Chrisman’s farm plan is a stack of papers at least an inch thick.

“You have to document what you are and are not doing,” Chrisman said.

• Get an on-farm inspection. It will include testing plants and soil, as well as a look at farming practices. The cost of the inspection is paid by the farmer, but Illinois Department of Agriculture currently covers about 75 percent of the cost.

“They will look at your practices to see if you are doing what you said you will do,” Rendleman said. “They can make surprise visits as well.”

Rendleman said once a farm completes the process a couple times, it becomes fairly simple. Both Rendleman and Chrisman said being certified organic is not quite as difficult or costly as it is rumored to be.

All Seasons was certified as soon as the farm opened the farm, around 2012. Country Sprouts also became a certified organic farm in 2012.

“The main reason? It is important. It is a third party guarantee that we are using organic standards and practices. If I did not have that certification, people would have to take my word for it,” Rendleman said. “We also want to use practices that leave the land better than we found it. We want to help create a living soil and living environment.”