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Small Farm Exemption

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The “Small Farm” exemption allows operators with less than $5,000 in gross annual organic sales to legally represent their products as organic, as long as the production and handling practices, record keeping, and labeling comply with the organic standards and regulations. These products can only be represented as organic when sold raw or processed by the original producer and are not allowed to be used as ingredients identified as organic in processed products produced by another handling operation.

Regulatory text of the Exemption is below for reference.

7CFR Part 205 National Organic Program (NOP)

§205.101 Exemptions and exclusions from certification.

(a) Exemptions. 

(1) A production or handling operation that sells agricultural products as “organic” but whose gross agricultural income from organic sales totals $5,000 or less annually is exempt from certification under subpart E of this part and from submitting an organic system plan for acceptance or approval under §205.201 but must comply with the applicable organic production and handling requirements of subpart C of this part and the labeling requirements of §205.310. The products from such operations shall not be used as ingredients identified as organic in processed products produced by another handling operation.

(2) A handling operation that is a retail food establishment or portion of a retail food establishment that handles organically produced agricultural products but does not process them is exempt from the requirements in this part.

(3) A handling operation or portion of a handling operation that only handles agricultural products that contain less than 70 percent organic ingredients by total weight of the finished product (excluding water and salt) is exempt from the requirements in this part, except:

(i) The provisions for prevention of contact of organic products with prohibited substances set forth in §205.272 with respect to any organically produced ingredients used in an agricultural product;

(ii) The labeling provisions of §§205.305 and 205.310; and

(iii) The recordkeeping provisions in paragraph (c) of this section.

(4) A handling operation or portion of a handling operation that only identifies organic ingredients on the information panel is exempt from the requirements in this part, except:

(i) The provisions for prevention of contact of organic products with prohibited substances set forth in §205.272 with respect to any organically produced ingredients used in an agricultural product;

(ii) The labeling provisions of §§205.305 and 205.310; and

(iii) The recordkeeping provisions in paragraph (c) of this section.

(b) Exclusions. 

(1) A handling operation or portion of a handling operation is excluded from the requirements of this part, except for the requirements for the prevention of commingling and contact with prohibited substances as set forth in §205.272 with respect to any organically produced products, if such operation or portion of the operation only sells organic agricultural products labeled as “100 percent organic,” “organic,” or “made with organic (specified ingredients or food group(s))” that:

(i) Are packaged or otherwise enclosed in a container prior to being received or acquired by the operation; and

(ii) Remain in the same package or container and are not otherwise processed while in the control of the handling operation.

(2) A handling operation that is a retail food establishment or portion of a retail food establishment that processes, on the premises of the retail food establishment, raw and ready-to-eat food from agricultural products that were previously labeled as “100 percent organic,” “organic,” or “made with organic (specified ingredients or food group(s))” is excluded from the requirements in this part, except:

(i) The requirements for the prevention of contact with prohibited substances as set forth in §205.272; and

(ii) The labeling provisions of §205.310.

(c) Records to be maintained by exempt operations. 

(1) Any handling operation exempt from certification pursuant to paragraph (a)(3) or (a)(4) of this section must maintain records sufficient to:

(i) Prove that ingredients identified as organic were organically produced and handled; and

(ii) Verify quantities produced from such ingredients.

(2) Records must be maintained for no less than 3 years beyond their creation and the operations must allow representatives of the Secretary and the applicable State organic programs’ governing State official access to these records for inspection and copying during normal business hours to determine compliance with the applicable regulations set forth in this part.

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Hawaii Organic Farming Association1 month ago
Diversity for resilience.

https://www.theguardian.com/food/ng-interactive/2022/apr/14/climate-crisis-food-systems-not-ready-biodiversity
Hawaii Organic Farming Association
The world’s farms produce only a handful of varieties of bananas, avocados, coffee and other foods – leaving them vulnerable to the climate breakdown
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Hawaii Organic Farming Association
Hawaii Organic Farming Association3 months ago
National Organic Standards Board - Spring Meeting 2022
Comment Period Open through April 1, 2022
The NOSB will meet virtually in April 2022.
-NOSB Public Comment Webinars (two days): April 19 & 21, 2022; Noon - 5:00 pm Eastern Time
-NOSB Public Meeting (three days): April 26-28, 2022; Noon - 5:00 pm Eastern Time

Stakeholder Engagement Encouraged
The NOSB invites public comment, both written and oral, on its agenda topics. Interested parties are encouraged to review the online meeting materials, including the tentative agenda, subcommittee proposals, and discussion documents.

https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDAAMS/bulletins/30d4704
Hawaii Organic Farming Association
Three Updates: NOSB Spring Meeting, Climate-Smart Ag, NIFA Grant USDA Agricultural Marketing Service sent this bulletin at 03/04/2022 09:29 AM EST National Organic Standards Board Spring Meeting 2022 Comment Period Open through April 1, 2022 The National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) generally meet...
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Hawaii Organic Farming Association
Hawaii Organic Farming Association5 months ago
Grant Opportunity -- Rural Innovation Stronger Economy (RISE) Grant Program
Aloha: The USDA is accepting grant applications under the Rural Innovation Stronger Economy (RISE) program. The USDA encourages applications that serve the smallest communities with the lowest incomes. RISE offers federal funding assistance, which can be used to
· Build or support a business incubator facility
· Provide worker training to assist in the creation of new jobs
· Train the existing workforce with skills for higher-paying jobs
· Develop a base of skilled workers and improve their opportunities to obtain high-wage jobs in new or existing local industries
Deadline: 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, April 19, 2022.
Applications must be submitted through Grants.gov.
Potential applicants may submit a concept proposal for review by the agency to SM.USDARD.RISE@usda.gov no later than February 18, 2022.
Contact the USDA HI located in Hilo. https://www.rd.usda.gov/hi
Grant amounts are awarded competitively with a minimum of $500,000 and a maximum grant amount of $2,000,000.

H/T Hawaii Farmers Union United for the info.
Hawaii Organic Farming Association
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