FREE ORGANIC TOOLS
Free Tools for Organic Farms and Food Makers
Record Keeping Templates
A full 15 log farm workbook, a 40 point certification checklist, three fill in kits, and starter templates for farms and food makers. Print them or fill them in on a computer.
Full farm record workbook
Fifteen logs: worker training, field work, pests, disease, weeds, fertility, compost, manure, biodiversity, seeds, seed search, planting, harvest, and master crop and input lists.
Download the PDF • Download the Excel file
Organic certification checklist
40 things a certifier checks on a farm, with the rule, a question to ask yourself, and the record that proves it.
Spray drift kit
A letter for neighbors, a letter for spray applicators and road crews, and a one page drift report to fill in the same day.
Supplier check kit
An approved supplier list, a supplier check log, and a receiving check for organic loads. Built for your fraud prevention plan.
Trace test and mass balance worksheet
Run the two record checks every inspector runs, before your inspection.
Starter farm record templates
Field activity, inputs, seeds and plants, harvest, sales, equipment cleaning, and monitoring.
Download the PDF • Download the Excel file
Handler record templates
Supplier certificates, receiving, production, cleaning, pest control, storage, and shipping.
Download the PDF • Download the Excel file
These are general templates. Ask your certifier which records it needs, and keep organic records for at least five years.
Check Where You Stand
A quiz, a scorecard, and four free calculators: an organic transition date calculator, a do I need to be certified check, a label claim checker, and a cost share estimator.
When can I sell organic? Add 36 months to the date of the last prohibited input on a field. The transition date calculator does the math and shows how far along you are.
Do I need to be certified? If you sell $5,000 or less of organic products a year, you are exempt. You still follow the organic rules, and you cannot use the USDA Organic seal.
What can my label say? It depends on how much of the product is organic: 100 percent, 95 percent, 70 percent, or less. The label claim checker tells you which words you can use.
How much cost share can I get back? Up to 75 percent of what you pay your certifier, up to $750 for each scope. The cost share estimator adds it up.
Organic Readiness Quiz
Ten quick questions. Get your readiness score, a personal fix list, and your next steps.
Audit Readiness Scorecard and Pathway Guides
A scorecard for inspection day, plus one year and three year plans for getting certified.
Plain Answers
Short guides you can read in a few minutes.
How Organic Certification Works
The steps from your first call to your certificate.
Organic Certification FAQ
Eligibility, the 36 month rule, cost, cost share, certifiers, and inspections.
How to Choose a Certifier
What to compare before you apply, and how to switch.
Articles
New guides on organic certification, records, labels, and selling.
Want help putting these to work on your farm or in your plant?