Grass Fed Certification
NOFA-NY certified operations approved for 100% Grass Fed certification may use the NOFA-NY Certified 100% Grass Fed logo. Contact NOFA-NY for artwork and also to purchase freezer quality stickers and banners.
NOFA-NY 100% Grass Fed / OPT Grass-Fed Organic
NOFA-NY Certified Organic, LLC is now accredited to the Organic Plus Trust (OPT) Inc., Grass-Fed Organic Livestock Program for both Livestock and Handling. We are offering both NOFA-NY & OPT Grass Fed Certification. These are voluntary certifications* open to ruminant livestock operations currently certified organic by NOFA-NY. Producers can apply to only one of the certifications.
*Note that some milk companies are requiring OPT certification. Check with your market to see if this is a requirement for Organic Grass Fed shipping.
Grass Fed certification is an annual process. Updated paperwork and fees must be submitted each year with the Organic Certification Application. Annual reviews and inspections will be conducted jointly with the Organic Certification process.
Forms and Guidance
- Grass Fed Add-On (to Dairy/Livestock Application)
- Grass Fed Fee Determination Form
- Grass Fed Organic System Plan
- Grass Fed Supplement Verification Form
- Grass Fed Grazed/Harvested Crop Tracking Form
- NOFA-NY 100% Grass Fed Certification Manual
- OPT Standards Manual
- OPT Program Manual
- Grass Fed Milk Withholding Log
- Grass Fed Animal Commercial Unavailability Form
- OPT Animal Welfare Requirement Verification Forms
OPT is a public benefit company organized to expand on the existing National Organic Program standards by providing add-on certification modules for certified organic operations. The Grass-Fed Organic Livestock Program standard has been designed to be a universal Grass-Fed certification that certified organic handling and livestock operations can apply to. The goal is to provide consistency and transparency to grass-fed organic standards for farmers, processors, manufacturers, certification bodies, retailers and consumers.
Please contact us at dairycert@nofany.org or 607.724.9851 with any questions on these programs.
Transition Monitoring
Let NOFA-NY be your partner in navigating through the transitioning periods to becoming certified organic. Our transition monitoring program will give you the peace of mind that your practices are being verified as compliant with the organic standards.
Transition Requirements
Land: any field or farm parcel from which harvested crops are intended to be sold, labeled, or represented as “organic” must:
- Have been managed in accordance to the USDA Organic Standards.
- Have had no prohibited substances, as listed in the USDA Organic Standards, applied to it for a period of three years immediately preceding harvest of the crops.
- Have distinct, defined boundaries and buffer zones such as runoff diversion to prevent the unintended application of a prohibited substance to the crop or contact with a prohibited substance applied to adjoining land that is not under organic management.
Dairy Operations: the USDA Organic Regulations established a one-year dairy herd transition period. Milk and milk products must be from animals that have been under continuous organic management beginning no later than one year prior to production sold, labeled, or represented as organic. Producers must:
- Implement organic management practices for fields, including crop rotation requirements by familiarizing yourself with the National Organic Regulations.
- Develop appropriate housing and pasture for dairy animals, including young stock.
- Implement pasture and outdoor access in the winter for all animals over six months old.
- Discontinue the use of antibiotics, hormones, synthetic medications and dry cow treatment.
- Search out and implement the use of alternative health care practices.
Livestock Operations: The USDA Organic Regulations state that livestock products that are to be sold, labeled, or represented as organic must be under continuous organic management from the last third of gestation. Poultry or edible poultry products must be under continuous organic management beginning no later than the second day of life.
Organic Hemp Certification
NOFA-NY Certified Organic, LLC is New York’s leading industrial hemp certifier since the state began issuing permits in 2016. We certified the very first organic industrial hemp grower in New York, and our staff maintains expertise on requirements for and changes to hemp regulations.
What we certify:
- Crops:
- Hemp plants
- Hemp seed
- Hemp fiber
- Processed products
- CBD oil