USDA Organic (Hemp and CBD)
Also known as: Certified organic hemp, USDA Organic CBD, NOP-certified hemp
USDA Organic on a hemp or CBD product means a USDA-accredited certifier has verified that the hemp was grown, and any extract made from it was handled, under the National Organic Program rules, which limit synthetic pesticides, synthetic fertilizers and genetically engineered seed.
The rules sit in the USDA's National Organic Program (7 CFR Part 205), and the certifying is done by independent, USDA-accredited certification bodies. Hemp has been eligible since the 2018 Farm Bill and USDA's 2019 hemp production rule, as long as the crop is grown under a licensed hemp program and tests at or under 0.3% delta-9 THC. Certification starts at the farm, with an organic systems plan, an on-site inspection and a yearly re-inspection. A farm certificate covers the plant. A brand that turns that plant into oil and wants to call the finished product organic also needs the processing and handling steps certified. A certified farm alone does not make a bottle organic.
What the seal does not cover is just as important. It says nothing about how much CBD is in the bottle, how much THC, or whether the batch is clean of heavy metals, mold or residual solvents. A certified-organic field can still produce a batch that fails a lab test, and an uncertified farm can grow clean hemp. Organic describes farming practice. A certificate of analysis (COA) from an independent lab describes what is in the product you are holding. You want both kinds of paper, and they answer different questions.
To check a claim, look for the USDA seal and the name of the certifier on the label, then search that operation in the USDA Organic Integrity Database, a free public listing of certified farms and businesses with their status and scope. If a brand says organic but shows no seal, no certifier and no database listing, read the word as a description, not a certification. We describe our hemp as organically cultivated on our Kentucky and Ohio farms. Read the label and the listing for the exact claim on any bottle, ours included, and ask for the batch COA at /coas.
Related terms
- COA (Certificate of Analysis)A COA is a document from an accredited third-party lab certifying what is — and isn't — in a CBD product.
- Third-Party TestingThird-party testing means a CBD product was analyzed by an independent, accredited lab — not by the manufacturer themselves.
- HempHemp is a variety of the Cannabis sativa plant species that contains less than 0.3% delta-9 THC by dry weight — the legal definition under the 2018 Farm Bill.
- 2018 Farm BillThe 2018 Farm Bill federally legalized hemp by removing it from the Controlled Substances Act. It defines hemp as cannabis with under 0.3% delta-9 THC.
- Total THCTotal THC counts the delta-9 THC already in a product plus the THC its THCA would become if heated — calculated as (0.877 x THCA) + delta-9 THC.