Vermont Organic Farmers, LLC - Overview of the Certification Process
What can be certified?
Any agricultural product grown or processed in Vermont following USDA National Organic Program Standards can be certified. At this time, VOF only certifies farms and food processing operations in Vermont.
VOF does not accept applications for organic certification of the following items:
- Non-agricultural products (fertilizer, compost, livestock health care products, water)
- Soil-less or hydroponic production of edible crops to a harvestable stage
All types and scales of operation are welcome. Organic production and handling operations whose gross income from sales of organic product are less that $5000 annually are exempt from certification. However, these operations must comply with National Organic Program Standards.
Application
Every year an organic producer fills out an application (also called an organic production plan) and submits this to Vermont Organic Farmers for review. On the application, the producer answers questions regarding their methods of production. In addition, the organic producer must provide actual records that chart all activities from the previous year. Please refer to the VOF Guidelines Sheets for the types of records required.
Applications are available through the VOF office. Please call the office to discuss the standards with our staff. After contacting the office, we will send you the appropriate application (maple, field crop, vegetable, livestock, or processing) to complete.
Inspection
After the application has been reviewed, an inspector will set up a time to visit the farm or facility to complete a report. The inspector is an independent consultant, with farming background, who has completed an extensive training with the Independent Organic Inspectors Association. The job of the inspector is to verify that what is written on the application is accurate. The inspector will tour the farm or facility and will also do a thorough audit of the producer’s records. The producer should expect the inspection to take from 2-4 hours depending on the size of the operation.
After the inspector completes their report, VOF will review it and send the applicant a letter that states any non-compliances that need to be resolved. If the standards are met, the applicant is sent a certificate that verifies they are Certified Organic. The application and inspection must be completed every year, as certification is an annual process.