With organic produce now the fastest growing segment of agriculture, farmers and advisors are looking for accurate information about production and marketing. A new source of information is an online organic compliance handbook posted to the Web site of the University of California Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (SAREP).
 
"Growers and advisors want the most up-to-date information about organic farming," said David Chaney, education coordinator for SAREP and federal Western Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program representative. The online handbook at http://www.sarep.ucdavis.edu/organic/complianceguide/, funded by Western SARE, is aimed at agricultural professionals in the West.

"We're being asked more questions about practices and the standards organic farmers have to meet," said Mark Gaskell, UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor in Santa Barbara County. "This online guide will be a valuable resource in providing assistance to those farmers and ranchers."

The online handbook is organized in seven sections, including the principles of organic agriculture, national organic standards, setting up organic production plans, materials, marketing and economics, and resources and organizations.

Project cooperators are UC SAREP, Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI), Washington State University Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources, and New Mexico State University. Editors include personnel from OMRI, SAREP, Oregon State University, Washington State University and UC Santa Cruz.
 
SAREP's Web site (http://www.sarep.ucdavis.edu/Organic/index.htm) provides links to the national rules for organic farming, allowed inputs, and alternatives to pesticides and herbicides that cannot be used by organic growers.