The document provides information about organic certification for farmers. It states that any farmer, regardless of size, can be certified organic by the USDA. It lists links to USDA websites and Michigan State University's organic farming exchange that provide details on the certification process and contacts. It notes that farmers earning under $5,000 annually from organic products may be exempt from certification but can choose to certify voluntarily.

1. INTERESTED IN GOING
ORGANIC?
Any farmer, no matter how big or small, can be
certified as organic by the USDA. Visit the links
below to find out more about the certification
process and who to contact for more information.
• USDA - Organic Certification Factsheet:
http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?
dDocName=STELDEV3004346
• USDA - Guide for Organic Crop
Producers: http://www.ams.usda.gov/
AMSv1.0/getfile?
dDocName=STELPRDC5101542
• MSU Organic Farming Exchange: http://
www.michiganorganic.msu.edu/
michiganorganic/organic_certification
Farmers who earn a profit of less than $5,000 from
organic agricultural products annually may be
exempt from the organic certification process but
can choose to be certified anyway. To learn more
about voluntary certification for exempt farms,
visit:
OTHER PRACTICUM
PUBLICATIONS:
For basic legal information on urban food,
farm and agriculture, visit the practicum’s
webpage: http://www.law.msu.edu/clinics/
food/index.html.
Publications available on the website include:
Starting An Agricultural Or Food-Based
Business
Guide To Agricultural Employment And
Volunteer Laws
A GUIDE TO
NAVIGATING
FEDERAL
AGENCIES
Potential Legal Liability In Farm-To-School
Programs
Food System Agency Scan
• Organic.About.Com - Organic
Certification Exemption: http://
organic.about.com/od/organiccertification/
tp/11-Frequently-Asked-Questions-AboutOrganic-Certification-Exemption.htm
OUR LOCATION AND CONTACT
INFORMATION:
MSU Legal Clinic
610 Abbot Rd.
East Lansing, MI 48823
517-336-8088
517-336-8089 fax
clinic@law.msu.edu
MSU College of Law Urban
Food, Farm & Agriculture
Practicum

2. Do you need to place labels
on your food products?
- Do you sell less than 100,000 items a year?
- Do you employ less than 100 full-time
employees?
- Do you have gross sales of less than
$500,000 a year?
If you answered NO to the above questions,
then you do not need to place labels on your
food products. For more information, visit:
www.fda.gov.
Federal Agencies: Who They
Apply to & How They Can Help
FOOD & DRUG
ADMINISTRATION (FDA):
FOOD AND NUTRITION
SERVICE (FNS):
www.fda.gov
www.fns.usda.gov/fns/services.htm
- Applies to ALL food products except meat,
poultry, and processed egg products
- Regulates food safety and nutritional labeling
Center for Disease Control
(CDC):
www.cdc.gov/foodsafety
- Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, &
Obesity funds state programs designed to
address obesity and chronic disease problems
- In MI, see www.michigan.gov/preventobesity
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF
AGRICULTURE (USDA):
www.usda.gov
WHO WE ARE:
Students of Michigan State University
College of Law participating in the Urban
Food, Farm & Agriculture
Practicum offer a variety of
legal services to nonprofit
organizations and low-income
individuals working with urban
agriculture in Detroit Michigan
and other urban settings. The
practicum is part of MSU Law’s
Legal Clinic.
- Applies to ALL meat, poultry, and processed
egg products
- Includes Agricultural Marketing Service and
the Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service
FARM SERVICES AGENCY
(FSA):
www.fsa.usda.gov
- Provides information about disaster
assistance, farm loans, and related programs for
family-sized farms
- Provides information about the Child & Adult
Care Free Program, Commodity Supplemental
Food Program, Farmers’ Market Nutrition
Program, Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Program,
National School Lunch Program,
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
(food stamps), and Emergency Food
Assistance Program
ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION AGENCY (EPA):
http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/
- Governs pesticide use on farms of all sizes,
including the registration, distribution, sale,
and use of legal pesticides