Our farm is certified by the Midwest Organic Services Association (MOSA). To comply with the USDA National Organic Program we had to create an ‘Organic Farm Plan’ and be certified by a third party. We chose MOSA as our certifier. We pay fees to MOSA and they work with us to make sure we follow the organic rules and complete the needed records stay in compliance with the National Organic Program. We have to update our forms and submit our records to MOSA once each year. We also have a full day farm inspection each year. The inspector tours the farm and our facilities, reviews our recording keeping, and then tests our records by choosing one of our crops from the previous year and traces the records backwards from the invoice of sale when it left the farm, to the day it was packed, then to the harvest record and block it was grown in. They look at the production records and review all the practices and inputs that we used to produce that fruit.
This is all done to verify the integrity of our organic system and make sure we have the ability to trace back and document how the food was produced. Our customers can be sure that our products are truly organic. You don’t have to take our word on it. We have MOSA working with us to confirm that we are truly organic according to the National Organic Standards.
We have been very happy with the service we get from MOSA. The staff is knowledgeable and willing to answer the many questions we have posed to them over the years. If you are considering working with MOSA to certify your farm, we highly recommend them. If you want more information about MOSA, check out their website.
We are also working with MOSA in a pilot project to create a certification process for a domestic fair trade program. MOSA is currently working with the Agricultural Justice Project (AJP) to develop standards that verify a farm is getting fair prices for its products and providing a living wage and healthy working conditions for its employees.
Even though this will require more paperwork and more time and effort put into certification, we still consider this an important part of our farming philosophy. This certification will go beyond showing you that we are concerned about the environment and food safety that the organic certification provides; the AJP program will work with us to be a better member of our community and prove to you that the hands that helped care for and harvest our crops were treated with respect and dignity.
For more information on the Agricultural Justice Project or domestic fair trade, check out the program.
