C5 – Soil and Crop Fertility Management

ECOCERT ICO – Crop Producer OSP Page 6 of 6

C5 – Soil and Crop Fertility Management / NOP §205.203 and §205.205
A. General Information: Soil management, including crop rotations, must actively build soil fertility, manage plant nutrients, protect natural resources and prevent soil erosion. All fertility inputs must be verified for compliance to the standards prior to actual use. The operator must monitor fertility practices and procedures to verify the organic plan is effectively implemented. Plant and animal materials (manure, compost, and non-composted plant materials) must be managed so that they do not contribute to contamination of crops, soil and water nutrients, pathogenic organisms, heavy metals, or residues of prohibited substances.
Please list all materials used or planned for use in A7 – Inputs.
What are your soil types? / Clay / Sand / Loam / Silt / Other, specify:
Does the soil have nutrient deficiencies? / No / Yes
If yes, please specify the deficiencies:
How do you monitor the effectiveness of your fertility management program? Please attach copies of most recent test results.
Soil testing / Microbiological testing / Observation of crop health / Other, specify:
Tissue testing / Crop quality testing / Observation of soil
Do you burn crop residues? / No / Yes
If yes, please describe the crop, purpose, and timing of burn:
Do you apply sludge to fields? / No / Yes
If yes, list fields where applied:
C5 – Soil and Crop Fertility Management / NOP §205.203 and §205.205
B. Compost Use: NOP Rule 205.203 (c)(2) requires that the composting process must include a C:N ratio of between 25:1 and 40:1 and maintenance of temperatures between 131°F and 170°F for a specific number of days, depending on the method of composting. Keep a compost production record to verify compliance.
Do you use compost? / No / Yes
If yes, please answer the following questions
What composting method do you use?
In-vessel / Static aerated pile / Windrows / Other, specify:
What is your initial C:N ratio?
Do you monitor temperature? / No / Yes, specify the temperature maintained:
How long is this temperature maintained?
If compost is windrowed, how many times is it turned?
C5 – Soil and Crop Fertility Management / NOP §205.203 and §205.205
C. Manure Use: NOP Rule §205.203 (c)(1) requires that raw manure must be fully composted unless applied to fields with crops not for human consumption or incorporated into the soil 120 days prior to harvest for crops whose edible portion has direct contact with the soil, or 90 days prior to harvest for all other crops for human consumption. If you are composting manure, please complete C5 B. Compost Use above.
Do you use manure? / No / Yes
If yes, please complete the following questions:
What forms of manure do you use?
Liquid / Semi-solid / Fully composted / Other, specify:
Piled / Pelleted / Conventional poultry
List all manure ingredients and additives:
What is the source of the manure you use? / On-farm / Off-Farm
If you use off-farm sources of manure, what are the potential contaminants (pit additives, feed additives, heavy metals, etc.) from these sources? Attach residue analysis/additive specifications of all off-farm manure if available.
List all sources of off-farm manure:
What type of crops do you grow? Check all that apply:
Crops not used for human consumption
Crops for human consumption whose edible portion has direct contact with the soil
Crops for human consumption whose edible portion does not have direct contact with the soil

If you grow crops for human consumption and use raw manure, complete the following table:

Type of Crop / Field Names or Numbers / Date Manure Applied / Expected Date of Harvest
Example – corn / # 26 / April 17, 2013 / November 4, 2013
C5 – Soil and Crop Fertility Management / NOP §205.203 and §205.205
D. Natural Resources (Soil Conservation and Water Use): NOP Rule §205.200 and §205.203(a) require that production practices must maintain or improve the natural resources of the operations, including soil and water quality. Practices must minimize erosion. Irrigation water should not contaminate organic crops with prohibited materials. Methods to conserve water should be part of any irrigation plan.
Do you experience any soil erosion problems? / No / Yes
If yes, describe the problem, cause, and field names or numbers below:
What conservation practices are used?
Terraces / Contour farming / Retention ponds / Winter cover crops
Windbreaks / Strip cropping / Under sowing/interplanting / Permanent waterways
Firebreaks / Maintain wildlife habitat / Riparian management
Other, specify:
How is water used in your operation?
Irrigation / Livestock / Foliar sprays
Washing crops / Greenhouse / Other, specify:
What is the source of water used?
On-site well / River/creek/pond / Spring
Municipal/county / Irrigation district / Other, specify:
Type of irrigation system:
Drip / Center pivot / Underground
Flood / Micro-spray / Other, specify:
What input products are applied through the irrigation system? Please also list in A7 – Inputs.
What products do you use to clean irrigation lines and nozzles? Please also list in A7 – Inputs.
Is the system shared with another operator? / No / Yes
If yes, what products do the shared operators use in the irrigation system?
Is the system flushed (and the flush documented) between conventional and organic use? / No / Yes
What practices are used to protect water quality?
Fencing livestock from waterways / Scheduled use of water to conserve / Micro-spray irrigation
Tensiometer/monitoring / Laser leveling/land forming / Drip irrigation
Other, specify:
List known contaminants in water supplies in your area. Attach residue analysis/salinity test results if available.
What water contamination problems do you experience (why and where)?
Describe your efforts to minimize water contamination problems listed above.
Applicant Initials / Date / Approval / Form code / Last update
CM / C5 (v1) (f) / 12/24/2013

If you have questions, we are happy to help. Please call: 1-888-337-8246. Submit your application at / Fax: 317-708-0628