OMRI certified fertilizer refers to products that have been approved by the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) for use in organic farming and gardening. Achieving OMRI certification is a significant milestone. It is not just a label; it is also a powerful marketing tool that helps you create trust with farmers, growers, and distributors. This label indicates that your product has the integrity, quality, and compliance with strict organic standards.
OMRI certified fertilizers have to maintain strict control of their production. The fertilizer must be free from synthetic additives, genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and other substances prohibited in organic production. For producers, OMRI certified fertilizer opens doors to the booming organic agriculture market.
Building a production line capable of creating OMRI certified fertilizer requires careful planning and an experienced manufacturing partner. Integrating high-quality machinery from LANE Heavy Industry can streamline and solidify your path to certification. This guide will walk you through the essential steps of the production.
Before starting production, you first have to focus on the production line. You have to design a production line and process that is designed for compliance. You must implement Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for sanitation, material tracking, and equipment cleaning. This will help you prevent contamination of your raw material with prohibited substances.
You have to keep a dedicated storage area for raw materials. Your production equipment must be cleanable and be used exclusively for organic production.
LANE’s engineering team designs and manufactures production lines optimized for this purpose. Production lines designed and built by LANE have dedicated space areas for different production processes and protocols.
The first rule of producing OMRI certified fertilizer is to source OMRI-listed raw materials. Your raw materials, like animal manures, plant-based compost, or mineral supplements, must themselves be OMRI Listed® or on the USDA’s National List of allowed substances. Operators have to document every batch with certificates of analysis (CoAs) and invoices.
Raw organic material sometimes needs to be crushed into fine material before it can be fermented. A LANE Heavy Industry crusher or hammer mill is vital here. It helps break down clumps, stalks, and other large materials into a uniform particle size. It creates a consistent product for the fermentation process.
This is where organic matter transforms into usable soil substances. The pre-processed materials are sent to the fermentation system (windrow crawler compost turner or fermentation tank). In this process, controlled aerobic decomposition occurs. The operator has to maintain proper temperature, moisture, and aeration to produce high-quality compost. Compost systems from LANE help stabilize the compost and eliminate pathogens.
Once composted and cured, the raw materials are sent to the main production line. In the LANE Heavy Industry production line, raw materials are first sent to the feeding machine. From there, with the help of a conveyor, they are sent to the crusher to crush the cured compost. After that, they are sent to the LANE stirring pin machine to granulate. It shapes the moist, powdered compost into durable, uniform granules.
Fresh granules have high moisture content. They are soft and prone to breaking. A LANE rotary dryer efficiently reduces moisture to a stable level. It prevents caking and microbial spoilage in the bag. After drying, the granules are sent to the LANE coolers to cool down, making them ready for screening and packing. The LANE rotary screen then sends the on-spec products to the packing machine and oversized granules to the crusher to re-enter the production line.
The finished, screened granules are conveyed to the packaging station. Here, automatic weighing and bagging systems fill bags without introducing contaminants. The materials used for packaging are also reviewed for compliance. The entire line must be cleaned regularly to prevent any pathogen buildup.
Producing OMRI certified fertilizer requires strict adherence to OMRI’s standards at every step of the production process. By integrating LANE Heavy Industry’s specialized machinery, producers can streamline their operation. A LANE production line ensures that your production is not only efficient and scalable but also designed to support the stringent requirements of organic certification.
A: OMRI (Organic Materials Review Institute) certification is an official seal of approval verifying that your fertilizer product is compliant with the USDA’s National Organic Program (NOP) standards. For a producer, it signifies that your product is free from synthetic additives, GMOs, and prohibited substances. It is a powerful marketing tool that builds immediate trust with organic farmers, gardeners, and distributors, granting you access to the rapidly growing organic agriculture market.
Q2: What is the most critical step before we even start production?
A: The most critical pre-production step is laying a foundation for compliance. This involves designing a production line and process with contamination prevention as the core principle. You must establish Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for sanitation, dedicate equipment and storage areas exclusively for organic production, and implement a robust material tracking system. This foundational work, supported by LANE Heavy Industry’s compliant line design, is essential for a successful OMRI audit.
Q3: Are there specific requirements for the raw materials we can use?
A: Absolutely. You can only use OMRI Listed® inputs or substances found on the USDA’s National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances. It is the producer’s responsibility to verify the status of every raw material—be it manure, compost, or mineral supplements—and maintain meticulous documentation, including Certificates of Analysis (CoAs) and invoices for every batch. Sourcing from non-approved suppliers will disqualify your final product from certification.
For more details, please feel free to contact us.
Henan Lane Heavy Industry Machinery Technology Co., Ltd.
Email: sales@lanesvc.com
Contact number: +86 13526470520
Whatsapp: +86 13526470520