What does an organic certifier check on a farm?
A certifier checks that your Organic System Plan covers every part of the farm and that your records prove you follow it. That comes to about 40 points, from land history and maps to seeds, inputs, harvest, labels, and records. Kona Organic, a national organic consulting firm, put all 40 in one free checklist you can print.
Key takeaways
The checklist follows the order of an Organic System Plan and an inspection.
Each point names the rule, what it asks for, and the record that proves it.
Most findings at inspection are missing records, not bad farming.
The printable checklist is free on the Kona Organic Free Tools page, with no email needed.
The rule numbers are from the USDA organic regulations, 7 CFR Part 205.
Your business, land, and maps
1. Your business. Your certifier needs the legal name and structure of the business that will hold the certificate. Record: business registration or formation papers.
2. Selling in other countries. Each export market has its own papers and label terms. Record: export papers for each market.
3. Sites and storage (205.201). List every field, building, and storage place you use, even ones you rent or share. Record: site list with addresses and acres.
4. Crop list (205.201). List every crop and product you want certified. Record: crop and product list.
5. Land history (205.202). No prohibited substances on the land for 36 months before the harvest of an organic crop. Record: signed land history statement, spray records, receipts.
6. Maps (205.202(c)). Each field needs clear borders. Your map shows borders, buffers, neighbors, buildings, and north. Record: a map for every site.
7. Prohibited materials on site (205.201(a)(5)). Describe how you keep prohibited materials away from organic crops and products. Record: storage list, labels.
8. Organic and non organic together (205.201(a)(5)). If you grow or handle both, show how you keep them apart at every step. Record: split operation plan, separate records.
9. Buffers (205.202(c)). Buffer zones must stop drift and runoff from land next door. The rule sets no distance. Your certifier judges the risk. Record: map, neighbor notices, buffer notes.
10. Crops from the buffer (205.202(c)). A crop harvested from the buffer cannot be sold as organic. Record: buffer harvest and sales records.
Soil and inputs
11. Soil, water, and wildlife (205.200). You must maintain or improve the natural resources of the operation. Record: biodiversity log, photos.
12. Building soil (205.203(a) and (b)). Build soil with rotations, cover crops, and plant and animal materials. Record: fertility log, soil tests.
13. Input list (205.201(a)(2)). List every substance you use: what is in it, where it comes from, and where you use it. Record: input list, labels, receipts, application log.
14. Compost (205.203(c)(2)). Compost made with manure must start at 25 to 1 up to 40 to 1 carbon to nitrogen and hold 131 to 170 F: 3 days in a vessel or static pile, or 15 days in a windrow turned at least five times. Record: compost temperature log.
15. Raw manure (205.203(c)(1)). Work raw manure into the soil 120 days before harvest if the part you eat touches soil, 90 days if it does not. Record: manure and grazing log.
16. Micronutrients (205.601(j)). Synthetic micronutrients are allowed only when a soil or tissue test shows the need. Record: soil or tissue test.
Pests, weeds, and field practices
17. Pests, weeds, and disease: prevention (205.206(a) to (d)). Use rotation, clean practices, and cultural, mechanical, and biological controls first. Record: pest, disease, and weed logs.
18. Pest control products (205.206(e)). When prevention is not enough, you may use an allowed product. Your plan must say when and how. Record: spray log, labels.
19. Treated wood (205.206(f)). No lumber treated with arsenate or other prohibited materials for new or replacement posts and beds that touch soil or animals. Record: receipts, map of treated wood.
20. Burning (205.203(e)(3)). Do not burn crop residue to get rid of it. Burning is allowed only to stop disease or help seeds sprout. Record: field notes.
21. Water (205.201(a)(5)). Show that the water you use to irrigate and wash does not put prohibited substances on the crop. Record: water test.
Seeds, planting, and rotation
22. Seeds (205.204(a)). Use organic seed. Untreated seed that is not organic is allowed only when an organic variety cannot be bought. Record: seed search record, tags, invoices.
23. Transplants and planting stock (205.204(a)). Annual transplants must be organic. Planting stock that is not organic must be managed organically for one year before its crop is sold as organic. Record: receipts, supplier certificates, planting log.
24. Crop rotation (205.205). Rotate crops to build soil, manage pests, and prevent erosion. Record: planting log, field history.
People and equipment
25. Contractors (205.201(a)(5)). Anyone who sprays, harvests, hauls, or stores for you must protect your organic crop. Record: written notices or agreements.
26. Equipment (205.272). List your equipment and say which is used only for organic and which is shared. Record: equipment list.
27. Cleaning shared equipment (205.272). Shared equipment must be cleaned before organic use, and the cleaning written down. Record: equipment cleaning log.
Harvest, handling, and storage
28. Harvest (205.103). Records must show what you did in enough detail to be understood and audited. Record: harvest log with lot numbers.
29. Washing, packing, and drying (205.270 and 205.272). Describe each step after harvest and how you protect the product during it. Record: handling and processing records.
30. Pests in packing and storage (205.271). Prevent pests first. Use an allowed material only when needed, and keep it off the product. Record: pest control log, service reports.
31. Sanitizers and wash water (205.605 and 205.272). Use only allowed cleaners and sanitizers on surfaces and in water that touch the product, and follow the limits. Record: input list, labels.
32. Suppliers and outside processors (205.100). A mill, roaster, or processor that handles your product must be certified, with few exceptions. Record: current organic certificate for each one.
33. Storage (205.272). Keep organic product from mixing with other product and from touching prohibited substances. Record: storage map, labels, inventory.
34. Storage away from the farm (205.201(a)(5)). Your plan covers every place your product is stored, even one you do not own. Record: notice or agreement with the storage site.
35. Packaging (205.272(b)). No packaging or bins that contain synthetic fungicides, preservatives, or fumigants. No reused bags that held prohibited substances unless they are cleaned. Record: packaging specs, cleaning records.
Labels, transport, and other handlers
36. Labels (205.300 to 205.311). The label must fit your product category, name the handler, and say Certified Organic by your certifier below that name. Record: labels, approval letters, private label agreements.
37. Transport (205.272). Protect the product from mixing and contamination while it moves. Record: bills of lading, clean truck checks.
38. Handlers that are not certified (205.101). A few handlers are exempt, such as some that only store or move sealed product. They must still prevent mixing and contamination. Record: written statement from each exempt handler.
Fraud prevention and records
39. Fraud prevention (205.201(a)(3)). Your plan must describe how you check your suppliers and guard against organic fraud. Record: fraud prevention plan, supplier checks.
40. Records (205.103). Keep organic records for at least five years and have them ready at inspection. Record: all of the logs above, in one place.
How to use the checklist
Go down the list with your binder open. Tick a line only when the record is in your hand. Anything you cannot tick is your fix list. Work the list before you send your plan in, and again a month before each inspection.
Who can help
Kona Organic goes through all 40 points with you, writes the parts of the plan that are missing, and sets up the logs. The team also has a free 15 log farm record workbook that matches this checklist.
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.
Common questions
Does every point apply to my farm?
No. A farm with no compost, no animals, and no packing shed skips those lines. Your certifier decides what applies.
Is this the same list my certifier uses?
Each certifier has its own forms, but they all check against the same USDA rules. This list is a plain words summary of those rules.
What record do inspectors ask for most?
The input list with labels, the seed search record, and harvest and sales records that tie together by lot number.
How long do I keep the records?
At least five years.
Last updated: October 2026.
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