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Unit 3: Systems in Action

OFPA mandated that USDA develop and write regulations to explain the law to producers, handlers and certifiers. OFPA also called for an advisory National Organic Standards Board to make recommendations regarding the substances that could be used in organic production and handling, and to help USDA write the regulations. After years of work and much public debate, final rules were written and implemented in fall 2002.

How does the USDA define organic agriculture? Click the image of the organic certification logo find out.

In the years since the implementation OFPA there has been an astounding growth in organic agriculture and the organic marketplace. Click on the following chart titles to learn more.

U.S. certified organic farmland acreage, livestock numbers, and farm operations (1992-2011)

Sales of Organic Food by Category, 2000-2010

Updated information on the organic sector is available from the Organic Trade Association, and the USDA-ERS, Organic Agriculture