Training Schedule & Information

Manitoba, CANADA - Distance Education Course
IOIA and the Agriculture and Environment Division of Assiniboine Community College (ACC) will sponsor Basic Organic Crop Inspection Training as a Distance Education course. The course includes a period of individualized study followed by a field trip during a weekend session held in Manitoba. The weekend session from Friday evening until Sunday evening will be held May 2-4, 2008. Course participants receive course packages that require home study and mail-in assignments. For more information, and registration please contact Assiniboine Community College at phone: 1-800-862-6307 ext 6716; or 204-725-8700 from outside Canada or e-mail: organic@assiniboine.net. More info:

Iowa City, Iowa - April 16 - 25
IOIA and Iowa Organic Association will cosponsor Basic Organic Crop and Processing Inspection Trainings, running concurrently on April 16-20, followed by Basic Livestock Inspection Training running April 21-25. Each course includes 4 days of instruction including a field trip to a certified organic operation, plus ½ day for testing. Livestock field trip options will include dairy operations. Poultry operations will be included if possible. Application deadline is February 29. Iowa Organic Association is a nonprofit umbrella organization dedicated to advancing opportunities in organic agriculture in the state of Iowa.
IOIA and the Non-GMO Project will cosponsor Advanced organic inspector training on April 20-21. The 2-day session will include one full day of training by the Non-GMO Project, for which a separate certificate will be issued. The non-GMO training will be open as a 1-day option to certification agency staff and other individuals, as well as inspectors. David Gould of FoodChain Global Advisors will present this session. The Non-GMO Project is developing training for organic inspectors to do non-GMO verifications, most often in conjunction with the organic inspections of the same operation. FoodChain Global Advisors is the technical administrator for the project. This is the first collaborative training by IOIA and the Non-GMO Project. Deadline to apply is March 14. The Non-GMO Project describes itself as a non-profit organization, created by leaders representing all sectors of the organic and natural products industry in the U.S. and Canada, to offer consumers a consistent "non-GMO" choice. For more information about the Non-GMO Project, see www.nongmoproject.org.
Other topics will focus on NOP standards and policy updates and livestock topics for inspectors. Livestock topics will include doing feed audits for organic livestock, feed ingredient issues for organic livestock, organic hogs, and animal health (invited veterinarian).
Location for all trainings is the Coralville Marriott Hotel & Conference Center, Coralville, Iowa in the Iowa City area. Certification agencies that are active in the Midwest area are invited to participate in Certifier-Inspector receptions on April 16 and April 20. For more details and downloadable application forms, see below:

Langley, British Columbia, Canada - May 26 - 30
IOIA and Certified Organic Associations of BC (COABC) will cosponsor a 4.5 day Basic Organic Crop Inspection Training using the proposed Canadian National Standard (version CGSB-2006) as the reference. USDA National Organic Standards variations will be identified. The course will be held at Kwantlen University College in Langley BC, Canada from May 26-30, 2008. Please contact Karen Fenske at Ph: 205-260-4429 Fax: 250-260-4436 e-mail: admin@certifiedorganic.bc.ca www.certifiedorganic.bc.ca

Japan May 28-30 and June 9-11
IOIA and JOIA will cosponsor a 3 day Basic Organic Farm Inspection and a 3 day Basic Organic Processing Inspection Training using JAS Standards as a reference. The courses will be held in Miyagi, Japan May 28-30 (Farm Course) and in Osaka, Japan June 9-11 (Processing Course). Please contact Yutaka Muruyama at JOIA for more information about the courses. Tel: +81 3-5524-6080 FAX: +81 3-5524-6083 E-Mail: joia@joia.jp www.joia.jp

Gyeonggi, Korea - July 8 - 12
IOIA and Korea Federation of Sustainable Agriculture Associations (KFSAO), will cosponsor a 4.5 day Basic Organic Crop Inspection Training using the Korea Organic Regulation as a reference. The course will be held in Gyeonggi, Korea July 8-12. For enquiries, please contact Isidor Byeongdeok Yu at Ph: +82-10-9133-5431 Fax: +82-2-796-2615 e-mail: community02@hanmail.net

Unity, Maine - July 14-23
IOIA and Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners (MOFGA) will cosponsor a 4.5 day Basic Organic Crop and a 4.5 day Basic Organic Processing Inspection Training using the NOP Standards as a reference. The courses will be held at Unity College, 90 Quaker Hill Road, Unity, Maine July 14-18 (Crop Course) and July 19-23 (Processing Course). For more information about the courses please contact Mary Yurlina at ph: (207) 568-4142, e-mail: ioiacourse@mofga.org or visit MOFGA's website at: www.mofga.org

Hong Kong, China - August 6 - 15
IOIA and Hong Kong Organic Resource Centre (HKORC) will cosponsor a 4.5 day Basic Organic Crop and a 4.5 day Basic Organic Processing Inspection Training using the HKORC-Cert Organic Standards as a reference. The courses will be held at Sin Hang Campus, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong, China August 6-10 (Crop Course) and August 11-15 (Processing Course). Application forms and more information about the course are available at the website of HKORC at www.hkbu.edu.hk. For enquiries, please contact Sharon Chan hkorc@hkbu.edu.hk or Isa Lin isalin@hkbu.edu.hk.

Vermont - August 20 - 25 Tentative
IOIA and Vermont Organic Farmers will cosponsor Basic Organic Livestock Inspection training in Vermont late summer 2008. Tentative date is August 20-25. More details and application form are pending.

Gangwon, Korea - September 29 - October 3
IOIA and Korea Federation of Sustainable Agriculture Associations (KFSAO), will cosponsor a 4.5 day Basic Organic Process Inspection Training using the Korea Organic Regulation as a reference. The course will be held in Gangwon, Korea September 29 - October 3. For enquiries, please contact Isidor Byeongdeok Yu at Ph: +82-10-9133-5431 Fax: +82-2-796-2615 e-mail: community02@hanmail.net

Other trainings: IOIA, CCOF, and Stellar Certification Services are discussing the possibility of joint Livestock and Biodynamic inspection training in northern California. Watch upcoming IOIA newsletters and the website for details as these and other trainings develop.

Certificates of Completion are awarded to successful attendees.

Persons who fail the course and those who audit the courses receive Letters of Attendance. Deadlines for application are approximately 4-6 weeks prior to the course.

Crop courses include instruction on the certification process, organic standards, how to inspect organic farms, audit trail (record keeping) requirements, regulations, risk assessment, investigative skills, report writing, ethics, and effective communications. Inspection field trips are taken in small groups and each attendee completes a written inspection report. A satisfactory score on both the written assignment and written test are required to earn a Certificate of Completion.

Processing courses include instruction on how to conduct processing facility inspections, organic processing and handling standards, organic quality management, HACCP, audit control, regulations, structural pest management, sanitation, labeling, report writing, and inspector protocols. Inspection field trips are taken in small groups and each attendee completes a written inspection assignment. A satisfactory score on both the written assignment and written test are required to earn a Certificate of Completion.

Livestock courses include organic livestock standards, livestock materials, risk assessment, meat slaughter inspection, audit trail requirements, report writing, and organic inspection procedures for meat and dairy animals, fiber-bearing animals, and poultry (meat and eggs).

Advanced Inspector Trainings focus on specific topics. Attendees to Advanced courses must have completed a Basic Course previously and have at least 2 years of inspection experience with 20 inspections or 1 year experience with at least 30 inspections. Criteria for receiving a Certification of Completion is attendance.

Acceptance to IOIA Courses is limited.

ACC Inspector Training Application	MSdoc	PDF
ACC Organic Inspector Registration	MSPub	html

Iowa Info - Basic	MSdoc	PDF	Iowa Info - Advanced	MSdoc	PDF
Iowa Application - Basic	MSdoc	PDF	Iowa Application - Advanced	MSdoc	PDF

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