ABSTRACT

The Texas Department of Agriculture's Organic Certification Program certifies cotton produced under an organic farming system. That is, a system of ecological soil management that relies on building humus levels through crop rotations, recycling organic wastes, and applying balanced mineral amendments and a system that uses, when necessary, mechanical, botanical, or biological controls with minimum adverse effects on health and the environment. In addition, organic cotton is produced without the use of synthetic pesticides, synthetic fertilizers and is defoliated by natural means. Upon compliance with the Organic Standards and Certification, Texas Administrative Code, Title 4, Part I, Chapter 18., participants are entitled to use a marketing logo identifying their cotton and cotton by-products as state-certified. TDA inspects and certifies producers, processors (ginners, textile mills, manufacturers), and handlers (warehouses, storage, distributors, brokers).