Alberta Organic Certification
The following check list may help you to determine if your operation is ready for organic certification.
- Have your fields been 3 years without synthetic chemical fertilizers, pesticides, etc. (Note: an inspection is required in the final year of transition for international certification)
- Have you kept accurate field histories for each field, recording all inputs, crops planted, cultivation methods, etc.?
- Have you created accurate field maps (with field numbers corresponding to the field history sheets) of your operation? You should include all fields under your management, buffer strips, adjoining land use, roadways, natural waterways, including conventional acres, etc.
- Have you numbered all storage containers, kept a record of what each contains and maintained them in good repair?
- Are you willing to maintain an accurate and up to date audit trail?
- Are you committed to maintaining an ecologically friendly farming operation?
If the answer to all of the above questions is 'yes' then you should consider applying for organic certification.
The Next Step
Contact a certification agency such as Alberta Organic Producers Association and obtain a new member package. This binder contains the Standards and Bylaws as well as all of the documents, templates and forms you will need to get started.
Fill out the applicable forms and submit them along with the required fees to:
Alberta Organic Producers Association
RR # 1
Morinville, Alberta T8R 1P4
Remember to keep a copy for your records
