Fees & Cost Share

This fee is due each year with your Organic System Plan or Annual Update. It covers your basic certification services for the upcoming certification season, including review of your certification documents for compliance with regulations and inspection expenses other than the inspector’s hourly fee. It entitles you to all membership benefits, including the PCO certification manual, materials lists and review services, record-keeping system, newsletter, and educational events & materials at no additional charge. You also have direct access to your certification specialist’s expertise via phone, mail or email.

The sales assessment fee is calculated on your annual gross organic sales for farming, handling and processing operations in the previous year. You will receive an invoice for these fees after we receive your application or annual update.

This fee covers the additional time and expertise required to certify operations that are more complicated than those with only crops or land.

The actual cost of your inspection is charged at an hourly rate. PCO works hard to coordinate inspections in geographic regions to minimize travel time.

• Recipients must be certified organic under the National Organic Program (NOP) to receive cost share assistance.
• Organic farmers and handlers in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Marina Islands, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands are eligible to participate.
• Certified organic producers and handlers who have paid certification fees during the 2020 program year may apply for reimbursement of the incurred costs.
• Operations with suspended or revoked certifications are ineligible for reimbursement.
• For the program year 2020, OCCSP covers expenses paid from October 1, 2019 through September 30, 2020.

• Completed organic cost share reimbursement application form
  • FSA Application here or contact your participating state agency.
• Proof of Certification
  • Organic certificate with date, certification number and name of certifier.
  • Operations with suspended or revoked certifications are ineligible for reimbursement.
• Itemized invoice detailing certification fees that have been marked "paid"
  • Eligible Fees: application fees, inspection costs, fees related to equivalency agreement/arrangement requirements, travel/per diem for inspectors, user fees, sales assessments and postage.
  • Ineligible Fees: equipment, materials, supplies, transitional certification fees, late fees and inspections necessary to address National Organic Program regulatory violations.
  • If applying to PDA and NYSDAM, they will contact PCO to submit proof of payment and a copy of your certification on your behalf; you will not need to include copies of paid invoices as an attachment with your application
• Financial forms as required by FSA

• Apply through your local FSA office or participating state agency
  • You can find an FSA county office near you with the Service Center Locator.
• Postmark deadline for receipt of applications is October 31, 2020.
• If your operation is in Pennsylvania or New York, an application will be mailed directly from Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA) or New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets (NYSDAM) by the end of September. Once they receive your application, PDA and NYSDAM will contact PCO to submit proof of payment and a copy of your certification on your behalf; you will not need to include copies of paid invoices as an attachment with your application.
• OCCSP funds are limited and applications are paid on a first-come, first-served basis. Applications received after all funds are obligated will not be paid.
• PCO does not accept or process cost share applications. The applicant must complete and submit their own application. Do not send applications to PCO.