OCCSP provides cost share assistance to producers and handlers of agricultural products who are obtaining or renewing their certification under the National Organic Program (NOP). Certified operations may receive up to 50 percent of their certification costs paid during the program year, not to exceed $500 per certification scope.
For more information on organic certification and regulations, visit the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service’s organic website.
Applying for OCCSP:
Producers and handlers may submit OCCSP applications to FSA county offices or they may apply through participating State agencies.
To apply through FSA, you can find an FSA county office near you with the Service Center Locator. The FSA OCCSP application form is available at USDA's eForms site, by selecting "Browse forms" and entering "OCCSP" in the "title or keywords" field on the search page.
State agencies may apply to administer OCCSP for 2020 through Grants.gov (Opportunity numbers USDA-FSA-SND-NOCCSP-2020 and USDA-FSA-SND-AMA-2020). Participating State agencies will be posted on this page once grant agreements are in place. Please note that State agencies may have a different application process than FSA; applicants should refer to their State agency's requirements and ensure they are using the correct application form before submitting their applications. Applicants cannot receive duplicate benefits from both FSA and a State agency.
OCCSP Reports to Congress
The annual reports to Congress provides a state-by-state overview of:
View the annual reports:
Listing of State Department of Agriculture's participating in the 2020 Organic Certification Cost Share Program along with their Contact Information and/or Website.
State | Website and/or Contact Information |
---|---|
Alabama | Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries Contact Information: Johnny Blackmon |
Alaska | State of Alaska, Department of Natural Resources, Division of Agriculture Website: http://dnr.alaska.gov/ag/Inspection/Org_Cost_Share_Application_2020.pdf Contact Information: Janelle Curtis, Agriculture Inspector Phone: (907) 745-7200 (Main) |
Arizona | Arizona Department of Agriculture Website: https://agriculture.az.gov/plantsproduce/organic-certification-cost-share-program-occsp Contact Information: |
Arkansas | Arkansas Department of Agriculture Website: https://www.agriculture.arkansas.gov/grants/ Contact Information: |
California | California Department of Food and Agriculture Website: https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/is/organicprogram/costshare.html |
Connecticut | Connecticut Department of Agriculture Website: https://portal.ct.gov/DOAG/Marketing/Marketing/Organic-Certification-Cost-Share-Grant-Program Contact Information: |
Florida | Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Contact Information: |
Kansas | Kansas Department of Agriculture Website: https://agriculture.ks.gov/kda-services/grants-and-cost-share-programs/organic-cost-share-program |
Maine | Maine Department of Agriculture Contact Information: |
Maryland | Maryland Department of Agriculture Website: https://mda.maryland.gov/foodfeedquality/Pages/certified_md_organic_farms.aspx |
Massachusetts | Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources Website: https://www.mass.gov/how-to/apply-for-the-organic-certification-cost-share-program |
Minnesota | Minnesota Department of Agriculture Website: https://www.mda.state.mn.us/organic-certification-cost-share-program Contact Information: |
Mississippi | Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce Contact Information: |
Missouri | Missouri Department of Agriculture Website: https://agriculture.mo.gov/abd/financial/organic.php Contact Information: |
Montana | Montana Department of Agriculture Website: https://agr.mt.gov/Organic-CostShare |
New Jersey | New Jersey Department of Agriculture Website: https://www.nj.gov/agriculture/grants/organiccostshare.html Contact Information: |
New York | New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets Website: https://agriculture.ny.gov/farming/organic-foods-and-farming#certification-reimbursement Contact Information: |
North Carolina | North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Website: https://www.ncagr.gov/markets/commodit/horticul/ncorganics/index.htm Contact Information: |
North Dakota | North Dakota Department of Agriculture |
Ohio | Ohio Department of Agriculture Website: https://certification.oeffa.org/cost-share/ Phone: (614) 421-2022 |
Oregon | Oregon Department of Agriculture Website: https://www.oregon.gov/ODA/programs/MarketAccess/MACertification |
Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Website: https://agriculture.pa.gov/agbiz (click on Financial Assistance) Contact Information: |
Rhode Island | Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management Website: http://www.dem.ri.gov/programs/agriculture/orgcert.php Forms: http://www.dem.ri.gov/programs/agriculture/documents/orgcossh.pdf Contact Information: |
South Carolina | South Carolina Department of Agriculture Website: https://agriculture.sc.gov/divisions/agency-operations/grants/ |
Texas | Texas Department of Agriculture Website: https://www.texasagriculture.gov/RegulatoryPrograms/ Email: Grants@TexasAgriculture.gov |
Vermont | Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets Website: https://agriculture.vermont.gov/grants/organiccostshare Contact Information: |
Virgina | Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Contact: |
Washington | Washington State Department of Agriculture Website: https://agr.wa.gov/organic Contact Information: |
Wisconsin | Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection Website: https://datcp.wi.gov/Pages/Growing_WI/OrganicFarmingAndFood.aspx Contact Information: |