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Borders and buffers
Properly maintained buffer zones along the perimeter of an organic production area are another cornerstone of organic integrity. The NOP Standards don't specify a required buffer width (as did some earlier organic standards); instead, evaluation is made on a case-by-case basis as to the adequacy of the buffer to prevent contamination of organic fields by prohibited materials applied to adjacent non-organic fields. If you have a tight hedgerow of trees along your border, your buffer zone could be 15 feet wide; if your organic land is downhill with black dirt between you and the non-organic land, then you may need 60 feet of buffer. If your neighbor doesn't apply prohibited materials and is willing to sign an affidavit to that effect, you may not need a buffer at all.
Buffer zones can be made up of grassy areas, tree lines, hedgerows or just a designated margin of a crop field. Most buffer areas primarily serve to stop airborne drift of pesticides or other prohibited materials, but water runoff from adjacent non-organic fields can also create contamination issues.
Crops harvested from within buffer zones must be kept separate from organic crops and sold as conventional, not organic. If any of your buffer areas are cropped, your Organic System Plan will need to include information about how you harvest and sell the buffer-zone crop.
Think about road frontage and utility lines as well as neighbors. State, county and local road crews and utility companies have various rules concerning use or nonuse of herbicides and insecticides. Some road crews are willing to mow rather than use synthetic herbicides; others may require you to do the mowing. All agreements should clearly document the rights and responsibilities of both parties and be signed and dated. If the road crew sprays without notification, then the organic farmer may be eligible for damages, since the agreement was broken.
Remember, communication is key—prevention of contamination is better than dealing with liability claims or losing your organic certification! |
Inspector's NotebookGood buffer zones make good neighbors. Unless you can show that adjacent fields are managed without the use of prohibited materials, buffer zones are required.
Read more >> Good buffer zones
"Be aware of any aerial spraying done in your area. If there is spraying, contact the local airports and crop dusting companies and have these entities mark your organic production areas as 'no spray zones' on their maps."
~Harriet Behar
organic inspector Gays Mills, WI
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