National Organic Program
Overview 
The practice of producing organically grown agricultural products has existed for several decades in the United States and has evolved from a small-scale and localized system into a highly organized and global production and marketing system. These changes motivated the organic industry to establish standards for organic production and marketing. Read the full overview.
Note: Recently added resources are posted at the top of the applicable sections.
Major Statutes
Organic Food Production Act of 1990, 7 U.S.C. §§ 6501-6524
Regulations
National Organic Program Regulations, 7 C.F.R. Part 205
Case Law
Case Law Index for National Organic Program
Administrative Law Decisions
USDA Judicial Officer’s Decisions (Center Published)
USDA National Appeals Division
USDA Office of the Administrative Law Judges
USDA Office of the Judicial Officer
Center Research Publications
What is an Organic Dairy Cow? (Caracciolo, 2022)
Organic Update: AMS Proposes to De-list 18 Substances (Caracciolo, 2021)
The Fight for Organic: Hydroponic Certification Under Fire (2020)
Food Labeling for Specialty Crop Producers (Rumley 2014)
Mandatory GMO Labeling Laws: Overview and Status of Current Legal Issues (Rumley 2014) Webinar
State-Specific Direct Marketing Business Guides (National Ag Law Center & U. IL)
Federal Regulation of Organic Food: A Research Guide for Legal Practitioners and Food Industry Professionals (Jillian, 2006)
A Legal Guide to the National Organic Program (Pittman, 2004; updated 2011)
Farmers’ Markets Rules, Regulations, and Opportunities (Hamilton, 2002)
Congressional Research Service Reports
Reports– published and made available by CRS beginning in 2017
Subjects- published by CRS and made available by NALC until 2018:
Agricultural Law Bibliography
Introduction | Keyword Search | Browse Categories
Legal Publications on National Organic Program:
Biotechnology
Food and Drug Law
Fruits and Vegetables – Perishable Agricultural Commodities
Hunger and Food Security Issues
Livestock and Packers & Stockyards
Sustainable and Organic Farming
Agriculture and Food Law Posts (Center Published Ag & Food Law Blog)
Reference Resources
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Labeling of Pesticide Products Under the National Organic Program
National Ag Compliance Assistance Centers
National Organic Program Guidance
Organic Farming
Pesticide Registration
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Instruction: Organic Certification of Industrial Hemp Production (USDA 2019)
Understanding the USDA Organic Label (McEvoy, USDA 2016)
Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS)
Fact Sheets
National Organic Program
National Organic Program Handbook
National Organic Standards Board
Organic Enforcement
Organic Integrity Database
Organic Labeling Standards
Organic Labeling at Farmers Markets (USDA, 2015)
Organic Livestock and Poultry Requirements
Organic Livestock Requirements (USDA, 2013)
Guide for Organic Livestock Producers (USDA 2012)
Organic Livestock and Poultry Standards (AMS 2023)
Organic Program Reports and Presentations
Organic Regulations
Organic Reports
Organic Training
Organic Transitioning
Technical and Financial Assistance for Organic Producers
The National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances
The Organic Seal
What’s Behind the Organic Seal? Organic Labels Explained (AMS 2018)
Using the USDA Organic Seal (USDA 2016)
Transition to Organic Partnership Program
USDA: Organic Program (Certification, Training, Data)
Accreditation of Organic Certification Bodies (AMS)
Accreditation Policies and Procedures (AMS)
A Guide for Conventional Farmers Transitioning to Organic Certification (AMS)
Guidelines for Organic Crop Certification (USDA)
Organic Integrity in the Supply Chain (USDA)
Economic Research Service (ERS)
Profit Potential of Certified Organic Field Crop Production (ERS 2015)
Publication: Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 – Organic Agriculture
Publication: Emerging Issues in the Organic Industry (Greene et al., 2009)
Recent Growth Patterns in the U.S. Organic Foods Market (ERS 2002)
Organic Produce, Price Premiums, and Eco-Labeling in U.S. Farmers Markets (ERS)
Publication: Characteristics, Costs, and Issues for Organic Dairy Farming (McBride & Greene, 2009)
Farm Service Agency (FSA)
Help for Organic Farmers
Organic Certification Cost Share Program
Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS)
Claims Guidance
Compliance Assistance: Using the Claim “Certified Organic By …” on Meat and Poultry Product Labeling
FSIS Labeling Guideline on Documentation Needed to Substantiate Animal Raising Claims for Label Submission
FSIS Responses to Questions from the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) Regarding Organic Meat and Poultry Products Labeling
Labeling Guidance
Using the Claim “Certified Organic By…” on Meat and Poultry Product Labeling
Using the Claim “Certified Organic By…” on Meat and Poultry Product Labeling – Addendum
National Agricultural Library (NAL)
Alternative Farming Systems Information Center
(Archived)
Organically Produced Foods: Food Safety Issues
Organic Production/Organic Food: Information Access Tools
Organic Roots Collection
Natural Resources Conservation Series (NRCS)
Conservation and Biological Diversity in Organic Production (McEvoy & Haines)
Conservation Plan Supporting Organic Transition
EQIP Organic Initiatives
National Organic Farming Handbook (2015)
Organic Publications and Factsheets
Organic Agriculture
Technical and Financial Assistance for Organic Producers
Organic Transition Initiative Direct Farmer Assistance
Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation, Version 2 (RUSLE2)
Risk Management Agency (RMA)
Organic Crops
Organic Farming Practices National Fact Sheet (Archived)
Organic Farmers in Disasters: Flooding and Whole Farm Revenue Crop Insurance (Farmers’ Legal Action Group – FLAG Inc. with RMA 2018)
Organic Transition Initiative
Organic Certification Cost-Share Program
Organic Farmers
Congressional Resources
U.S. House Agriculture Committee
Subcommittee on Conservation, Research, and Biotechnology
Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry
Subcommittee on Nutrition, Foreign Agriculture, and Horticulture
U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, & Forestry
Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, Poultry, Local Food Systems, and Food Safety and Security
Subcommittee on Food and Nutrition, Specialty Crops, Organics, and Research
Other Federal Resources
Alcohol Beverages Labeled with Organic Claims (Alcohol & Tobacco Tax & Trade Bureau)
Organic on Food Labels (Food & Drug Administration)
Organic Products (Foreign Agricultural Service)
International Resources
Canadian Organic Growers
Canada Organic Trade Association
EU Organic Farming
International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements – IFOAM
International Organic Trade Partners (USDA)
Official Journal of The International Society of Organic Agricultural Research
One Cert International Organic Standards
Organic Agriculture (Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations – FAO)
Organic Agriculture and the Law (FAO 2012)
Codex Alimentarius – Organically Produced Foods (FAO, 2001)
Organic Crop Improvement Association (OCIA International Certification Agency)
Quality Assurance International (QAI)
Additional Resources
Advancing Organic Agriculture in the U.S. (Center for Food Safety 2010)
California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF)
Economic Barriers to Organic Transition (California Certified Organic Farmers 2015)
California Organic Program (California Dept. of Food & Agriculture)
Certified Maryland Organic (Maryland Dept. of Agriculture)
Navigating the National Organic Program (Maryland Dept. of Agriculture 2009)
Florida Organic Growers
Oregon State University eOrganic (OR St. U.)
Missouri Organic Certification Cost Share Program (Missouri Dept. of Agriculture)
National Organic Program (Organic Trade Association)
Northeast Organic Farming Association
Oregon Tilth
Resources for Conservation Planning on Organic and Transitioning-to-Organic Operations (Brown et al., Oregon Tilth 2013)
Organic Agriculture (Minnesota Dept. of Agriculture)
Organic Farming (National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service)
Organic Farming Research Foundation: Reports (OFRF)
Introduction to Crop Insurance for Organic and Transitioning Producers (OFRF) (2019)
Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI)
Organic Trade Association (OTA)
Organic Webinars (Conservation of Natural Resources Webinar Portal)
Rodale Institute
Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE.org)
Transitioning to Organic Production (SARE 2022)
Organic Transition: A Business Planner for Farmers, Ranchers and Food Entrepreneurs (SARE 2015)
Texas Department of Agriculture – Organics
Frequently Asked Questions for Organic Certification (Texas Dept. of Agriculture 2015)
Washington State Department of Agriculture Organic Food Program
Publications
A Comparative Analysis of Conventional, Genetically Modified (GM) Crops and Organic Farming Practices and the Role of Pesticides in Each (Ehn & Fox, 2019)
Before You Sign on the Dotted Line. . .Questions for Farmers to Ask Before Entering Into a Direct Marketing Agreement (Krueger, FLAG 2005)
Blanket NOP rules and regional realities: from the field (Miller, 2022)
Crop Insurance for Organic Farmers (U. of VT 2018)
Farm Bill Drilldown: Organic Agriculture (National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition 2018)
Federal Law Protects Farmers’ Rights to be Paid for Fruit and Vegetable Contracts (FLAG Inc. 2007)
Future Issues in Agricultural Law and Rural Practice (Hamilton, FLAG 2006)
Growing Organic, State by State (Berkeley Food Systems 2017)
Hushed Up: Confidentiality Clauses in Organic Milk Contracts (Krueger, FLAG)
If Your Farm Is Organic, Must It Be GMO-Free? Organic Farmers, Genetically Modified Organisms, and the Law (Krueger, FLAG 2007)
Implementation of National and International Organic Certification and Labeling Standards (Sullivan)
Legal Implications of “Organic” Seafood Labeling Based on Foreign Standards (Porter & Kulaga, 2019, Roger Williams University)
Of Affected Acres and Alternative Markets: Which Way for Organic Farmers? (Krueger, FLAG 2006)
Organic Regulations and Resources (Ernst, U. of KY Ext. 2018)
Organics Plus: Regulating Beyond the Current Organic Standards (Harrison, Pace Environmental Law Review, 2008)
Summary: The USDA National Organic Program Requirements for Food Retailers and Distribution Centers (Food Marketing Institute, October 2002)
The World of Organic Agriculture: Statistics & Emerging Trends 2019 (Organics Intl. 2019)
Trademark Law and the National Organic Program (Reid, 2019, UNH)
Transitioning to Organic Farm Systems (Wszelaki et al., U. of TN Ext. 2012)
Understanding Farmers’ Market Rules (Spicer & Krueger, FLAG 2006)
Understanding Farmers’ Rights to be Paid for Fruit and Vegetable Crops (FLAG Inc. 2007)
Vegetable Farmer’s Guide to Organic Certification (National Young Farmers Coalition 2014)
When Your Processor Requires More Than Organic Certification: Additional Requirements in Organic Milk Contracts (Krueger, FLAG 2008)