Northeast Organic Farming Association
of New Hampshire
A Voice for Organic Agriculture in NH
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NHDAMF Discontinuing Organic Certification Program
Organic certification of NH Farms is continuing and available to all farms
interested in organic certification.
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NHDAMF announced Tuesday, Feb 27, 2024 that they are discontinuing their Organic Certification Program, effective June 30, 2024. If you were planning to renew your organic certification in 2024 with NHDAMF, please continue to do so and submit your OSP and certification fees by Friday March 1st, 2024 in order to maintain your current certification.
NHDAMF has mailed out a letter to all their certified operators explaining the status of the program and providing instructions on what farmers need to do.
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READ NHDAMF'S LETTER TO FARMERS HERE
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Commissioner Shawn Jasper has assured NOFA-NH that all 2024 certification fees shall be refunded to all NHDAMF-certified organic operations.
Your organic certification will remain valid during this transition period. But you must either transfer your organic certification to another Accredited Certifying Agent (ACA) to maintain your organic certified status or surrender your Organic Certificate to NHDAMF by April 27, 2024.
You must notify NHDAMF of either action by April 27, 2024. Use the form below to do so.
This letter is required to submit to NHDAMF by April 27, 2024 to maintain your organic certification and stay in compliance with NOP.
NOFA-NH has prepared a Fact Sheet explaining the steps to transfer your organic certification to another ACA or surrender your Organic Certificate. Read our Fact Sheet, available in the link below. This sheet was emailed to organic farmers currently certified with NHDAMF on Feb 28, 2024.
There is a Regional ACA Pricing Comparison along with letters and information from each of the Regional ACAs below. For a complete list of ACAs that currently certify in NH, please refer to the Fact Sheet.
NOFA NH is offering technical assistance to any farmers needing help with this process.
Please refer to the Fact Sheet above for whom to contact or reach out to our office,
at 603-224-5022 or email info@nofanh.org.
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NOFA-NH is continuing to advocate for the organic farming community,
to seek feedback, and to provide support for organic farmers.
The above section updated April 16, 2024
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News and History of Organic Certification in NH
Official Statement from NHDAMF and NOFA-NH
NHDAMF and NOFA-NH are committed to informing and gathering feedback from the New Hampshire organic farming community on the future of organic certification services at NHDAMF. Click the link below for the official statement on the state of organic certification in New Hampshire.
Update on NH Organic Certification Bills and Options for Certification in 2024
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As part of our ongoing commitment to serve the organic farming community, NOFA-NH is providing an update on the state of the House bills concerning organic certification in New Hampshire this legislative season.
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Two of the three bills concerning NHDAMF's organic certification program have not passed. HB1618-FN Title: mandating a cooperative agreement with USDA for “organic” certification was voted inexpedient to legislate on February 6, 2024. HB1184-FN-A Title: relative to making an appropriation to the organic certification program did not pass a House of Representatives vote on February 22, 2024. We are grateful to Rep. Bixby, Rep. Wolf, and all the legislators who sponsored and supported these bills.
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HB1578 Title: relative to organic food certification and labeling will have a public hearing on March 6, 2024 at 1:00 PM in the Legislative Office Building room 301-303. Farmers plan to testify in opposition to this bill, which would do away with organic certification at the state level in New Hampshire, and are seeking public support at this upcoming hearing. You can testify in person or online here.
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Options for Organic Certification in NH in 2024:
Organic Certification of New Hampshire Farms will continue. Refer to NOFA-NH's Fact Sheet for details.
If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact NOFA-NH at info@nofanh.org.
Join Us to Stand Up For Organic Certification in NH on Jan. 16th!
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Join us at the New Hampshire Legislative Office Building (33 N Main St, Concord NH 03301) on Tuesday, January 16th to testify in support of two bills intended to preserve organic certification at the state level in NH:
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10:00 - 11:00 am HB1184-FN-A Title: relative to making an appropriation to the organic certification program.
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11:00 - 11:30 am - HB1618-FN Title: mandating a cooperative agreement with USDA for “organic” certification.
Additionally, farmers are testifying in opposition to a bill that would do away with organic certification at the state level in New Hampshire:
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11:30am – 12:00pm, HB1578: relative to organic food certification and labeling
Details on how testify in person & online plus sample testimonies are available here.
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Why Organic FAQs are available here for additional information, history and talking points.
Briefing on Organic Certification Services in NH
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NOFA-NH is continuing to advocate for the organic farming community and to support stakeholders surrounding the future of organic certification in the state. We developed a Briefing on Organic Certification Services in New Hampshire to provide details to the community on actions to date, including proposed legislation, stakeholder survey results, an update from NHDAMF, and an update on the NOFA-NH organic certification satellite office option.
NH Organic Certification Stakeholder Meeting November 5th
November 5, 2023 | 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm at Generation Farm in Concord, NH
In-person & online.
Please join us for an upcoming Organic Certification Stakeholder meeting. Farmers interested in continuing the conversation about the future of organic certification in New Hampshire will discuss legislative possibilities for supporting certification at NHDAMF, a satellite office option with NOFA-NH, certification fees, and strategies for moving forward. Registration is required.
Please contact info@nofanh.org with any questions.
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NH Organic Certification Stakeholder Survey DEADLINE EXTENDED to October 31st
The deadline to submit feedback for the NH Organic Certification Stakeholder Survey put forth by NHDAMF and NOFA-NH has been extended to Tuesday, October 31, 2023.
This is an important opportunity for farmers to weigh in on organic certification rates.
Please fill out this brief survey here to help us understand your preferences for certification services and thoughts on potential rate changes.
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NOFA-NH's Farmer Listening Session on Organic Certification Services in NH
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To best meet the needs of the organic farming community, NOFA-NH hosted a second NH Organic Certification listening session on Monday, September 11, 2023.
This session was open to farmers to connect with one another and the greater New Hampshire community on this important topic and to inform any upcoming legislation. Attendees were invited to directly comment and voice their thoughts during the session.
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You can view the recording of this session by clicking here.
NHDAMF and NOFA-NH Certification Listening Session
NHDAMF and NOFA-NH are reached out to inform and gather feedback from the New Hampshire organic farming community on the future of organic certification services at NHDAMF. A virtual listening session was held on Thursday, August 31st from 6:00 – 7:00PM to solicit live feedback from producers.
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This session was open to anyone in the community interested in learning more about the state of organic certification and giving input on how to move forward.
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You can view the recording of this session by clicking here.
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