A crop must adhere to specific standards before it can be labelled as organic.
Standards for an organic crop - all of the following:
(1) land has not had a prohibited substance applied for >= 3 years before the harvest of the organic crop
(2) soil management is done by tillage, cultivation practices, crop rotation, cover crop, animal waste, allowed synthetic materials and/or crop waste
(3) weed, pest and diseases are controlled through physical, mechanical and biological controls
(4) if needed, biological, botanical or synthetic substance on the National List can be used
(5) use of organic seeds
(6) no use of genetically engineering, ionizing radiation and sewage sludge
(7) inspection by a USDA-accredited certifying agent
(8) preparation of an organic systems plan
