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TOPP Virtual Office Hours: Record Keeping for Organic Certification creates a space for aspiring organic farmers or farmers transitioning to organic to learn about the process of record keeping required for certification.
Join us Thursday, March 26; 5-6 p.m., to hear from Claire Davis, a technical specialist with Oregon Tilth, and a certified organic farmers panel about record keeping for organic certification and how to set up a system that works best for your farm!
This free office hours event is supported through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP). TOPP is a program of the USDA Organic Transition Initiative and is administered by the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) National Organic Program (NOP).
The Northwest Transition to Organic Partnership Program (NW TOPP) offers a mentorship program for farmers interested in organic certification to learn from certified organic mentors. The mentorship program is now coming into its second year and is beginning to see the tremendous impact it has on participants. Farmers working with a mentor gain confidence in the certification process, learn how to manage their farm using organic practices, and build connections with the organic community. Certified organic mentors find new exuberance with farming by working with their mentees and find mentorship brings added value to their work.
Interested in joining the TOPP Mentorship program? Click here to get started.
During this Office Hours, expect to:
- Learn more about record keeping requirements and paperwork needed for initial organic certification.
- Learn more about record keeping requirements for annual inspections.
- Learn more about formatting and how to establish a system that works best for your farm.
- Hear from Washington farmers and how they set up record keeping systems on their farms.
About Our Farmers Panel
Amy Moreno-Sils, Four Elements Farm
Amy has been farming with her husband since 2005, and their farm in Puyallup Valley is an asset to the community. They have been certified organic since establishing their farm, and they grow diversified vegetables and u-pick blueberries on a 50-acre property and riparian habitat along Ball Creek.
Claudia Frey, Frey Family Farm
Frey Family Farm is located on a turn of the century dairy farm that once provided milk for the mill town of National, WA and visitors at the Mt. Rainier National Park. Claudia and her husband purchased the farm in 2014 and have worked to bring the property to production once again. They currently sell certified organic diversified vegetables, microgreens, and eggs.