Northeast Iowa Peace and Justice Center discusses organic farming certification

Organic farm inspector Jack Knight spoke on Thursday morning at the Northeast Iowa Peace and Justice Center's monthly conversation about the environment. Knight works as an independent contractor for MOSA Certified Organic -- the second-largest organic certifier in the United States.

According to the MOSA website. "Organic certification allows you to sell, label, handle, and process products as organic. There are a series of steps, forms, and required information for each type of operation to meet the USDA National Organic Standards. The entire process takes an average of 12 weeks to complete, but can be shorter or longer depending upon the complexity of the operation and the ability to resolve concerns or provide additional information."

Knight projects certifying 130 organic farms this year -- all within 100 miles of Decorah -- the largest percentage of these being Amish farms. He says the increased demand for certified organic products is consumer driven and is exceeding the current supply, resulting in a need to import. Knight says he is encouraged when he sees organic practices being adopted by conventional farming operations, and conventional technology being utilized by organic farms. He calls this "a wonderful development."

For more information on organic certification requirements visit http://mosaorganic.org/