GAP Certification for Small Farms

Carolina Farm Stewardship Association (CFSA) recently launched a series of videos to supplement the “Good Agricultural Practices for Small and Diversified Farms: Tips and Strategies to Reduce Risk and Pass an Audit” manual. This video series continues to document real-world examples of how small, diversified farms can employ these tips and strategies to meet GAP certification requirements.

Many of the farms participating in this research program were already third-party certified under the USDA’s National Organic Program (NOP), and others followed NOP practices but were not certified organic. For produce to be sold as ‘organic,’ it must be certified as being grown in accordance with practices and standards developed by the Agricultural Marketing Service as part of the National Organics Program. These regulations detail the practices that are accepted and prohibited in the growing, cleaning, packaging, and marketing of products labeled as organic. The regulations include requirements for maintaining and improving soil health and fertility and specifically prohibit the use of synthetic fertilizers, soil and product fumigants, and chemical pest control practices in organic production. In addition, sewage sludge may not be used in the production of the crops, and crops may not be processed using ionizing radiation. The regulations include a National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances to guide growers and certifying entities in the use of the label.