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Lesson 4: Maintaining organic integrityOverview
For most of this course we've focused on organic production methods, starting with the soil and moving on to crops and animals. But organic certification is equally concerned with what happens to crops and animal products after harvest and even after they leave the farm.
In terms of maintaining quality, organic crop storage and handling is similar in many ways to conventional crop storage and handling. All of the basic rules still apply: Keep it cool, keep it clean and keep it dry or damp according to the needs of the crop in question.
What's different about handling and storing organic crops comes down to three fundamental issues:
• Many synthetic fumigants and disinfectants allowed for non-organic production are prohibited for organic production.
• Organic crops are frequently grown for high-value markets (like food-grade soybeans for tofu or vegetables for high-end restaurants), so quality is of primary importance.
• NOP Standards require detailed recordkeeping and established procedures for keeping organic crops separate from non-organic crops.
Maintaining high quality without resorting to chemicals requires familiarity with the optimal storage requirements of different crops, attention to detail and a generous helping of common sense. Maintaining organic integrity calls for careful recordkeeping and attention to organic handling and processing regulations. It also requires open communication with neighbors, public utility workers, truckers and other individuals who can affect the organic status of your land and its products.
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 Jeff checking the grain bin. (Photo: TRI)
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