According to South Carolina DA, if you plant a non-organic perennial, after one year of growing in organic soil, it is organic.
I know not all pureist see it that way, but you can sale fruit from that perennials as organic.
There are national organic standards set by the USDA. I do not believe the above ruling adheres to that guide line at all. Nor do I believe that the determination of that falls under the perimeter of I am assuming a county DA.
In the State of Tennessee
- Producers or handlers who sell $5000 per year labeled or represented as "organic" must be certified.
Certification Procedure
Producer obtains "Certification Application Packet" from accredited certifying agent of their choice.
Producer pays applicable fees and submits completed application which includes: (1) History of substances applied to the land for the previous
three years, (2) Organic products being grown or processed, (3) Organic plan, which includes practices and substances used in production.
Certifying agent reviews application for certification eligibility.
Inspector, assigned by certifying agent, conducts on-site inspection of the applicant's operation.
Certifying agent reviews the information submitted by the applicant and the inspector's report. (If review and inspection show compliance with the requirements, the agent will issue a certificate.)
Certified operations must submit updated organic plan, pay fees, and be re-inspected each year.
USDA or the certifying agent may conduct unannounced inspections at any time to enforce the regulations.
Certifying agents or USDA will conduct residue tests of organic products if there is reason to believe that products have been contaminated with prohibited substances.
Crop Standards
Land will have no prohibited substances for at least
three years before harvest of an organic crop.
- Use of genetic engineering, ionizing, radiation, and sewage sludge is prohibited.
- Soil fertility will be managed through crop rotations and cover crops, supplemented with animal and crop waste materials and allowed synthetic materials.
- Preference will be given to use of organic seeds, but exceptions can be made under specified conditions.
- Crop pests, weeds and diseases will be controlled primarily through management practices. When these practices are not sufficient, a biological, botanical, or synthetic substance on the approved national list may be used.
Organic Certification