Thank you to all CCOF members for choosing CCOF as your certifier. We look forward to another year of growing the organic movement with you.
CCOF recently conducted a fee analysis to ensure we keep costs down, make certification accessible, and remain competitive. We have a reputation for providing exceptional service and value, and we maintain these high levels by ensuring staff capacity and streamlined service.
To meet service needs and keep up with the cost of doing business, we are making modest adjustments to annual certification fees. The Crop/Livestock Fee Category 5 (organic production value between $100,001 and $200,000 annually) is increasing from $740 to $750. The Handler/Processor minimum fee will increase from $740 to $750. These increases are effective November 1, 2019 for all new applicants, and January 1, 2020 for existing clients.
Also effective on January 1, 2020 for all clients are the following fee increases:
Rabo AgriFinance has announced a new loan product that can make it more financially viable for farmers to seek organic certification on all or part of their crop operations.
With guidance from Pipeline Foods, Rabo AgriFinance has developed a financial framework that gives farmers the flexibility to receive the capital needed for upfront costs associated with changing production practices. Farmers can schedule repayments when they receive the additional revenue from selling certified organic goods.
CCOF spends many hours investigating complaints and following up on residue results from third parties, such as the USDA, the California Department of Food and Agriculture, the Department of Pesticide Regulation, or others. In most cases, the origin of the issue is a misunderstanding or a minor mistake, or the issue cannot be validated. In other cases, the violations of standards, failure to follow an operation’s OSP, or other practices are found.
The vast majority of CCOF operations are timely and responsive. Unfortunately, some operations fail to respond to minor requests or arrange payment plans prior to their account becoming delinquent. The cost of managing these processes and reminders, and implementing and managing mediation processes, is increasing substantially. Therefore, CCOF fees for minor issues that escalate to noncompliance or proposed suspension based on no response are increasing to $150 per instance.
To keep up with service needs and rising costs, and to keep to a more regular pattern of smaller increases to fees, we are making minor adjustments to the certification fees for 2017.