USDA is an equal opportunity employer and provider.

USDA National Organic Program Agricultural Marketing Service May 2015

Farmers markets and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) 

operations are great places for customers interested in locally 

sourced products to find and purchase organic products. Many of 

these consumers appreciate knowing how and where the products 

that they purchase were grown, and the organic certification 

status of the farmers.

Farmers and vendors who use the word “organic” to describe their 

products or practices in the marketplace must comply with the 

USDA organic regulations. The Organic Foods Production Act 

(OFPA) states that no person may affix a label to, or provide other 

marketing information concerning, an agricultural product if that 

label or information implies, directly or indirectly, that such 

product is produced and handled using organic methods, except in 

accordance with the OFPA. 

Most farms and business that grow, handle, or process organic 

products must be certified. The only exception is for producers 

and handlers that sell less than $5,000 per year of organic 

products. These operations may choose to obtain certification but 

they are not required to do so. If you are uncertain you need to 

be certified, see NOP’s brochure “Do I Need to Be Certified 

Organic?”

Farms exempt from organic certification that want to sell products 

as organic must comply with organic requirements such as: 

 Applying only allowed fertilizer, pest, disease and weed 

management inputs for three years prior to harvest. The 

inputs must be approved by EPA, the Organic Materials Review 

Institute, or by a USDA accredited certification agency, and 

allowed under the USDA organic regulations.

 Not using genetically engineered organisms (GMOs) and 

ensuring that preventative practices are used to protect 

organic products from GMOs.

Organic Labeling at Farmers Markets

United States Department of Agriculture

Organic Regulations and Certification 

Exempt Producers Must Comply with Requirements 

 Using organic seeds unless organic seeds were not 

commercially available.

 Not planting any seeds treated with synthetic substances 

such as fungicides or insecticides.

 Only using seedlings and transplants that have been grown 

organically using approved potting mixes and inputs.

 Implementing a soil building crop rotation on the farm, 

where annual crops of the same type are not grown in 

succession in the same field.

 Not applying manure to fields growing crops for human 

consumption any sooner than 90 days before harvest for 

crops that are not in contact with soil (e.g. sweet corn), or 

120 days before harvest for crops that are or may be in 

contact with soil (e.g. all root crops like potatoes and carrots 

and other crops like tomatoes and peppers).

 Ensuring that compost containing manure meets the 

requirement of having a carbon to nitrogen ratio between 

25:1 and 40:1; a temperature of 130 to 1700 F for 15 days, 

having been turned 5 times, or, if in a static vessel, the 

same temperature for 3 days.

 Managing all mammalian livestock organically from the last 

third of gestation to the day of slaughter and managing all 

poultry organically from the second day of life. Organic 

management includes providing certified organic feed.

 Providing all livestock with access to the outdoors, with 

ruminants receiving 30% of their nutrition from pasture 

during a minimum 120 day grazing season.

 Using animal health products and feed supplements that 

have been approved by the Organic Materials Review 

Institute or by a USDA accredited certification agency and 

that are allowed under the USDA organic regulations.

The above is a list of highlights. For an exhaustive list of 

requirements see §7 CFR 205 at USDA Organic Regulations. All 

farmers and vendors must comply with all organic requirements 

to label their product as organic.
USDA is an equal opportunity employer and provider.

USDA National Organic Program Agricultural Marketing Service May 2015

Fees charged for certification vary among certifying agents and 

with the size and complexity of the farm operation, the costs of 

inspection, and other factors. Certifiers must provide 

information on their fee structures upon request. 

USDA Organic Certification Cost Share Programs reimburse 

certified organic operations for as much as 75 percent of 

certification costs, up to a maximum of $750 per certification 

category – crops, wild crops, livestock, and processed products –

annually. Certified organic operations should contact their State 

Departments of Agriculture for more information and an 

application.

You can locate your State Agency contact at 

http://bit.ly/NOPCostShareStates.

If you are concerned that an organic product may not meet the 

USDA standards, or that an operation is making an organic claim 

without certification, you may submit a complaint to the USDA. 

If a farm or business violates the USDA organic regulations, civil 

penalties may include fines up to $11,000 per violation and/or 

suspension or revocation of an operation’s organic certificate.

Suspected violations of the organic regulations may be reported 

to the USDA by sending an email to 

NOPCompliance@ams.usda.gov or by calling the National 

Organic Program at 202-720-3252. 

Want to Learn More About Organic Agriculture? 

USDA’s Organic Literacy Initiative is a package of 

training and outreach materials that provides an 

overview of organic agriculture and USDA programs 

and services for organic farmers, ranchers, and 

processors. 

Learn what organic means, how certification works, 

and how to access helpful resources. The online 

training modules and accompanying handouts 

provide a quick, easy overview of the USDA organic 

seal. 

Access the Organic Literacy Initiative at:

http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/organicinfo

How Much Does Certification Cost? Want to File a Complaint?