Vegetable Crops

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Vegetable Crops PLSC 451/551 Lesson 9, Organic
Principles, Certification

• Instructor
• Stephen L. Love
• Aberdeen R E Center
• 1693 S 2700 W
• Aberdeen, ID 83210
• Phone [phone] Fax [phone]
• Email slove_at_uidaho.edu

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Organic Vegetable Production

• What is Organic Production?

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Organic Vegetable Production

• What is Organic Production?
• Common definition
• Production of food crops without the use of
  synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, hormones,
  antibiotics, or growth regulators.

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Organic Vegetable Production

• What is Organic Production?
• Legal definition
• Production of food under a certification system
  based on the regulations and standards
  established by the USDA National Organic Program.

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Organic Vegetable Production

• What is Organic Production?
• Marketing organic
• The terms organic or USDA organic are
  trademarked and owned by USDA/NOP and can be used
  in marketing only with permission via the
  certification process

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Organic Vegetable Production

• What is Organic Production?
• Includes a marketing strategy that takes
  advantage of current public attitudes toward
  health and environmental sustainability
• Excellent option for gardeners or truck croppers
  who are looking for marketing and pricing
  advantages

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Organic Vegetable Production

• Is organic production based on sound principles
  and procedures?
• See the article by Elizabeth Finkel
• Lecture 9 supplement Organic Foods Exposed,
  Finkel
• Pdf on the Veg Crops web site

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Organic Marketing
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Organic Vegetable Production

• Advantages
• Increasing market demand
• Higher pricing structure (gt20)
• Safe worker conditions
• Disadvantages
• Difficult to maintain product quality
• High cost of production
• High labor requirements
• Complex certification/registration procedures

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Organic Vegetable Production

• Producer trends
• Increasing demand is causing a change in the
  traditional concept of organic farm shift
  toward large-scale, corporate production

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Organic Vegetable Production

• Producer trends
• Increasing demand is causing a change in the
  traditional concept of organic farm shift
  toward large-scale, corporate production

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Organic Production Principles

1. Operations based on long-term plans
2. Certification and registration as organic
3. Organic integrity -utilize only products approved
   by NOS
4. Sustainable soil management
5. Preventative strategies for pest and weed
   control
6. Integrated farming plans that promote
   sustainability

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Organic Certification

• Requirements for certification
• Include the following
• Intended practices and procedures frequency of
  use
• Soil management strategies
• List of substances used, sources, composition,
  availability
• Description of monitoring techniques
• Record keeping procedures
• Buffer zones strategies with non-organic
  producers

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Organic Certification

• Requirements for certification
• Income-based requirement for certification
• Producers with gross income lt5,000 are exempt
• Small producers can still market as organic
  (label restrictions)
• Must still adhere to NOS standards

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Organic Certification

• Certification Application
• Identify the appropriate NOP approved
  certification agency (most states have one or
  more agencies)
• Obtain application materials
• Develop a certifiable organic production plan
• Identify and work with the appropriate inspector
• Meet transitional requirements (3 year history)
• Schedule farm and plan inspections
• Complete and submit an Organic Production Plan

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Organic Certification

• Transitional Process (3 years)
• Document long-term farm history
• Show plans to maintain organic integrity
• Meet exclusionary terms for non-approved
  materials
• Supply a long-term soil management plan
• Establish buffers with non-organic producers
• Keep appropriate production records
• Avoid application of non-approved materials

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Organic Certification

• Certification Details
• Certification must be renewed each year
• Inspections are completed annually
• Changes in operational procedures must be
  approved
• Exemptions must be approved prior to utilization
• Some states also require annual registration with
  a separate organization that controls organic
  marketing

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Organic Integrity

• Approved products
• Organically certified seed and transplants
• Animal or plant-based, non-synthetic nutrient
  sources
• Organic-based compounds with fungicidal,
  insecticidal, and herbicidal properties
• NOS approved and banned product lists
• www.ams.usda.gov/nop/NationalList/ListHome.html

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Sustainable Soil Management

• Maintenance of soil fertility and health
• Crop rotations
• Soil testing
• Use of
• Manures
• Cover crops
• Green manures
• Composts
• Supplemental organic fertilizer sources

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Pest Prevention Strategies

• Diseases
• Cropping site selection
• Use of resistant crop varieties
• Crop rotations
• Use of disease free seed and transplants
• Crop production and management techniques
  (spacing, mulching, roguing, sanitation, etc)

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Pest Prevention Strategies

• Insects
• Beneficial insect maintenance
• Row covers
• Trap crops
• Intercropping
• Sanitation
• Organic pesticides

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Pest Prevention Strategies

• Weeds
• Land selection
• Crop rotation
• Use of mulches
• Frequent and consistent cultivation
• Improving crop competitiveness
• Drip irrigation
• Weed prevention compounds

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Sustainability

• Definition
• Use of crop production practices that utilize
  local renewable resources, create stable farming
  operations, protect the environment, and meet the
  concerns of consumer safety
• Does truly sustainable exist?

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Sustainability

• Components of agricultural sustainability
• ecologically sound, economically viable,
  socially just, culturally appropriate and based
  on a holistic scientific approach
• NGO Sustainable Agriculture Treaty, Global Forum
  at Rio de Janeiro, June 1-15, 1992

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Sustainability

• Components of agricultural sustainability
• preserves biodiversity, maintains soil
  fertility and water purity, conserves and
  improves the chemical, physical and biological
  qualities of the soil, recycles natural resources
  and conserves energy
• NGO Sustainable Agriculture Treaty, Global Forum
  at Rio de Janeiro, June 1-15, 1992

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Sustainability

• Components of agricultural sustainability
• uses locally available renewable resources,
  appropriate and affordable technologies and
  minimizes the use of external and purchased
  inputs
• NGO Sustainable Agriculture Treaty, Global Forum
  at Rio de Janeiro, June 1-15, 1992

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Sustainability

• Components of agricultural sustainability
• respects the ecological principles of diversity
  and interdependence and uses the insights of
  modern science to improve rather than displace
  the traditional wisdom
• NGO Sustainable Agriculture Treaty, Global Forum
  at Rio de Janeiro, June 1-15, 1992

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Success Choice of Location

• Features of a good organic location
• Accessible to profitable markets
• Land with appropriate isolation
• Good soil
• Access to a source of clean water
• Historically free of serious pest and weed
  problems

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Success Crop Choice

• Choosing crops to grow
• Market preferences
• Profitability
• Competitiveness
• Fertility requirements
• Potentially difficult production problems

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Success Crop Choice

• Ease of organic production by crop
• Pumpkin Easy Occasional insects
• Snap bean Easy Root and pod diseases
• Tomatoes Medium Insects and diseases
• Onion Medium Fertility, insects, weeds
• Broccoli Difficult Fertility and insects
• Sweet corn Difficult Fertility and insects
• (dependent on climate and geographical location)

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Successful - Marketing

• Marketing organically-produced vegetables
• Wholesale vs retail
• Individual direct marketing
• Establishment of a CSA (http//www.localharvest.or
  g/csa/ )
• Cooperatives and farmers market organizations
• Matching demand and supply
• Extending the marketing season (off-season)

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Marketing roadside stand
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Marketing Establishing a CSA operation
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Marketing farmers market
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Marketing specialty grocers
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Marketing chain stores
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Marketing organic cooperatives
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