Organic Certification Cost Share Farmer Information
After many months of delay, USDA’s Farm Service Agency has opened applications for Organic Certification Cost Share.
OCCSP provides cost share assistance to producers and handlers for the costs of obtaining or maintaining organic certification under the National Organic Program, which is administered by USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service. Producers and handlers are eligible to receive 75% of the costs, up to $750 for each of the following scopes: crops, wild crops, livestock, processing/handling and state organic program fees. Producers and handlers must apply by Dec. 31, 2026, for both program years.
OFA is taking questions about how FSA is handling the two years worth of applications at the same time. If you have questions, please fill out the form below, and we’ll work to get answers, and post them here!
Q&A
Can certified operations apply for 2025 now and 2026 later?
- An operation can apply for 2025 now and 2026 at a later date; however, the application deadline for both 2025 and 2026 is Dec. 31, 2026.
Do applicants need to fill out applications for both years, or can they put in one application for both?
- Applicants will need to fill out an individual application for each program year.
Can operations who were certified in 2025 but dropped their certification in 2026 still apply for 2025 reimbursement?
- For program year 2025, certified operations will be eligible if they were certified at any time during the 2025 program year.
Can I still apply to my state department of agriculture as I did before, or only to my local Farm Service Agency office?
- You will need to contact your state department of agriculture to find out if they are handling organic certification cost share funds for 2025 and 2026. You can encourage them now, to do this as a service to their state’s organic farmers. They should be receiving funds from the Federal Government to disperse for 2025 cost share after August 15th, 2026.
When will FSA have their application ready for farmers to use, and how quickly do they anticipate dispersing the funds after receiving a completed application with the attached invoices proving the approved costs were paid to the organic certifier in the specific crop year (2025 or 2026)?
- This is unknown at this time, but we will continually update this Q and A as we learn more.
Contact OFA's Farmer HelpLine
If you would like to talk to us about your cost share questions, please call our Farmer Services Team at: 883-714-3834 or email helpline@organicfarmersassociation.org.