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Cost of Organic Certification

Certification costs are expected to rise from time to time. It is the certifiers who must bear the added cost of the USDA accreditation. In some particular instances, the certifying bodies should undergo the serious reorganization to continue the certification services.

On the other hand, here are the possible fees for organic certification.

Fees from State Based Private Certifier

In the state-based private certifying body, they would usually rate the basic producer fees based on the gross farm sales. For the small farms, in the first year of certification with gross sales of $5,000 to $10,000 they would rate them with $434. On the larger operation with sales of $100,000 to $125,000, they would charge them $1,112. With regards to those farms who are selling for about $500,000 worth of different organic production, they are charged by with $2,517 plus the 0.1% of the total sales which is the excess of the $500,000.

If you intend to apply for a re-certification for the succeeding years, it would cost for about $155 or less for any of the operations regardless of the size of the operation. You must remember that both the within –state and the out of state applicants would bear the additional charges given if there is a follow up inspection required by the certifiers. And if the application forms are incomplete and is required to be re-submitted, it would be billed with a $25 fee.

Fees from National Private Certifier with Strong Regional Focus

This group of certifiers would usually rate you charges of $25 for the certification packet. They would rate the first time applications for $50. Actually, the base certification fee would cost you $150 for those farms with less than 101 acres. This is the minimum rate if your farm is at least or less than 101 acres. For those farms whose between 101 to 500 acres, the national private certifiers with strong regional focus would charge you with $175. For the farms with more than 500 acres, they are charged with $225. There is also an additional $50 if the owner desires to apply for the certification of livestock. Remember that these fees do not include the fees for the inspection. The cost for inspection varies especially when it starts at a low for about $175. There is 0.5% assessment on the gross sales as well. You add to this the annual cap of $5,000. Other fees for this are assessed for certification of the on farm processing.

State-based Private Certifier

This particular certifier would usually charge you with $50 as the application fee and with an additional $175 for the farm inspection fee. There is also an additional fee of $100 for the on-farm processing inspection. The assessment fees are being charged on the per-acre basis and it might just vary from time to time. The vegetable and the organic crops are assessed for $25 per acre and the fruit and nut crops are for $15 per acre. Corn is rated for $2.50 per acre while soybean is assessed for $4.00 per acre. The fees for assessment obviously depend on the kinds of crops and the number of acres being assessed.

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