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Certification Audit Trail Requirements FAQs Help Wanted
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Where
does MOSA Certify?
A. MOSA
offers certification services throughout the United States and abroad,
but maintains a strong focus on the upper Midwestern United States.
Q. What
types of operations will MOSA certify?
A. MOSA
offers organic certification services to all interested parties for
general crop production, specialty crops (mushroom, greenhouse, sprouts, maple
syrup, wild crops, and hydroponics), livestock, processor/handlers, and
retailers/restaurants.
Q. How long
does the certification process take?
A. The
certification process, from time of application to the point of notification,
may require three to six months. A delay in submitting requested
information or fees to MOSA can result in a longer process or possible
termination of the certification process altogether. In addition, because
compliance of your operation must be verifiable at the time of inspection, your
inspection may be delayed to ensure that you are inspected at the right time of
year for your type of operation.
Q. How much
does it cost to get certified?
A. The
certification cost varies for each Associate depending on what they are planning
on certifying. The MOSA Program Manual provides a complete listing of all
fees. The structure of MOSA fees is this: With your application you
must pay a deposit on the cost of your inspection, as well as certification
fees (a basic certification fee, plus additional fees based on the type(s)
of certification you are requesting). If you become certified, you will be
required to pay user fees to MOSA (a percentage of all your gross organic
sales).
Q. How do I
know if my land and crops qualify to be certified organic?
A. To
be eligible for organic certification, your land must be free of prohibited
materials for at least 36 months prior to the harvest of a crop intended to be
certified organic. Prohibited materials include a wide variety of
fertilizers, herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, and growth regulators, as
well as genetically engineered organisms, including GE seed and GE seed
inoculants. Acreage that is documented to the satisfaction of MOSA to have
had no use of prohibited materials for 36 months prior to harvest may have the
crop certified upon completion of the certification process.
Q. How can
I prepare for my inspection?
A. The
organic plan and the audit trail records are essential parts of certification
and a large portion of your inspection will be devoted to them. For
information on preparing your organic plan and your audit trail, see the Program
Manual and supplementary information included in your application packet.
Upon completion of the initial review of your application materials, you will
also receive an inspection preparation checklist.
Q. How long
does the inspection last?
A. On
average, inspections last approximately 3 to 5 hours, although complex
production situations will require more time.
Q. I have
just been inspected. Am I now certified?
A.
No. MOSA inspectors do not make certification decisions. After you
have been inspected, your file will be sent to the Certification Review
Committee (CRC) for review. When a decision has been reached, you will
receive a letter in the mail notifying you of the certification decision,
including any further information or corrections required of you prior to
granting MOSA certification. Please see Section IV D. of the MOSA Program
Manual, the MOSA At-A-Glance Certification Process Flow Chart, for a further
explanation of what is involved in the certification process.
Q. I paid
my initial inspection cost, so why am I being billed an additional amount?
A. At
the time of application, we collect a deposit for your inspection. We are
unable to predict the final cost of an inspection due to variables such as
mileage, food, lodging, postage and phone. After completing the
inspection, the inspector sends an invoice, along with the inspection report, to
the MOSA office. The MOSA office pays the inspector according to his/her
billing, and sends you a copy of your inspection report along with an invoice
for the difference in cost between the deposit and the final amount billed.
Q. Where
can I find organic seed or seed suppliers?
A. The
Upper Midwest Organic Resource Directory, which is included in the MOSA
certification packet, contains a list of seed suppliers in the Upper
Midwest. This booklet, published by Midwest Organic & Sustainable
Education Services (MOSES), is a good place to start your search. This
list of seed suppliers is also available on the MOSA website. Please note
that MOSA does not endorse the individuals and organizations listed in this
directory. Always check with MOSA to ensure that a product is acceptable
before using it. Other websites to search for organic seed include www.attra.org
and www.omri.org.
Q. The input product I want to buy says it is
"organic", or "all natural" but how can I be sure that it is
okay to use?
A. Many fertility, pest, and disease control
products may claim to be "organic" or "all natural", without
truly meeting the requirements of organic production. If a product
contains multiple ingredients, all ingredients, including inert ingredients and
processing aids, must be allowed for the product to be acceptable for use.
As certification can be jeopardized by use of products whose status has not been
correctly determined, MOSA strongly encourages applicants to use only products
listed by brand name on the OMRI Brand Name Products List, and to follow all NOS
annotations/restrictions for product use. Please call the MOSA Office if
you have any questions about the acceptability of a product.
Q. How do I transition my dairy herd?
A. Organic livestock are required to be managed
100% organically from the last 1/3 of gestation, however, the National Organic
Standards allow a one-time exception to this requirement for new dairy
herds. A new dairy herd may be certified organic after:
 |
One full year of 100% organic management, or |
|
9 months being fed 80% certified organic feed, or feed raised on-farm that is included in the organic system plan and managed in compliance with organic crop requirements, followed by a final 90 days of certified organic feed. |
|
No antibiotics or prohibited hormones or parasiticides may be used for the full 12 months prior to certification of the milk. |
|
Allowed parasiticides must be discontinued for the final 90 days prior to certification of the milk. |
Q. How does the user fee payment work?
A. Many certification agents require a large up
front payment from producers based on projected sales. MOSA has developed
a user fee system which allows Associates to report actual sales (that are not
TC's) and pay user fees on a quarterly basis. This means our Associates
can pay fees based on completed sales, reducing financial hardship. Our
accounting system automatically asks for quarterly user fees for each
Associate's account at the end of each quarter. At this time, all
Associates must report their sales status. This includes any gross
sales amounts and remitting corresponding fees, as well as reporting if there
have been no sales. Reporting sales or no sales on a quarterly basis is
the Associate's responsibility and is necessary to maintain a system for payment
on actual, rather than projected, sales.
Q. The composting requirements in the National Organic
Standards are very strict. Do I need to adhere to these?
A. It depends. If you are not applying
composted manure to crops for human consumption, then you do not need to adhere
to the time and temperature composting requirements. If you are applying
composted manure to crops for human consumption, then you must meet the time and
temperature requirements if:
|
You apply the compost less than 90 days prior to harvest of a crop for human consumption whose edible portion does not come in contact with the soil surface or soil particles. |
|
You apply the compost less than 120 days prior to harvest of crops for human consumption that are exposed to contact with soil surface or soil particles |
Q. The person I work for is certified. Does this
mean I am certified also?
A. No. If your name is not on the
certification application and the certificate, then you are not certified.
Q. I have rented or purchased certified organic land
that has been certified by another operator. Can I now produce certified
organic crops on this land?
A. No. The certification process does not
only involve the quality of the land, but also the ability of the individual to
manage his/her operation in compliance with the NOS and all other MOSA
certification requirements. If you purchase land that was previously owned
by a certified farmer, you must become certified yourself before you can grow
certified crops on the land.
Q. If I am buying an organic input (e.g. feed,
replacement livestock, etc.) and the seller shows me a certificate, does it
guarantee that they are certified?
A. No. Unfortunately, any certificate can be
used fraudulently. If you re unsure about the validity of a certificate,
ask the seller to use a transaction certificate.
Q. What is the Transaction Certificate (TC) System, and
how does it work?
A. The Transaction Certificate System, or TC
System, provides a certificate for a particular transaction. The seller
fills out the TCA form provided by MOSA in the certification packet and sends it
to MOSA. MOSA then sends a Transaction Certificate (TC) to the buyer and
the seller listed on the TCA. As a seller, the TC provides you with sales
documentation. As a buyer, the TC is your proof that what you purchased
was grown in accordance with the National Organic Standards.
Q. Can I use uncertified hay from a neighbor for my
organic livestock if I know the neighbor has not used prohibited materials?
A. No. All feed purchased from off-farm for
your organic livestock must be certified organic.
About MOSA How To Certify What's New Farmers & Processors Resources Classifieds Calendar of Events Marketing Resources Audit Trail Forms The MOSA Seal