Creating an Organic System Plan

An Organic System Plan (OSP) is central to the organic certification process. It describes how a farm or business follows the USDA organic rules and explains every step of production: how crops are grown, animals are cared for, products are processed and handled, and records are kept. The plan includes information on production practices, processing, and how organic products are protected as they travel along supply chains. 

Under a cooperative agreement, USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) and the Wallace Center at Winrock International developed Quality Management Systems: A Guide for Food and Farm Businesses. The goal of this project was to create a resource to help food and farm businesses, including food hubs, and USDA GroupGAP and other food safety certification administrators understand the benefits of a quality management system (QMS) and how to implement a QMS.

The GIAC requests a review of the current grading standards/policies as it pertains to customer load orders for items currently being considered as “self-imposed limits”, to allow for grading/certification of these items as a function of the official grade and certificates.

Issue: Screening/scalping of grain prior to shipment to receiving states with a European Corn Borer (ECB) Quarantine Program.

Background: 
The past several years, there has been several reported situations where origin falling numbers have not been repeated at destination within the tolerance allowed by the FGIS limits.

The likelihood is not all official agencies (and unofficial agencies) do not necessarily run the falling numbers the same way.

I understand the standard for export results for falling numbers is done on a 14% moisture basis, as well as the “two tube” method and average the results.

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