Organic Record Keeping, with a Farmer and Inspector
The paperwork for organic certification can be daunting for farmers. But that paper trail is also the backbone of the organic certification’s integrity. Farmers need their own clear record-keeping system that will work for their certifier. In addition to being crucial for organic certification, when done well organic paperwork can also improve general farm organization. In this episode we’ll speak with a farmer who’s leveled-up his record keeping system to be easy for him and his crew, and an organic inspector who will share her experience of best record keeping practices for farmers, to help their inspections go smoothly.
This is a free Zoom Event!
SPEAKERS
Matthew Fitzgerald
Matthew Fitzgerald grew up on his family's organic farm in Minnesota and has been a partner over the last several years. They grow corn, soy, edible beans, and wheat. Matthew has helped diversify crop rotations and implement new technology into the operations. He is also a certified organic inspector with the International Organic Inspectors Association (IOIA). He is the founder of Farm Flow, a software startup focused on farm management for organic farmers. Matthew is excited about the future of farming and working to support the next generation.
Mallory Krieger
Mallory Krieger is an IOIA-trained organic inspector in Illinois. She operates an organic record keeping service for organic farmers through her business Terra Elossa LLC, and is also the program director for OATS, the Organic Agronomy Training Service. In addition to her consulting work, Mallory owns and manages an 85 acre farm in western Illinois.
Sam Oschwald Tilton, Facilitator
“I have worked with organic farmers all over the US and Canada to understand production systems and solve weed management issues. This past season, on farms and in winter conferences, I spoke with as many farmers and ag professionals as I could to understand the questions that organic producers have, and the experts that they’d like to learn from. Those conversations helped me identify the topics and guests for this series. I am excited to bring together a wide range of farmers and ag professionals from many backgrounds, all of whom have an experienced perspective to share. In each call I look forward to having an intelligent conversation with the guest that introduces the topic to those who are unfamiliar and also dives deep to bring further understanding and clear tips to listeners. After the conversation, we’ll take questions from listeners, so that they can communicate directly with each guest to get the answers that they need. My goal for this call series is to provide crucial information on topics facing organic and transition-curious farmers, in an approachable conversation that listeners can easily listen to during their lunch hour.”
“Record keeping is crucial in organics, even though it can be a pain! Good records can improve all areas of farm management. In this episode you’ll learn from an organic inspector about best practices to reduce hassle, and an organic farmer who’s seen the power of record keeping as a farm management tool and created his own app to help other farmers!”
This series is brought to you by Albert Lea Seed House.
Albert Lea is a fourth-generation, family-owned, independent farm seed company with a full line of organic and non-gmo field crop seed, and knowledgeable reps.