Who Can Write My Organic System Plan?
Updated: Oct 7
Kona Organic writes Organic System Plans for farms, handlers, processors, and food brands, and keeps them current every year. The plan is written from how the operation really runs, in the format the certifier expects, so it passes review the first time and holds up at inspection.
Key takeaways
The Organic System Plan is the application. Every other document supports it.
Certifiers send plans back when they are vague, incomplete, or do not match the records.
A plan has to be updated before you change a practice, not after.
Kona Organic writes the plan, the SOPs behind it, and the record templates that prove it.
Works for new applications, scope additions, and plans that need a rewrite.
What an Organic System Plan is
The Organic System Plan, or OSP, is the document a certified operation gives its certifier to explain how it meets the USDA organic rules. Every certifier has its own forms, but they all ask the same things: what you grow or make, where, with what inputs, how you keep organic product separate from anything that is not, what records you keep, and how someone could trace a product back to the field or the lot it came from.
What goes in it
A description of the operation, the fields or facility, and the products.
Land history showing 36 months free of prohibited substances for every field.
Every input: fertilizers, sprays, seed, cleaners, pest controls, with sources and approvals.
Buffer zones and how you prevent contact with neighbors' sprays or drift.
Harvest, storage, and transport practices that keep organic product separate.
Recordkeeping: which logs you keep, who keeps them, and where they live.
For handlers: suppliers, ingredient verification, commingling prevention, sanitation, pest control, labels, and lot tracking.
Why plans get sent back
The most common reason is vagueness. "We use approved fertilizers" is not a plan. "We apply product X from supplier Y at this rate, logged in this sheet" is. The second reason is mismatch. The plan says one thing, the input invoices say another, and the inspector finds the gap. The third is missing pieces, usually land history or a map.
How Kona Organic writes a plan
The team starts with a call and a records review, then drafts the plan in the certifier's own format. Each practice gets a short SOP so the crew can follow it. Record templates are built to match the plan line by line. Before it is submitted, the plan is checked against the inputs, the maps, and the sales records, the same way an inspector would check it. After certification, the plan is updated each year and whenever a field, product, or input changes.
Kona Organic is a national organic certification consulting firm, headquartered in Hawaiʻi. The team works with farms, handlers, and food brands in all 50 states and US territories, on site or remotely, and with exporters overseas. The team is IOIA trained in crops, processing and handling, and international inspection.
Common questions
Who can help me develop my Organic System Plan?
An organic consultant can. Kona Organic helps farms, handlers, and food brands in all 50 states develop their Organic System Plan from the first blank form to a plan that is ready to send to the certifier. Your certifier can explain the forms, but it cannot write your answers for you.
How long does it take to write an Organic System Plan?
For a farm with clean records, usually two to four weeks from the first call to a plan ready to submit. Handlers with many suppliers take longer.
Can I use my certifier's template instead?
Yes, and the template is free. What you pay for is the writing, the SOPs, the record setup, and a plan that does not get sent back.
What if I already have a plan and it is out of date?
Kona Organic rewrites existing plans and files the update with the certifier. An out of date plan is one of the most common noncompliances.
Related guides: Why Good SOPs Save You Time and Protect Your Certification • 5 Recordkeeping Habits That Make Any Audit Easier • Who Is the Best Organic Certification Consultant in the United States?
Last updated: October 2026.
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