Beginning Organic Inspection

Beginning Organic Inspection. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Line On Agriculture.

The Oregon Department of Agriculture can now begin inspecting organic production and handling operations to certify they meet national standards. ODA has six trained employees now ready to inspect and certify organic agriculture in the state. It now has a green light from the federal government.

HOBBS:  This is a way in which the Oregon Department of Agriculture can join 16 other states in providing organic certification to the national US Department of Agriculture organic program.

Oregon Department of Agriculture Assistant Director Dalton Hobbs says this is a response to the industry request that ODA get into the organic certification business. Some growers and packers say since ODA is already on site to provide other inspection and certification services, it makes sense for them to conduct organic audits too.

HOBBS:  We have the ability to be on the ground. We are in the communities daily. We are there 24/7, so to speak. We can provide a tremendous amount of efficiency to producers that like or prefer to have the Oregon Department of Agriculture provide that certification.

A bulk of the organic certification in the state will continue to be done through Oregon Tilth, a non-profit membership organization. But the growing organic agriculture industry in Oregon can now choose to receive service from a state agency as well. The certification will be the same as both assure compliance with the standards of the National Organic Program. Hobbs says ODA is getting into the organic certification business at the request of the industry, not because it wants to compete with other certifiers in the state.

HOBBS: Over the past few years, we've had significant interest expressed by fresh vegetable packers, fresh fruit packers in our program and our ability to offer national organic program certification.

Hobbs says the addition of ODA as an organic certifier is a reflection of the growth in organic agriculture in Oregon.

HOBBS: We've seen over the past decade significant growth- actually in double digits- the amount of acreage, the number of producers in the whole organic sector. Although it has slowed down a little bit, we believe there will be continued growth in this area and continued interest.

That’s today’s Line On Agriculture. I’m Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.