USDA NOP OILC Course Offerings

U.S.
Department of Agriculture
Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS)
National Organic Program (NOP)
Organic Integrity Learning Center
Course Offerings
NOP-010: Introduction to the USDA Organic System
This course presents a core regulatory overview of organic farms, crops, livestock,
and handling practices. The course also introduces fundamentals of organic
production practices, including soil management and pest management.
NOP-020: Sound and Sensible Organic Certification

This course describes a certification process that is affordable, accessible, and
attainable for all farms and businesses. This course provides a range of resources for
farms and businesses seeking organic certification to help them understand and
navigate the certification process and requirements.
NOP-030: Fundamentals of Inspection

This course is designed to provide inspectors and reviewers with an understanding
of the inspection process, so you can begin to conduct basic onsite inspections of
organic crop, livestock, and handling operations. You will learn inspection
procedures and tactical skills for performing efficient and effective onsite
inspections as well as tips for writing reports and communicating with certifiers. The
course aligns with USDA’s goals of fair and consistent organic certification and
enforcement, and National Organic StandardsBoard’s recommendations for
inspector qualifications.
NOP-040: Compliance and Enforcement: Adverse Actions,

Appeals, and Reinstatements
This course is designed for certifiers and inspectors responsible for investigating
complaints, issuing noncompliance and adverse actions against certified
operations, and navigating mediation and appeals processes. The course also
addresses the reinstatement process.
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NOP-050: Certification Administration Essentials
The course outlines the managerial and administrative tasks of an accredited
organic certification agency, the systems and procedures needed to address them,
useful resources for management, and interpretations of the regulations. The course
presents a myriad of tasks required to plan, develop, implement, and monitor a
system designed to achieve and maintain United States Department of Agriculture
(USDA), Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) National Organic Program (NOP)
accreditation. Certifiers provide a critical connection among all organic stakeholders
(certifiers, inspectors, applicants, certified operations, the USDA, and the public). This course helps certifiers
understand the quality management system necessary to implement procedures that meet NOP
accreditation requirements. This course is also part of the Sound and Sensible approach to help certifiers
determine what documentation is needed so that it is neither excessive and beyond what is necessary to
determine compliance nor insufficient for verification that the operation is compliant with organic
regulations. This course is designed for certification staff and contractors including: quality managers,
inspection coordinators, inspectors, and certification reviewers.
NOP-060: Import Oversight Essentials

This course covers requirements for organic products imported into the United
States and certifier responsibilities to verify the compliance of organic imports with
USDA organic regulations.
NOP-070: Advanced Inspections: Investigations

This course provides inspectors and reviewers with the fundamentals needed to
plan for and conduct a thorough investigation, specifically one involving an
inspection. The course focuses on planning, collecting evidence to support an
ongoing investigation, and documenting your work.
The course is for experienced inspectors and reviewers who have completed the
Fundamentals of Inspection course and the Compliance and Enforcement: Adverse
Actions, Appeals, and Reinstatements course.
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NOP-080: Traceability Techniques
This course teaches certifiers, inspectors, and reviewers traceability auditing
techniques for handling operations. This course reviews the purpose of traceability
techniques within the organic control system. It teaches certifiers, inspectors, and
reviewers traceability auditing technique, and it explains and demonstrates two
types of audits: a Trace-Back Audit and a Mass Balance Audit.
The course is for experienced inspectors and reviewers who have already
completed the NOP-030: Fundamentals of Inspection and the NOP-040: Compliance
and Enforcement: Adverse Actions, Appeals, and Reinstatements courses.
NOP-090: Organic Dairy Compliance
This course covers a range of requirements related to livestock management, with

a special focus on organic dairies. The primary audiences include organic certifiers,
inspectors, and reviewers, who assess organic dairies for compliance with the
organic regulations. Organic dairies will also benefit from knowing the National
Organic Program’s expectations for certifiers in overseeing their operations.
NOP-100: Organic Fraud and the Criminal Mind

This course presents an introduction to product fraud and key criminology and
behavioral sciences insight to understand “Organic Fraud and the Criminal Mind.”
This insight can then be applied to identify the fraud opportunity and focus
inspections and investigations accordingly.
NOP-110: Preventing the Organic Fraud Opportunity

This course expands on “Organic Fraud and the Criminal Mind” course to review key
elements and processes for conducting an organic fraud vulnerability
assessment. The course reviews several case studies, and applies intelligence
gathering and analysis to understand where system weaknesses occur. The course
helps certifying agents and inspectors understand whether certified operations
have implemented effective organic fraud prevention strategies and whether the
strategies are active and being reviewed for effectiveness.
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NOP-120: Input Material Review
This course provides instruction to organic stakeholders on how to make reliable
and consistent material review decisions. This includes knowing which sources of
inputs are allowed, and which restrictions apply to the use of specific input
materials (and when). This course builds a solid understanding of general material
review fundamentals; organic regulatory requirements; resources available to make
informed compliance decisions; and complex real-world examples. This course also
includes practical exercises designed to help solidify learning. This course is divided
into four lessons: Fundamentals of Material Review; Crop Inputs; Livestock Inputs; and Handling Inputs. Each
lesson is further divided into sections based on subject area.
This course introduces learners to a variety of recordkeeping systems encountered

across the range of certified operations. It examines challenges posed by different
operational activities and complexity levels. The course guides learners in
determining whether commonly encountered recordkeeping issues are limited or
systemic in nature. Finally, this course will help certifiers structure internal and
collaborative recordkeeping reviews across operations.
NOP-150: Organic System Plans

The Organic System Plan (OSP) is a document used as the basis for communication
between the applicant for organic certification, the certifier, and the inspector. It is
the foundation of the organic certification process. This course teaches
requirements related to OSPs in the USDA organic regulations, examines the
different functions of the OSP, discusses critical organic control points and potential
obstacles in the certification process, and provides OSP evaluation and design
considerations for certifiers. This course is intended for certifiers and inspectors.
Before taking this course, learners should complete the following courses: NOP-010 Introduction to the
USDA Organic System NOP-050 Certification Administration Essentials.
NOP-160: Organic Regulations and Retail Labeling

This course introduces the federal organic standards and the stakeholders
responsible for rulemaking, implementation, and enforcement. This course is
intended for farms and businesses considering organic certification and for organic
professionals who participate in the regulatory process. It also explains the different
components of the organic standards—the Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA
or the Act), the USDA organic regulations, and the NOP Handbook. This course also
covers the rules for labels, labeling, and marketing of organic retail products.
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NOP-170: Certification Review Essentials
This course introduces learners to the Organic System Plan (OSP) requirements,
organic control points in compliance evaluation, and inspection report review. The
course also guides learners to identify non-compliances and correct citation of the
USDA organic regulations through case scenarios. This course helps reviewers gain
confidence in completing effective and efficient reviews that lead to appropriate
and defensible certification decisions.
NOP-190: Sampling and Testing

This course provides an overview of the regulations and guidance that authorize
certifiers to collect samples. It also examines appropriate responses to sample result
findings. The course covers proper procedures for collecting samples of organic
products in a variety of settings. Lastly, the course describes how sampling and
testing is a tool for certifiers to verify compliance with the organic standards and
effectiveness of certified operations’ contamination prevention plans.
NOP-220: Organic Integrity and Energy Infrastructure

This course addresses how organic certifiers and inspectors can identify and
mitigate potential risks associated with energy infrastructure on organic farms.
It also provides organic farmers who encounter infrastructure development with
information to help manage what happens on their land. Practical case studies
emphasize proactive communication strategies with the full range of stakeholders
involved in energy infrastructure projects.
NOP-250: Natural Resources and Biodiversity

This course teaches certifiers and inspectors how to assess natural resources and
biodiversity requirements as indicated in organic system plans (OSPs) and on-site
during annual inspections. The course provides tools that help you know what to
review and what to include in inspection protocols and reports.
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NOP-998: National Organic Program Presentations
This course contains a library of NOP presentations delivered at conferences and
meetings. Most presentations were recorded following the event and therefore
are not the live versions. They are posted to keep the organic community informed
about our work as we speak in different venues.
NOP-999: National Organic Program Training Archive

This course holds the content for all published courses in the Organic Integrity
Learning Center, so you can continue to access course content once you have com-
pleted a course. The course also includes a separate page, called Archived Slides:
that includes selected material from the National Organic Program’s annual training
sessions for certifiers, on topics not yet integrated into Organic Integrity Learning
Center courses. Training content that has been integrated into Center courses is not
repeated here.
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U.S.

NOP-020: Sound and Sensible Organic Certification

NOP-030: Fundamentals of Inspection

NOP-040: Compliance and Enforcement: Adverse Actions,

NOP-060: Import Oversight Essentials

NOP-070: Advanced Inspections: Investigations

NOP-090: Organic Dairy Compliance

This course covers a range of requirements related to livestock management, with

NOP-100: Organic Fraud and the Criminal Mind

NOP-110: Preventing the Organic Fraud Opportunity

This course introduces learners to a variety of recordkeeping systems encountered

NOP-150: Organic System Plans

NOP-160: Organic Regulations and Retail Labeling

NOP-190: Sampling and Testing

NOP-220: Organic Integrity and Energy Infrastructure

NOP-250: Natural Resources and Biodiversity

NOP-999: National Organic Program Training Archive

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