Recordkeeping for Livestock Operators
What Are The Record Keeping Requirements for Organic Livestock Operations
Summary: Organic livestock producers must maintain detailed, auditable records to demonstrate compliance with USDA National Organic Program (NOP) standards. Your records must cover feed, health, living conditions, purchases, product processing, and materials. Use animal IDs, organize records by category, and keep them up to date. This article outlines the core record keeping requirements and links to trusted templates from USDA and ATTRA to help you stay compliant.
Why Recordkeeping Matters
Inspectors are required to conduct at least one traceability (audit trail) and one mass balance exercise at every annual inspection, along with a feed audit. These exercises confirm that your records support full traceability of animals and products—from birth to sale.
A clear, organized recordkeeping system:
- Demonstrates compliance
- Ensures animal welfare and organic integrity
- Supports certification renewal
- Allows quick responses to potential issues
Core Recordkeeping Requirements
What records are required?
You must document all major livestock activities, including:
- Animal origin and ID
- Feed and supplements
- Living conditions and pasture access
- Health care
- Materials used (e.g., sanitizers, treatments)
- Processing, shipping, and sales
How long must I keep records?
All organic livestock records must be kept for at least five years and be accessible on-site during inspection.
What makes records compliant?
- Clear and easy to understand
- Organized and up to date
- Linked through common identifiers (e.g., animal ID codes)
- Aligned with your Organic System Plan (OSP)
How to Build an Auditable System
Your system should allow an inspector to trace any product or animal back to its origin, including inputs and care. To do this, link records using:
- Animal identification codes
- Grazing calendars
- Feed logs
- Health care records
Your team should know how the system works and be able to explain it during inspection.
Feed and Supplement Records
Required Records:
- Feed rations by season (grazing vs. non-grazing)
- Purchased feed: receipts, labels, organic certificates
- On-farm feed: harvest yields, storage logs, pasture records
- Dry matter intake (DMI) calculations for ruminants
You must show that ruminants receive at least 30% of their DMI from pasture for a minimum of 120 days during the grazing season.
Animal Health Records
Maintain detailed logs for each animal or group, including:
- Birth and source history
- Health care treatments (with dose, date, material, and reason)
- Vaccination records
- Physical alterations
- Culling or mortality events
Support all entries with material labels, receipts, and certificates where applicable.
Why keep animal health records?
Health records show how you care for your animals and prove compliance with organic standards. They create a traceable history for each animal or group of animals.
How should I document health records?
- Keep a record sheet for each individual animal or animal group.
- Use clear identifiers such as ear tags or leg bands that match to records.
- Make sure records allow traceability through the animal’s life cycle.
What information should be included?
An individual animal record should track:
- Birth or hatching details
- Source history (where the animal came from)
- Vaccinations and health treatments
- Physical alterations (if allowed)
- Culling or mortality details
When do I need to update records?
Update your animal health record every time an animal receives health care. Each entry should include:
- Animal ID
- Date
- Age
- Treatment or material used
- Reason for use
- Dose applied
Living Conditions and Pasture Access
You must document how you meet NOP standards for:
- Outdoor access and space
- Bedding material (with organic certificates for roughage-based bedding)
- Confinement events (with reason, date, and animal ID)
- Grazing (with pasture rotation and access logs)
Forestry products such as wood shavings for bedding, are not required to be organic.
Keep clear grazing records in a calendar, notebook, or spreadsheet. Show that ruminants graze daily for at least 120 days per year and get 30% of their dry matter from pasture. Include grazing days and pasture rotations.
For poultry:
- Monitor ammonia levels and document test results
- Record use of artificial light, including hours and intensity
Show ventilation keeps ammonia under 25 ppm and extra record checks if above 10 ppm. Testing records must match your method and OSP schedule. If using artificial light, list type and hours in your OSP, with a max of 16 hours. Keep records of total light time and dimming ability.
Material and Equipment Records
Track materials such as:
- Pest control
- Housing materials
- Sanitizers
- Supplements
Each material must have:
- Purchase receipt
- Brand, manufacturer, and ingredient list
- Record of use (target, date, amount applied)
For equipment sanitation (e.g., milk lines), maintain cleaning logs.
Livestock Purchases
You may only purchase certified organic livestock from certified organic operations or via organic auction yards.
Required documentation includes:
- Organic certificate from seller
- Purchase receipt with animal IDs or flock IDs
- Including breed registry, or Bangs tags/USDA Silver Brite tags for Brucellosis in cattle, or Scrapie program tags in sheep
- Payment confirmation
- Transportation and health records (e.g., shipping logs, USDA tag numbers)
Processing and Product Handling
If you process products on-farm:
- Document cleaning and sanitation
- Track materials and equipment used
- Prevent commingling of organic and non-organic products
If using a contracted facility:
- Provide organic certificate for the facility
- Include invoices, shipping logs, and private label agreements (if applicable)
Templates for Organic Livestock Recordkeeping
Setting up a complete system is easier with templates tailored to organic livestock operations. The following resources provide free, downloadable forms:
USDA Organic Recordkeeping Templates
Includes:
- Livestock feeding and health records
- Pasture rotation logs
- Dry matter intake calculation sheets
- Livestock materials list
ATTRA Organic Livestock Templates
Includes:
- Animal health and treatment logs
- Feed ration and storage records
- Pasture access and confinement records
- Equipment sanitation logs