Certified Organic Crop Records to Maintain

The following list is from the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA). Certified organic crop producers are required to keep the following records for at least 5 years (as applicable for the business):

Seed/Seedling/ Perennial/Planting Stock Records
- Documentation/protocol of effort to procure organic seed/ planting stock, this can include but not limited to printed correspondences from seed companies regarding requests, inventory, availability, etc.
- Verification from a seed supplier that non-organic seed is not genetically modified. This is only necessary for seeds that have commercially available GMO seeds (e.g. corn, soybeans, sugar beets).
- For seed savers: harvest records showing production of organic seed.
- Verification that pelleting materials are NOP compliant.
Material Application Records
- Date, input or implement, rate, location, and source for the following:
  - Soil amendments, including fertilizer, compost, etc.
  - Pesticide/herbicide products.
  - Manure application records (this should include date of manure application and date of first harvest yield/ kind of crop from that field).
  - Crop production aids, including mulches, foliar sprays etc.
Production Records
- Crop rotation records, especially if this information is not apparent from the field history forms.
- Field activity records. Protocols/records on cultivation practices, weeding and planting dates.
- Compost production records are required if feedstocks contain manure or animal parts and the finished product is applied during the growing season on crops intended for human consumption. Records include sources and feedstocks, temperature data and turning dates
- If equipment is used on conventionally managed land: equipment clean out log including date, method and who cleaned out the equipment.
- 1-year transition records for perennials.
Harvest, Storage and Sales Records
- Audit trails are essential paper trails that allow products to be traced to the farm/field of origin. Inspectors will examine your records to verify that this link can be made on paper. Audit trail requirements vary depending on the scale and complexity of the farm operation. Producers should work with their certification specialists on an audit trail system that verifies their compliance with the regulation.
- Examples of records needed to demonstrate farm traceability include but are not limited to:
  1. Direct sales through CSA, farm stand, and/or farmers’ markets:
    - A daily receipts log of sales showing crops sold
    - CSA share records
    - Harvest records (if different from sales records). For crops grown and harvested from multiple fields at the same time of the year, records that differentiate between fields must be kept.
  2. Wholesale to local co-ops, stores, and restaurants
    - A log book and/or dates invoices to document product sales.
    - Wholesale containers labeled with the farm name and a lot number or date.
    - Harvest records (if different from sales records). For crops grown and harvested from multiple fields at the same time of the year, records that differentiate between fields must be kept.
  3. Wholesaler to processors or distributors:
    - Sales invoices with lot numbers
    - Wholesale containers labeled with farm name and a lot number or date.
    - Inventory records for stored products.
    - Harvest records. Harvest records must indicate the field of harvest. Lot numbers should link to the field where the crop was grown and the date of harvest.
- If an organic product is bought in from other farms, the following must be kept: amounts of crop(s) bought in, amounts of “bought in” crop(s) sold, verification that bought-in products are certified organic or not sold as organic.
General Recordkeeping
- If land has been owned or leased for less than 3 years, a landowner affidavit must be in place to verify no non-organic practices have taken place in those 3 years.
- Accurate and complete field histories and maps exist (including buffer areas).
- Soil test documentation to confirm soil health and inform fertility application decisions. Note: soil tests are reimbursable through the cost share rebate. Water and tissue analysis reports.
- Receipts for all inputs (including seeds, seedlings and perennials and custom applicator invoices) are kept and available at inspection.
- Documentation of gross income reported for the last and current year.
- Product labels have been reviewed and approved by a certification specialist.
- Records to document the protocols in place to avoid commingling and contamination in operations that handle both conventional and organic crops. These records may include equipment cleaning logs for pesticide tanks, tractors, boxes, etc. Records may also include post-harvest handling standard operating procedures, product labeling, and related documentation.

Desert Farming Initiative 2025, Organic Production Record Keeping, Desert Farming Initiative, University of Nevada, Reno

Extension Associated Contacts

Tatum Gogna

Jill Moe

Also of Interest:


Effect of ultraviolet light, organic acids, and bacteriophage on Salmonella populations in ground beef Yeh, Y., de Moura, F., Van de Broek, K., de Mello, A.S. 2018, Meat Science
Non-Chemical Weed Control for Small Acreage Farmers in Nevada Many small acreage farming operations are organic-based or strongly prefer weed management recommendations that preclude the use of conventional herbicides. The purpose of this fact sheet is to provide basic information and resources on non-chemical weed control options for these... Davison, J. and Newton, J. 2012, University of Nevada Cooperative Extension
Composting Yard and Vegetable Wastes Composting is an effective way to take organic materials from landfills and use them to improve soil health. This fact sheet covers the reasons for composting and the basics of getting compost started. Donaldson, S., and Hefner, Melody 2009, Extension, University of Nevada, Reno, FS-09-16
Marketing Farmers’ Markets: Ideas for Market Vendors & Managers in Nevada In 1994, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service (USDA-AMS) began tracking the number of farmers’ markets nationwide. At the start there were 1,755 farmers’ markets across the country; in 2008 there were 4,685, an increase of nearly 168 percent (USDA-A... Cowee, M., Curtis, K., Gatzke, H. 2009, Extension \| University of Nevada, Reno, FS-09-10
Why Customers Shop at Farmers Markets in Nevada Farmers markets are an increasingly popular alternative to traditional grocery stores for consumers. In the decade between 1998 and 2008, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service (USDA- AMS) estimated that the number of farmers markets in the U.S. incre... Cowee, M., Curtis, K., and Gatzke, H. 2009, Extension \| University of Nevada, Reno, FS-09-32

Organic Production Record Keeping

Certified Organic Crop Records to Maintain

Seed/Seedling/ Perennial/Planting Stock Records
- Documentation/protocol of effort to procure organic seed/ planting stock, this can include but not limited to printed correspondences from seed companies regarding requests, inventory, availability, etc.
- Verification from a seed supplier that non-organic seed is not genetically modified. This is only necessary for seeds that have commercially available GMO seeds (e.g. corn, soybeans, sugar beets).
- For seed savers: harvest records showing production of organic seed.
- Verification that pelleting materials are NOP compliant.
Material Application Records
- Date, input or implement, rate, location, and source for the following:
  - Soil amendments, including fertilizer, compost, etc.
  - Pesticide/herbicide products.
  - Manure application records (this should include date of manure application and date of first harvest yield/ kind of crop from that field).
  - Crop production aids, including mulches, foliar sprays etc.
Production Records
- Crop rotation records, especially if this information is not apparent from the field history forms.
- Field activity records. Protocols/records on cultivation practices, weeding and planting dates.
- Compost production records are required if feedstocks contain manure or animal parts and the finished product is applied during the growing season on crops intended for human consumption. Records include sources and feedstocks, temperature data and turning dates
- If equipment is used on conventionally managed land: equipment clean out log including date, method and who cleaned out the equipment.
- 1-year transition records for perennials.
Harvest, Storage and Sales Records
- Audit trails are essential paper trails that allow products to be traced to the farm/field of origin. Inspectors will examine your records to verify that this link can be made on paper. Audit trail requirements vary depending on the scale and complexity of the farm operation. Producers should work with their certification specialists on an audit trail system that verifies their compliance with the regulation.
- Examples of records needed to demonstrate farm traceability include but are not limited to:
  1. Direct sales through CSA, farm stand, and/or farmers’ markets:
    - A daily receipts log of sales showing crops sold
    - CSA share records
    - Harvest records (if different from sales records). For crops grown and harvested from multiple fields at the same time of the year, records that differentiate between fields must be kept.
  2. Wholesale to local co-ops, stores, and restaurants
    - A log book and/or dates invoices to document product sales.
    - Wholesale containers labeled with the farm name and a lot number or date.
    - Harvest records (if different from sales records). For crops grown and harvested from multiple fields at the same time of the year, records that differentiate between fields must be kept.
  3. Wholesaler to processors or distributors:
    - Sales invoices with lot numbers
    - Wholesale containers labeled with farm name and a lot number or date.
    - Inventory records for stored products.
    - Harvest records. Harvest records must indicate the field of harvest. Lot numbers should link to the field where the crop was grown and the date of harvest.
- If an organic product is bought in from other farms, the following must be kept: amounts of crop(s) bought in, amounts of “bought in” crop(s) sold, verification that bought-in products are certified organic or not sold as organic.
General Recordkeeping
- If land has been owned or leased for less than 3 years, a landowner affidavit must be in place to verify no non-organic practices have taken place in those 3 years.
- Accurate and complete field histories and maps exist (including buffer areas).
- Soil test documentation to confirm soil health and inform fertility application decisions. Note: soil tests are reimbursable through the cost share rebate. Water and tissue analysis reports.
- Receipts for all inputs (including seeds, seedlings and perennials and custom applicator invoices) are kept and available at inspection.
- Documentation of gross income reported for the last and current year.
- Product labels have been reviewed and approved by a certification specialist.
- Records to document the protocols in place to avoid commingling and contamination in operations that handle both conventional and organic crops. These records may include equipment cleaning logs for pesticide tanks, tractors, boxes, etc. Records may also include post-harvest handling standard operating procedures, product labeling, and related documentation.

Published by: Desert Farming Initiative, 2025, Organic Production Record Keeping, Desert Farming Initiative, University of Nevada, Reno