What are the Various Organic, Biodynamic, and Regenerative Certifications?

Growers and consumers navigate a complex ecosystem of agricultural certifications -- each with its own standards, inspection protocols, and philosophical foundations. What does each certification mean? How do they differ? Some focus strictly on inputs, others on ecological outcomes, and even more incorporate social or animal‑welfare criteria. What follows is an overview of the major certifications used in organic, biodynamic, and regenerative agriculture.

Overview

Program	Scope & Focus	Verification Model	Core Principles
USDA Organic	National organic standard for crops & livestock	Third‑party audit under federal regulation	No synthetic fertilizers/pesticides, no GMOs, 3‑year transition
Certified Naturally Grown	Community‑based alternative to USDA Organic	Peer review inspections	Small‑farm oriented; aligns closely with USDA Organic rules
Real Organic Project	Add‑on label reinforcing soil‑based organic farming	Annual inspection	Soil‑grown crops; excludes hydroponics; pasture‑based livestock
Demeter Biodynamic	Whole‑farm ecological system	Third‑party audit	Biodiversity, closed nutrient cycles, biodynamic preparations
A Greener World – Regenerative Certified	Regenerative outcomes across crop & livestock systems	Third‑party audit	Soil health, biodiversity, measurable ecological improvement
Soil & Climate Initiative	Outcome‑based regenerative verification	Annual measurement & reporting	Continuous improvement in soil function & climate impact
Regenerative Organic Certified (ROA)	Regenerative organic agriculture	Tiered certification (Bronze–Gold)	Soil health, animal welfare, social fairness
Regenified™	Regenerative performance standard	Tiered verification (Levels 1–6)	Six soil‑health principles; whole‑system outcomes
Soil Regen	Regenerative agronomy consulting & verification	Data‑driven assessment	Soil testing, biological improvement, farmer profitability
Regenerative Viticulture Foundation	Regenerative grape‑growing & education	Voluntary participation	Soil restoration, biodiversity, One Block Challenge™
Land to Market	Regenerative sourcing for food, fiber & leather	Outcome-based verification using Ecological Outcome Verification (EOV)	Soil health, biodiversity, ecosystem function measured annually
Fibershed Climate Beneficial™	Regenerative fiber & textile systems	Practices verified through carbon‑farm planning	Soil carbon drawdown, climate‑positive land stewardship
Ethos™	Regenerative supply‑chain transparency	Digital verification & traceability platform	Outcome tracking, soil‑health metrics, producer‑level data integrity

Organic Certifications

USDA Organic (National Organic Program)

The USDA Organic seal represents the United States’ federal regulatory standard for organic production. It prohibits synthetic fertilizers, most synthetic pesticides, sewage‑sludge‑based amendments, and genetically modified organisms. Land must undergo a three‑year transition period before certification. Farms maintain an Organic System Plan (OSP) and undergo annual third‑party inspections.

USDA Transitional Organic

This designation supports farms during the required three‑year transition to full USDA Organic status. It does not permit organic labeling on products but verifies that land is under compliant organic management. Transitional certification helps growers communicate progress to buyers and lenders.

Certified Naturally Grown (CNG)

CNG is a peer‑reviewed alternative to USDA Organic designed for small, direct‑market farms. Standards closely mirror USDA Organic, but inspections are conducted by fellow farmers rather than accredited auditors. CNG emphasizes transparency and community‑based verification.

Real Organic Project (ROP)

ROP is an add‑on label for USDA‑certified farms that meet additional soil‑based requirements. It excludes hydroponic production and confinement livestock systems, reinforcing traditional organic principles centered on soil health and ecological integration.

 

Biodynamic Certification

Demeter Certified Biodynamic

Demeter is the global biodynamic standard and one of the oldest ecological farming certifications. It builds on organic requirements and adds whole‑farm ecological criteria, mandatory biodiversity areas, limits on imported fertility, and use of biodynamic preparations. Certification requires annual inspections and licensing fees based on gross sales.

Regenerative Certifications

Regenerative Organic Certified® (ROC)

ROC is administered by the Regenerative Organic Alliance and layers regenerative requirements on top of USDA Organic. It evaluates farms across three pillars: soil health, animal welfare, and social fairness. Practices include cover cropping, reduced tillage, and verified labor standards. ROC offers three tiers—Bronze, Silver, and Gold—based on performance. See also Regenerative Farming at Grgich Hills Estate and Domaine Bousquet, GAIA, and Regenerative Farming.

Regenified™

Regenified™ provides a structured way to document how farming decisions influence soil function and long‑term site health. Its 6‑3‑4 Standard aligns with many practices already familiar to growers: reduced tillage, permanent or seasonal cover crops, mixed‑species plantings, maintaining living roots through the year, and the controlled use of livestock for vegetation management. See also Understanding Certified Regenified™ Through Ashton Creek Vineyard.

Land to Market (Savory Institute)

Land to Market, developed by the Savory Institute, is an outcomes‑based regenerative verification. It uses Ecological Outcome Verification (EOV) to measure soil health, biodiversity, and ecosystem function through short‑ and long‑term monitoring. Certification is tied to demonstrated ecological improvement rather than prescribed practices.

Soil & Climate Initiative (SCI)

SCI is a regenerative verification program focused on measurable improvements in soil health and climate outcomes. It prioritizes continuous improvement rather than strict practice‑based standards, making it accessible to farms at various stages of transition.

Fibershed Climate Beneficial™

Fibershed’s Climate Beneficial™ certification applies to fiber and textile producers. It verifies that farming and grazing practices sequester carbon and improve soil health within regional fiber systems. The program is part of Fibershed’s broader effort to localize textile production.

A Greener World (AGW) 

A Greener World promotes practical, sustainable solutions in agriculture by supporting farmers and educating consumers. They offer a regenerative certification emphasizing soil health, biodiversity, and verified ecological outcomes. Standards apply to farms of various sizes and production types, including mixed crop‑livestock operations.

Soil Regen

Soil Regen is a science‑based agronomy group that supports growers transitioning to regenerative systems through soil‑health testing, data‑driven consulting, and practical on‑farm guidance. The organization emphasizes measurable biological improvements rather than prescriptive practice lists. Their work connects soil function with economic resilience, helping producers adopt regenerative methods that fit their specific soils, climates, and operational goals.

Regenerative Viticulture Foundation  (RVF)

RVF is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing soil‑centered, climate‑positive grape growing through education, collaboration, and measurable outcomes. Its mission is to help winegrowers transition from extractive to regenerative practices that restore ecosystem function, improve soil health, and strengthen vineyard resilience. The foundation’s flagship initiative, the One Block Challenge™, invites growers to dedicate a single vineyard block to regenerative management—serving as a living demonstration of how small, evidence‑based changes can yield ecological and economic benefits. 

Ethos™

Ethos™ provides regenerative verification for farms and ranches, focusing on soil health, ecological outcomes, and transparent documentation. It is a data-driven platform that collaboratively monitors and reports on the holistic impacts of regenerative agriculture, from soil health to farmer and community wellbeing.

Other Resources

Dodon Center for Ecological Farming

The Dodon Center for Ecological Farming promotes a transition to ecological farming and a sustainable food system through practical education, regenerative practices, and strategic partnerships. Their focus is on soil health, biodiversity, and local food production—bringing together farmers, consumers, and policymakers to build a resilient and fair future. 

Start Practicing Regenerative Agriculture Through the NRCS Regenerative Pilot Program

"This pilot program addresses whole-farm resource concerns through support for voluntary regenerative agriculture conservation plans. It also puts American farmers first as a part of the solution to provide access to American-grown whole foods, critical to addressing the chronic disease crisis nationwide." --  Natural Resources Conservation Service

If vineyard owners - and farmers in general - are interested in moving to more organic and regenerative practices, in December 2025, the U.S. U.S. Department of Agriculture launched a program to provide assistance. The NRCS Regenerative Pilot Program was initiate through the department's Natural Resources Conservation Service as a "farmer first, outcomes-based approach to conservation designed to return the agency to its core mission – helping people help the land. NRCS is investing $700 million to specifically support regenerative agriculture." 

This $700 million program repackages existing funding in USDA conservation programs into a more streamlined approach with $400 million allocated through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program and $300 million through the Conservation Stewardship Program. The streamlined access is intended to allow farmers to pursue whole-farm planning instead of a piecemeal approach and results will be measured through an outcomes report. 

The USDA program targets the most friction-filled phase of any regenerative investment: the three-to-five-year transition window during which farmers adjust practices, absorb upfront capital costs and wait for the agronomic and financial benefits to materialize. EQIP is a cost-share program that reimburses farmers for implementing specific conservation practices—directly reducing that burden and shortening the highest-risk phase for private capital. 

The practical implications break down across two areas worth watching closely.

First, operator behavior. Federal payments reduce the financial barrier to transition, which makes it more likely that farmland operators move toward regenerative practices over the next several years—not out of conviction, but out of economic incentive. For investors evaluating assets, this increases the supply of transition-stage and post-transition farms available for acquisition or partnership. It also raises the floor on what standard practice looks like, which has direct implications for how conventional farms are valued relative to regenerative ones.

Second, the definition problem. As regenerative practices become more widespread, the premium that verified regenerative farmland commands—from buyers, supply chain partners and in lease negotiations—will depend increasingly on how credibly farms can demonstrate outcomes. Investors who have built rigorous evaluation frameworks are better positioned to identify which assets will retain and grow that premium, and which will see it compress as the label becomes more common. -- Forbes

According to the Farm Journal, "USDA says farmers and ranchers interested in regenerative agriculture are encouraged to apply through their local NRCS Service Center by their state’s ranking dates for consideration in FY2026 funding. Applications for both EQIP and CSP can now be submitted under the new single regenerative application process." 

Benefits to producers include:

• Bundled practices will be integrated into a single application, making programs easier to access and more impactful;
• Whole-farm holistic conservation planning is the centerpiece of the program, ensuring that all resource concerns (soil, water, and natural vitality) are addressed together, not piecemeal;
• Conservation planning and producer objectives drive the process, ensuring site-specific solutions that work for the producer;
• Outcomes are tracked, measured, and credited back to the farmer; and
• Producers at every stage, from beginners just starting out with cover crops to advanced operations with years of conservation experience, will find a pathway through this pilot program.

As part of participating in Regenerative Pilot Program, producers must:

• Work with NRCS staff, partners, or technical service providers to conduct a whole-farm assessment.
• Use at least one primary regenerative management practice.
• Agree to perform soil health testing in the first and last year of the contract (at a minimum) to establish a starting baseline and to record the resulting changes. 

 Primary practices include:

• Conservation Crop Rotation
• Contour Farming 
• Contour Orchard and Other Perennial Crop
• Cover Crop
• Drainage Water Management 
• Forage Harvest Management 
• Forest Stand Improvement 
• Irrigation Water Management 
• Mulching 
• Nutrient Management 
• Pest Management Conservation System 
• Grazing Management 
• Residue and Tillage Management, No Till 
• Residue and Tillage Management, Reduced 
• Stripcropping 

Understanding Certified Regenified™ Through Ashton Creek Vineyard

Recently we read that Ashton Creek Vineyard becoming the first vineyard in Virginia to earn Certified Regenified™ status.  We have written previously about Regenerative Farming and the various regulations stipulated through USDA Certified Organic, Demeter Biodynamic, or Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC).  But not Regenified™.

In general, Regenerative agriculture is a collection of practices that focus on regenerating soil health and the full farm ecosystem. In practice, regenerative organic agriculture can look like cover cropping, crop rotation, low- to no-till, compost, and zero use of persistent chemical pesticides and fertilizers. Layered into these practices, depending on a farm’s needs, could be the addition of perennials, development of pollinator and wildlife habitats, incorporation of agroforestry systems, vegetative barriers, and other regenerative practices that are shown to contribute to the development of soil organic matter

More specifically, Regenified™ provides a structured way to document how farming decisions influence soil function and long‑term site health. Its 6‑3‑4 Standard aligns with many practices already familiar to growers: reduced tillage, permanent or seasonal cover crops, mixed‑species plantings, maintaining living roots through the year, and the controlled use of livestock for vegetation management. 

The 6‑3‑4 Standard is Regenified™’s core framework for evaluating regenerative agriculture, combining six soil‑health principles, three rules of adaptive stewardship, and four ecosystem processes into a single, measurable structure. The six principles—context, minimizing disturbance, soil armor, diversity, living roots, and livestock integration—outline the foundational conditions needed for healthy soil function. The three adaptive‑stewardship rules emphasize planning with intent, monitoring conditions, and adjusting management as variability occurs. The four ecosystem processes—energy flow, water cycle, mineral cycle, and community dynamics—describe how a functioning landscape moves energy, water, and nutrients through the system. Together, these components allow Regenified™ to assess both the practices a producer implements and the ecological outcomes observed on the ground, forming the basis for its data collection and tiered certification program.

During verification, trained assessors collect more than sixty ecological data points within vineyard blocks—water infiltration in alleys, ground‑cover percentages, compaction layers that affect rooting depth, biological activity around root zones, and the diversity of plant communities that influence soil structure and pest dynamics. These measurements create a practical record of how the vineyard is functioning beyond yield and canopy metrics. Growers are then placed within a tiered certification system that reflects their current alignment with regenerative principles and the ecological outcomes observed on site. For vineyards interested in demonstrating stewardship with clear, repeatable criteria, the framework offers a consistent way to track progress and communicate improvements to buyers, neighbors, and regional partners.

Screenshot from Ashton Creek Vineyard's website.

In 2018, Ashton Creek Vineyard started struggling with ever-increasing inputs and declining soil health and two years later began moving to a more organic and regenerative approach to viticulture. The idea was to "fix the root cause of the sickness instead of always addressing the symptoms". For example, struggling to keep up with mechanical weeding, they introduced Dorper sheep to their vineyards to help control vegetation and enhance soil health. Next they released beneficial bugs to target vineyard pests and diversified their cover crop plantings. This process eventually led to the Regenified™ program and they earned Tier 3 Certified Regenified™ status in May 20, 2026.  This certification recognizes their "measurable progress in soil health and ecosystem function, achieved through practices such as replacing diesel mowers with a flock of sheep, eliminating synthetic inputs, and increasing soil organic matter". 

In practical terms, adopting these practices have allowed Ashton Creek Vineyard to "eliminate synthetic fertilizers and herbicides, decrease fungicide use by 40%, limit mowing and labor, reduce outside inputs by 65%, and increase their soil’s organic matter by 400% and carbon capture by 350%." --Virginia Farm Bureau. 

If other vineyards or farms are interested in replicating Ashton Creek Vineyard's success, our next Regenerative Farming post will explain the NRCS Regenerative Pilot Program - a new program encouraging regenerative farming through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service. 

Regenerative Viticulture at The Vineyards at Dodon

"With nature as our guide and learning from those who went before us, we seek to reduce our chemical and physical footprint while returning life and biology to the landscape. It starts by enhancing the biodiversity within and around the vineyard. Spontaneously growing, native and naturalized cover crops, compost, and livestock regenerate soil, add microbial diversity, and restore underground ecosystems." -- The Vineyards at Dodon

During the upcoming 2026 Eastern Winery Exposition, Tom Croghan, executive winemaker and co-owner of The Vineyards at Dodon, will provide two seminars on Regenerative Viticulture. In general, regenerative farming is a conservation‑driven approach to agriculture that focuses on rebuilding soil, restoring biodiversity, and strengthening the natural systems that make food production resilient. It emphasizes practices such as improving topsoil structure, enhancing the water cycle, and increasing on‑farm ecological diversity, all with the goal of creating healthier, more self‑sustaining landscapes. It prioritizes profitability through reduced input costs—such as fertilizer and pesticides—while improving long-term resilience and productivity.

The Dodon Farm

The Dodon farm has a long history from Colonial times to the present which is much too long and complex for this feature but is hinted at through the winery's wine labels. The farm "consists of 555 acres in its current configuration, comprising roughly 400 acres of woodland, 65 acres of pasture, 65 acres of cropland, 17 acres of planted vineyards, and 15 acres of 'farmstead' – houses, barns, sheds, roads, and other non-tillable areas. Since 2010, the vineyard and winery have occupied a section of about 43 acres in the northeastern corner of the property. This estate has more than 31,000 vines densely planted over 17 acres in three adjacent vineyards."

According to the winery's website, "It is a difficult site for agriculture, but it is perfect for a vineyard when coupled with scrupulously tended vines, a nurturing climate, and passionate people. The soils are infinitely complex, a mosaic of nearly a billion years of orogeny and erosion to the west, the rise and fall of oceans during the Miocene, and hundreds of years of human cultivation. Recognizing their distinctive characteristics, they have been designated 'Dodon-series' by the United States Department of Agriculture. They are naturally drained by slope and sandy texture, yet they also include a modest distribution of clay that provides a regular supply of water. At more than 3,000 feet to bedrock, their depth and decomposing shells provide texture and fragrance to the wine....

The climate at Dodon complements the soils and the varieties. The rainfall accelerates weathering of the soils, releasing minerals and creating the environment in which the vines grow. Moderate temperatures during the last weeks of September slow ripening, allowing full expression of aroma and balanced tannins that preserve flavor and extend aging in the bottle. "