The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced that the Organic Certification Cost Share program will offer reimbursements at original levels of 75% of eligible expenses up to a maximum of $750 per scope. Scopes are crops, wild crops, livestock, and processing/handling.
Two organic cost-share programs are open for applications now through October 31. Certified organic operations may apply for and receive reimbursement from both programs. Transitional operations may apply for reimbursement of transition-related expenses.
In June, USDA began accepting applications from specialty crop producers to offset eligible costs of attaining food safety certification. The deadline to apply to the Food Safety Certification for Specialty Crops Program (FSCSC) is January 31, 2023.
To be eligible for FSCSC, you must meet the following criteria:
The application deadline for the National Organic Program’s Certification Cost Share is fast approaching!
Any operation that is located within the United States and received organic certification between October 1, 2021, and September 30, 2022, may apply for reimbursement by October 31, 2022.
The National Organic Certification Cost Share Program is still open for 2022 applications, but only a few months remain to apply for funds. Through this program, eligible operations will be reimbursed up to 50% of their organic certification costs, not to exceed $500, for each NOP scope of organic certification. Eligible operations can also receive a refund of California State Organic Program registration fees.
The National Organic Certification Cost Share Program is now open for 2022 applications!
All currently certified organic entities in the United States are eligible to apply for a refund of 50% of their certification-related costs, including inspection fees, up to a maximum of $500 per certification or certified scope between October 1, 2021 and September 30, 2022. Eligible scopes are crops, wild crops, livestock, processing/handling. Operations located in California can also receive a refund of their State Organic Program registration fees.
The USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) has opened two organic cost-share programs for applications. Certified organic operations may apply for and receive reimbursement from both programs.
“Original” cost share offers organic operation reimbursement of 50 percent of eligible expenses related to certification, including State Organic Program registration fees up to a maximum of $500 per scope. Find more information on the “original” cost-share program at the USDA’s website.
USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) announced that they are reducing reimbursement rates for the Organic Certification Cost Share Program. Congress set the current reimbursement rates in the 2018 Farm Bill at 75 percent of the certified organic operation’s eligible expenses, up to a maximum of $750 per scope. FSA plans to lower the rate to 50 percent of eligible expenses, up to a maximum of $500 per scope. This reduction comes in the middle of a global crisis, at a time when it is critical to support our organic farms as essential to our recovery.
The application deadline for the National Organic Certification Cost Share Program is fast approaching!
Any operation that is located within the United States and received organic certification between October 1, 2018 and September 30, 2019 may apply for reimbursement by October 31, 2019.
