Nov 6, 2024

Clemson program works to ease organic transition for Palmetto State growers

Juan McAllister, a personal chef from Georgia, owns his grandfather’s farm in Effingham, South Carolina. He wants to grow healthy, organic food.

McAllister is considering turning the farm into a certified organic operation. To help him make research-based decisions compliant with National Organic Program (NOP) standards, he recently joined other farmers in Pendleton, South Carolina, for one of Clemson University’s Organic Certification Program basics courses.

“The farm was my grandfather’s,” McAllister said in a news release. “I don’t know everything that was grown there or what fertilizers were used. I like to eat healthy and cook healthy organic cuisine. I’m participating in this class because I want to better understand what’s involved with getting a farm certified organic.”

The class was one of three sessions on organic certification offered by Clemson’s Department of Plant Industry (DPI) Organic Certification Program. The first session was in West Columbia, South Carolina, as a full-day workshop with presentations and agency resource booths.

Half-day mock inspections were held in Pendleton and West Ashley, South Carolina. About 60 farmers and ag-service providers participated. USDA Agricultural Marketing Service Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP) participants learn about organic research conducted at Clemson’s Coastal Research and Education Center in Charleston, South Carolina. TOPP participants learn about organic research conducted at Clemson’s Coastal Research and Education Center in Charleston, South Carolina.

“Our program held these sessions to make sure farmers in the state have basic certification information and access to resources,” Gavin Berry, Clemson DPI Regulatory Programs assistant manager, said in the release. “We hope to demystify some of the challenges involved in getting certified.”

There are about 120 certified organic operations in South Carolina.

“We want to see that community grow, but I think many farmers are concerned they wouldn’t be able to comply, or the standards are too challenging, which discourages them from pursuing a transition from traditional farming to organic growing,” Berry said in the release.

TOPP is designed to build a support network for existing and transitioning farmers to become certified organic across the country.

Part of a broader $300 million Organic Transition Initiative, TOPP represents an investment of up to $100 million nationally over five years in cooperative agreements with nonprofit organizations partnering with others to provide technical assistance and support for transitioning and existing organic farmers.

“Farmers face challenging technical, cultural and market shifts while transitioning to organic production and even during the first years after successful organic certification,” said U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. “Through this multi-phased, multi-agency initiative, we are expanding USDA’s support of organic farmers to help them with every step of their transition as they work to become certified and secure markets for their products.”

Clemson’s USDA AMS NOP accreditation allows DPI to certify organic operations in four categories — crop, livestock, handling and wild crop. Currently, the program is one of about 80 accredited certifying bodies worldwide.

Organic certification is essential not only because it is protected by law — the USDA organic label is the only government-backed marketing claim for organic food sold in the U.S. — but also because the USDA strictly enforces standards that specify which practices and inputs can and cannot be used in organic production and handling.