USDA is accepting applications to reimburse organic certification costs
USDA will help cover certification costs and other costs for organic and transitioning producers!
USDA has now opened the application process for two programs that provide reimbursements to producers to assist with certification costs & more:
Certified organic producers can receive up to $500 reimbursement per organic certification scope (crops, livestock, handling, wild crops) for fiscal year 2022 for organic certification costs through the Organic Certification Cost Share Program (OCCSP).
Certified organic producers can receive an additional $250 per scope for fiscal year 2022 for certification costs, plus up to $200 per year for educational events and up to $100 for soil testing through the Organic and Transitional Education and Certification Program (OTECP).
Transitioning producers are also eligible for assistance through the Organic and Transitional Education and Certification Program (OTECP)!
These two USDA programs cover costs incurred from October 1, 2021, to September 30, 2022. Organic and transitioning producers should contact their local Farm Service Agency (FSA) office and/or participating State agency to apply. Applications are due October 31, 2022.
Please spread the word to organic producers! According to the Organic Farming Research Foundation’s 2022 National Organic Research Agenda (NORA) report, cost of organic certification ranked third as a top non-production challenges among more than 1,100 organic producers surveyed.
The National Organic Coalition made funding to help producers with organic certification costs a top priority in the 2018 Farm Bill and has engaged in significant advocacy to restore funding to the certification cost share after USDA cut the program in 2020. We will continue to advocate to increase support for organic producers in the 2023 farm bill.
More information is available on the OTECP and OCCSP webpages.