USDA’s Farm Service Agency announced (May 10, 2023) that they will increase 2023 reimbursement rates for certified organic farmers who apply for the Organic Certification Cost Share Program (OCCSP). Producers will be eligible for a reimbursement of up to $750 per year up to 75% of the annual cost of organic certification. If the operation has more than one scope (e.g., two or more of the four scopes – crops, livestock, handling, wild crops), they can receive a $750 reimbursement for each scope in 2023.
The National Organic Coalition has advocated forcefully for a full restoration of the organic certification cost share program, which was cut in 2020 during the height of the covid pandemic and at a time when producers were facing a loss of markets and increased costs to comply with new sanitation and staffing procedures to keep workers safe. Today’s announcement by FSA restores reimbursement levels to the levels authorized by the 2018 Farm Bill.
“We are thrilled by the announcement that USDA has finally restored funding for the organic certification cost share program, said Abby Youngblood, Executive Director at the National Organic Coalition. “Organic farming has so many benefits – it reduces the use of toxic pesticides, increases biodiversity, protects water quality, and builds resiliency to extreme weather events. Operations that voluntarily use beneficial organic practices deserve support to help them comply with the time-consuming and expensive process of getting certified each year.”
The organic certification cost share program is especially important for small, mid-sized, and underserved producers. On average, the cost of getting certified is more than $2,800 annually and certification costs have increased dramatically in recent years to reflect the need for increased oversight and verification protocols to protect organic integrity and prevent fraud. The 2020 cuts to the cost share program limited farmers to no more than $500 as a reimbursement for certification costs each year, which is insufficient for most operations. NOC is advocating for a provision in the 2023 Farm Bill to increase OCCSP reimbursement levels to $1500 annually per scope, up to 100 percent of the cost of certification.
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