Organic Certification

Organic certification verifies that your farm or handling facility complies with the USDA organic regulations. Once you are certified, you can sell, label, and represent your products as organic. These regulations describe the specific standards required for you to use the word “organic” or the USDA organic seal on food, feed, or fiber products.

What can be certified?

The USDA organic regulations recognize four categories of organic products:

• Crops: A plant that is grown to be harvested as food, livestock feed, fiber, or used to add nutrients to the field.
• Livestock: Animals that can be used for food or in the production of food, fiber, or feed.
• Processed products: Items that have been handled and packaged (i.e. chopped carrots) or combined, processed, and packaged (i.e. soup).
• Wild crops: Plants from a growing site that is not cultivated.

Explore the organic option

• Benefits of Organic Certification
• Do I Need to Be Certified Organic?

Learn how to get started

• View How to Become Certified

Resources

• Regulatory References. Certified organic operations need to follow these rules and policies.
• USDA Organic Seal. Learn about the legal use of the organic seal. Access print and web versions.
• Tip Sheets on Organic Standards. Access easy-to-follow, field-ready resources that provide key information on the organic rules, in both English and Spanish.
• Tip Sheets: Organic Certification Guidelines. Learn about guidelines for organic certification of dairy, poultry, and crops production.
• USDA Organic Portal. Access a variety of funding options, conservation programs, and other programs and services for the organic sector.