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Organic foods and organic crop production are becoming of ever greater interest to the consuming public. In fact, organic industries have developed across the United States in response to this consumer demand. This consumer demand is partly in response to use of synthetic substances in the growing and handling of food products and the use of pesticides, all with still unknown effects on the human systems. Organic sales in the United States have reached more than $2.8 billion in 1995 from very meager beginnings in 1980. The growth rates and use and consumption of organic products are expected to accelerate in the years to come and there are some estimates that U.S. organic sales will top $4 billion shortly.

Humates, as natural organic compounds, will be a key part of the organic crop production system and your organic plan. In 1990, Congress enacted The Organic Food Productions Act of 1990 ("OFPA") which can be found at 7 U.S.C. § 6501, et seq. The OFPA was enacted in response to the problems of the organic industry and at the request of its trade associations which attempted to establish national voluntary organic certification programs. Needless to say, voluntary agreements of this type are difficult to develop and a consensus on National standards are even more difficult to develop. Therefore, Congress, in response to organic industry trade association petitions, established a mandatory national organic program through the OFPA. The purposes of the OFPA as set forth in § 2102 (7 U.S.C. § 6501) are to:

1. Establish National standards governing the marketing of certain agricultural products as organically produced products;
2. Assure consumers that organically produced products meet a consistent standard; and
3. Facilitate commerce in fresh and processed foods that are organically produced.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture initiated a rule making proceeding on December 15, 1997 by proposing a comprehensive set of National standards for the production, processing and labeling of organic foods. That proposal would, for the first time, define exactly what products can be labelled as organic and under what circumstances the organic food industry could use the U.S.D.A. seal of certification on foods, raw and processed, that meet the stringent new definitions. An organic plan is required.

The proposed regulations replace a patchwork of some 33 private and 11 state organic certification agencies, each with their own standards and identifying marks. As a result, there was some consumer confusion because of the variety of seals, labels and logos used by certifiers and state programs. Importantly, there was no industry-wide agreement on accepted list of substances that should be permitted or prohibited for use in organic production and handling. While the organic industries have developed, a lack of National organic standards impedes the farmers and handlers from taking full advantage of international markets and a growing domestic market to the fullest extent possible. It is expected that National uniform standards will accelerate the double-digit growth of organic agriculture which has evolved from the holistic back to the earth movements in the 1990's to one of the hottest niches of growth in the U.S. agricultural business.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, through its National List, has identified a list of natural (non-synthetic) substances acceptable for use in organic crop production. As ought to be expected, humates, as a mined source, and humic acid derivatives are in fact organic compounds. Therefore they are found on the list of natural substances and therefore are approved for use in organic crop production. This inclusion of humates and humic acid derivatives on the National List for use in organic production is the natural conclusion of the existing scientific data and studies which confirm humates as natural organic compounds and thus permissible for use in organic farming. U Mate International is actively interested in participating in the growth and development of all organic industries, not only as a supplier, but also as a source of reliable data and studies with an aim towards fostering the growth and development of humates, humate derivatives and organic farming as a whole. U Mate International desires to be an active participant as a supplier of organic compounds and technical data to foster and promote the growth of all organic industries. We believe that humates will be a part of your organic plan under the OFPA to assist you in having your facility certified as an organic farm or organic handler.

Please contact U Mate International to see how we can meet your needs.