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question/thoughts about accepted USDA Organic 'plant food'

 
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I have not read any organic guidelines since the USDA took them over, although I worked against allowing sewer sludge (and that other thing we won't mention out of the cider press) as a field dressing I really haven't noticed new things added to the OMRI list and I avoid the garden isle generally.

I always followed California's guidelines back when and had a copy at one time.

So I'm behind on what is accepted and what is not and have been taken aback that some Miracle G... products are now accepted under USDA Organic standards.  My own standards follow along the 'beyond organic' practices of permaculture.

Here's a link to those products accepted in the US and in Canada...the symbol meanings are at the bottom of the page  
https://www.omri.org/ubersearch/results/Miracle%20Gro?type[]

I have brand name aversion.  They (miracle....) have always represented the worst gardening practices in my mind so I'm having a hard time accepting that they have suddenly got on the organic bandwagon...money perhaps?

Does anyone know what is actually in the accepted plant 'food'?

I think by the time I was done with this it's probably 'ulcer factory' material, please move if anyone feels the urge


 
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You're curious if certified organic plant food is acceptable for certified organic food crops?  Is this for a business or personal use?

Have you read the legal jargon for organic certification?  I did once, and it does outline soil amending and what can or can't be used.  I don't remember the specifics though, that wasn't my cause for reading through it all.
 
Judith Browning
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You're curious if certified organic plant food is acceptable for certified organic food crops?  Is this for a business or personal use?  



That's pretty much it!
Actually 'concerned' as much as curious because I know how rules and guidelines can be mushed around.

I am organic to the extreme and have been for forty years of growing food...I have not even looked at the guidelines in years, so was taken aback when I keep seeing M......G.. on the list of accepted inputs.  I see that they have added a line of products that apparently meet the USDA guidelines.





 
Jen Fan
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What I walked away from in researching organics was not horror in regards to the loopholes and exceptions for chemical use, but the lack of oversight.

So, my memory may be a bit rusty, but basically you have tens of thousands of producers all over the USA.  These producers are 'moderated' by just a few thousand certification companies, who formally announce that they're coming to audit the producer, and the producer has 24 hours to 'prep' for inspection.  If the producer should fail to meed code on something, the auditing company writes them a formal notice of deviation from organic rules, the producers submits a formal response of how they will mend their ways, and the auditing company reviews it and chooses whether or not to accept their terms of correction and timeline needed to do so.  Once the deadline approaches, the moderating company re-audits the offending producer.  If things still aren't up to snuff, the process continues.

All of these certifying/moderating companies report to a panel of "no less than 3 persons", who review every last  report, complaint, and failure-to-comply by the producers.  This panel of "no less than 3 persons" reports to 1 man, master overseer of USDA Organic Certification in the country (don't recall his name), and he alone reports the findings to the USDA.

So, you see, there's a LOT of room for corrupt oversight, lack of moderation, and basically a lot of room to get away with whatever you want.  
 
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