Vermont Organic Farmers (VOF) is a Limited Liability Corporation, owned by NOFA-VT. Since 1985, VOF has provided a highly credible program for independent third-party verification of organic food production and has been accredited by the USDA National Organic Program since 2002.
VOF was created by farmers and thus remains a farmer driven organization. The constituency, of which all certified operations are a part, meets annually to:
- vote on standards interpretations and relevant policy issues;
- approve a budget;
- allocate funds derived from certification fees;
- appoint the Certification Review Committee; and
- appoint the Executive Committee.
The Executive Committee
The Executive Committee consists of three to five constituents not certified by VOF. They make decisions regarding VOF personnel, prepare the annual budget, review VOF’s audit reports and perform other non-certification work. The requirement for this committee to be made up of non-certified parties helps to assure non-biased decision making.
The Certification Review Committee
The Certification Review Committee consists of six constituents who make decisions on any major non-compliances that are issued and also make decisions on standard interpretations. This board helps provide farmer input and ensures that farmers are involved in decision making
The Inspector
The Inspector is an independent contractor hired to inspect farms and processing facilities to verify their practices and their compliance with the organic regulations. The inspector must have no financial affiliation or business relationship with any applicant being evaluated, currently or within the past year
