Increase the Sustainability of Your Business

Need a quick reference guide for how to get started with increasing the sustainability of your organic business? Oregon Tilth’s condensed Quick Start Guide series is designed to answer your big questions quickly, give examples and point to helpful tools to get started

Allowed Detergents and Sanitizers for Food Contact Surfaces and Equipment in Organic Operations

The National Organic Program’s (NOP) Organic Standards require that an organic handling operation take measures to prevent the commingling of organic and nonorganic products and protect organic products from contact with prohibited substances. (USDA organic regulations 7 CFR 205.272). Cleaning and sanitizing is an important part of an organic system plan. The purpose of this… Continue reading Allowed Detergents and Sanitizers for Food Contact Surfaces and Equipment in Organic Operations

Quick Start Guide: Formulating Multiple Ingredient Products

Need a quick reference guide for how-to get started with tracking ingredients, sourcing materials and making sure your following USDA NOP regulations for certification? Oregon Tilth’s condensed Quick Start Guide series is designed to answer your big questions quickly, give examples and point to helpful tools to get started

Sustainable Weed Management for Small and Medium-Scale Farms

Managing croplands according to nature’s principles will reduce weed problems on horticultural crops, or row crops, in small and medium-sized operations. Creativity is key to devising sustainable cropping systems that prevent weed problems. This publication discusses several strategies, both proactive and reactive, as alternatives to conventional tillage systems. Options include mulching, competition, crop rotations, and… Continue reading Sustainable Weed Management for Small and Medium-Scale Farms

Audit Trail: A Sample Documentation Process

One of the core practices of your certified organic operation is developing good quality record-keeping and documentation (commonly referred to as an “audit trail”). Use this tool as an example when developing the documentation process for your operation.

Nutrient Management Plan for Organic Systems: Western State Implementation Guide

This document is an instruction guide for creating and implementing a nutrient management plan (NMP) on certified or transitioning organic lands. An NMP for organically managed lands describes the amount, source, placement, form, and timing of the application of nutrients and soil amendments, generally by field, to meet crop nutrient needs while protecting water quality,… Continue reading Nutrient Management Plan for Organic Systems: Western State Implementation Guide

Manures for Organic Crop Production

Livestock manures are an important resource in sustainable and organic crop production. This publication addresses the problems and challenges of using both raw and composted manures and discusses some of the solutions

Cucumber Beetles: Organic and Biorational Integrated Pest Management

Cucumber beetles are present throughout the United States and cause serious damage to cucurbit crops. Overwintering adult insects cause feeding damage on young plants, larvae in the soil feed on plant roots and second-generation adults cause feeding damage on plant leaves, blossoms and fruits. Adult insects transmit bacterial wilt and squash mosaic virus. Organic and… Continue reading Cucumber Beetles: Organic and Biorational Integrated Pest Management