The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is pleased to announce new funding and outreach materials for the 2015 Organic Certification Cost Share Programs. The AMS National Organic Program (NOP) has allocated approximately $11.9 million to participating state departments of agriculture to help defray the costs of organic certification incurred by organic producers and processors. Reimbursements to organic operations will be made under the Agricultural Management Assistance (AMA) Certification Cost Share Program or the National Organic Certification Cost Share Program (NOCCSP).

The AMS is also pleased to share new outreach materials:

Organic Operators should:

The Agricultural Marketing Service Organic Certification Cost Share Programs Fiscal Year 2015 Terms and Conditions is now available. Two organic certification cost share programs are offered in 2015, which assist certified organic operations in defraying the costs associated with organic certification. Organic operations may receive up to 75 percent of their certification costs paid during October 1, 2014 through September 30, 2015; not to exceed $750 per certification scope.

The NOCCSP is available to producers and handlers (e.g., all four scopes of certification) in all 50 States, the District of Columbia, the American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the United States Virgin Islands. The program provides $10.3 million dollars of assistance in fiscal year 2015. Unused funds may be used in the next fiscal year.

The AMA is available to certified organic producers (only crop and livestock operators) in 16 states designated by Congress which include: Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia and Wyoming. The program provides $900,000 in assistance in fiscal year 2015. All funds must be used within the fiscal year in which they are allocated.

Note: Producers in the AMA states are eligible for reimbursement under both the NOCCSP and the AMA; however, State Agencies should exhaust AMA funds prior to using NOCCSP funds. Additionally, producers receiving reimbursement for certification costs under the AMA are not eligible for reimbursement for the same certification costs under the NOCCSP and vice versa.

Still Have Questions? Contact Us.

Rita Meade, OCCSP Coordinator Phone: 202-260-8636