/Pro-Cert
has been accredited to this standard
by the Standards Council of Canada.
OCPP (Organic Crop Producers and
Processors, Inc) and OCIA (Organic
Crop Improvement Association,
Ontario) are the two largest
certification bodies operating in
Ontario. OCPP is a Canadian based
fee for Service Company and OCIA
is a membership -based organization
with chapters across North America
and the world. QAI (Quality
Assurance International is based in
the USA and certifies mostly
processing operations, ECOCERT is
a certification body from Europe, and
OFI (Organic Forum International)
also certifies some products in
Ontario.
The production standards for
OCPP, OCIA and QAI are posted on
their website and can serve as a
reference for those wanting more
information on how to grow organic
crops. This standard also includes a
permitted materials list, and indicates
which crop inputs are allowed to be
used on organic farms. Another
website at www.omri.org also gives
some of this type of information.
Organic product requires 36
months prior to harvest with only
inputs that are permitted in .organic
production. Some certification bodies
(CB) require inspection during Year
1 or Year 2 of the transition period.
Fees will vary between certification
bodies (generally $500-1000 per
year). Most standards have very
similar principles but they are not
identical. Another variable is the
accreditation that each certification
body has outside Canada. Make sure
to ask what your market requires and
what your certification body offers.
The steps to becoming certified
organic are:
1. Learn all you can about organic
and your commodities
2. Start the transition of your
fields/farm
3. Select the most appropriate
certification body
4. Apply for certification (in year
or earlier if required by CB)
5. Certification body sends out an
inspector (annually)
6. Receive certification
7. Market certified crop
For markets within Ontario. stores
usually accept any of the popular
certification programs. Growers
should always know their market
requirements. Organic markets want
quality product and good supply.0
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MAY 2002 51