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Organic Trade Association (OTA) is a membership-based business association that focuses on the organic business community in North America.
PO Box 547
Greenfield, MA 01302
413-774-7511
There are variety of factors that will play into your decision about which certification organization to work with. Which certifiers are being used by organic farmers in your area--and are they happy with the service? Are you looking for a certifier with experience in livestock certification? Do you need international certification? Do you want a certifier that is affiliated with a farm association? Is it important to you to use a certifier based in your own state? And, perhaps most important, what kind of service do they provide? In the resources below, you'll find articles and resources that will help you figure out what you should be looking for. You'll find a certifier directory that allows you to compare certifiers. And you'll also find links to some of the top certifiers in the country. If you're interested in finding out about certifiers based on geographic location, check out the U.S. Regional Guide.
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Resource Listing
 Choosing a Certifier |
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| Click the titles below to view specific resource details or -OR- view all | |
Certification Services on OTA's Organic Pages Online The Organic Pages Online's listings of certification services and consultants. Services are wide-ranging, from USDA/NOP compliance, producer and... |  |
| Midwest Organic Services Association, Inc. (MOSA) MOSA, based in Wisconsin, was formed and incorporated in March of 1999 to serve the needs of producers and processors specifically in the Midwest... | |
| MOSES' Fact Sheet, How to Choose an Organic Certification Agency This fact sheet walks farmers through the questions to ask when choosing an organic certification agency. It also explains what an organic... | |
| New Farm Certifier Guide New Farm's guide to U.S. Organic Certifiers features not only a list of certifiers but opportunities to compare two certifiers and search... | |
| Organic Consultants for Producers & Processors Oregon Tilth offers a list of consultants across the US who provide advice to producers and processors on how to achieve organic certification... | |
| OTA's Organic Pages Online Directory The Organic Pages Online directory features a broad array of certified organic products, supplies and services for the whole spectrum of the... | |
| California Certified Organic Farmers' (CCOF) Certification Process Producers, livestock operations, processors, retailers, and other handlers will find downloadable certification applications, and manuals... | |
| California Organic Farmers Association California Organic Farmers Association is a California non-profit mutual benefit corporation which provides organic certification services to... | |
| Centre for Systems Integration (CSI), A Canadian Based International Certifier CSI offers a variety of services, including organic certification which can provide access to Canadian, US, Japanese, and European markets. | |
| Florida Certified Organic Growers & Consumers, Inc. (FOG) FOG's mission is to "support and promote organic and sustainable agriculture" by educating consumers, farmers, future farmers (children & youth),... | |
| Iowa Department of Agriculture Organic Certification Program The Iowa Department of Agriculture is accredited by the USDA’s National Organic Program to certify all aspects of the organic food chain... | |
| Jersey Organic, New Jersey's Developing Organic Certification Program The New Jersey Department of Agriculture is in the process of publishing New Jersey State regulations to establish a State Certification Program. | |
| Kentucky Organic Certification Program The Kentucky Department of Agriculture' Organic Program makes its procedures, fees, and application forms available online for producers and... | |
| Minnesota Crop Improvement Association: Organic Certifier MCIA is a longstanding nonprofit in Minnesota that added organic certification to its list of services for farmers and processors in 2002. The... | |
| Mississippi's Organic Program This information page, from the Mississippi State Department of Agriculture and Commerce provides access to forms, basic information, farmer... | |
| Nevada Department of Agriculture Organic Certification Program In addition to providing a list of Nevada organic producers and handlers, this web site links to issues of The Nevada Organic Review, Nevada’s... | |
| New Hampshire Department of Agriculture, Markets and Food: State Organic Program Web Page This web page provides basic information on the state's organic program. You'll have to click around to find contact information. | |
| New Mexico Organic Commodity Commission This web site provides a great deal of information on getting certified in New Mexico, including a wide range of application forms. Also provides... | |
| North Dakota Department of Agriculture's Organic Page This web page provides basic information on certification, and provides a listing of certifiers who are acting as certifying agencies in the state. | |
| Ohio Ecological Food and Farming Association's (OEFFA) Certification Services Two Nationally Accredited Certification options are available though OEFFA's Certification Program. The production standards for both forms of... | |
| OneCert, Organic Certifier in Nebraska OneCert provides certification to the US National Organic Program (NOP) and European Organic Regulations (EU 2092/91). OneCert is also authorized... | |
| Oregon Tilth's Certification Program and Guides Oregon Tilth's guides spell out the basic steps to getting certified, for farms and livestock. The site also offers a downloadable certification... | |
| Pennsylvania Certified Organic (PCO) Pennsylvania Certified Organic's goal is to assure the integrity of organic agricultural products through education, inspection, and certification... | |
| Quality Assurance International's (QAI) Certification Forms QAI offers a selection of downloadable client forms that are a component of their application forms. Forms are specific to types of growers and... | |
| Quality Certification Services Certification Overview Quality Certification Services provides a brief narrative description of the certification process and a link for ordering an application packet... | |
| Scientific Certification Systems SCS has more than two decades of experience evaluating and certifying organic production and handling practices, and was among the first certifiers... | |
| Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) Organic Certification Program Under the Organic Certification Program, TDA inspects and certifies organic farms as well as processors, distributors and retailers of organic food... | |
| Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) Organic Resource List TDA offers a list of resource people in the department who provide general agricultural assistance along with contacts specific to organic... | |
| The Basics on Organic Certification by PCO PCA's introductory page answers basic questions related to certification: How do I know whether I qualify? How long does it take? How much does it... | |
| Virginia Certified Organic Resource Guide This factsheet from the Virginia Department of Agriculture lists all of the certifiers operating in Virginia, and provides a number of other... | |
| Washington State Certification Program FAQ's Washington State's Organic Food Program FAQ document provides growers, growers who process their products, and non-farm processors with a... | |
| Washington State Producer Certification Forms & Applications On Washington State's Organic Food Program site, growers can download application and record keeping forms for becoming certified. | |
| Organic Trade Association (OTA) Organic Trade Association (OTA) is a membership-based business association that focuses on the organic business community in North America. OTA's... | |
| NOP List of U.S. Accredited Certifying Agents The National Organic Program lists accredited certifying agents searchable by state. | |
| Agricultural Services Certified Organic Certifying agency based in Salinas, California. Certifies: crops, livestock, wild crops, and handlers. | |
| Baystate Organic Certifiers: Organic Certifiers for the Northeast United States Baystate Organic Certifiers is a USDA National Organic Program accredited certifying agent that certifies farm operations in the Northeast United... | |
| Becoming a Certified Organic Fresh Market Grower This report on becoming a certified organic grower covers a range of topics to help growers understand the meaning of certified organic production... | |
| California Crop Improvement Association The California Crop Improvement Association (CCIA), a non-profit corporation, is officially recognized as the seed certifying agency under the... | |
| Certified Organic, Inc. Certified Organic, Inc. certifies livestock, grains, foods, fibers, mushrooms, greenhouses, fertilizer operations, hydroponics, kitchens,... | |
| Clemson University's Organic Certification Program Clemson University's Department of Plant Industry offers organic certification services. Producers and processors can find certification... | |
| Colorado Department of Agriculture's Organic Certification Program This program serves both the producer and consumers of organically grown crops through an application and inspection process. ∞ CDA is... | |
| Georgia's Organic Certification Program This web page provides access to forms for organic registration in Georgia. | |
| Global Culture A California certifier providing organic certificaiton of crops, livestock, wild crops and handling operations. | |
| Global Organic Alliance, Inc., in Ohio Global Organic Alliance was established in 1997 and maintains ISO 65 and USDA accreditation and verifies compliance to EEC 2092/91 Regulation. GOA... | |
| Guaranteed Organic Certification Agency GOCA provides certification for crops, livestock and organic businesses. It also provides transitional certification. The web site is an excellent... | |
| Hawaii Organic Farmers Association HOFA provides affordable third party certification, accredited by the National Organic Program. It sponsors grower workshops, a farm apprenticeship... | |
| Idaho's Organic Certification Program The Idaho Organic Program web page features forms, regulation information, contacts, information on cost share, and listings of organic seminars... | |
| Indiana Certified Organic This description of Indiana Certified Organic comes from the Eco-Labels.Org web site. | |
| Indiana State Organic Certification Program This web page from the Indiana State Department of Agriculture gives access primarily to information about the organic cost share program. | |
| International Certification Services, Inc. of North Dakota International Certification Services, Inc., doing business as Farm Verified Organic and ICS-US, provides organic certification services for... | |
| Kentucky's Organic Program The home page for Kentucky's Organic Program features links to forms, information and other resources. | |
| Louisiana's State Organic Certification Program Louisiana's organic program is run by the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry. There is no information on their web site about the... | |
| Maharishi Vedic Organic Agriculture Institute This organization, based in Fairfield, IA, provides education in organic agriculture, and also provides organic certification services. | |
| Marin County Certification in California Certifier in Marin County for crops, livestock and organic businesses. | |
| Maryland's State Organic Program The Maryland Department of Agriculture's Food Quality Assurance Division runs the state program. Information on the web site includes a directory... | |
| MOFGA Certification Services, LLC, in Maine MOFGA Certification Services, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, is a USDA-accredited organic... | |
| Montana Organic Certification Program This state certification program was established in 2001. Certified growers and handlers may use the USDA organic seal and the Montana organic seal... | |
| Monterey County Certified Organic The Monterey County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office is the first county agency to be registered as an organic certifying agency with the State... | |
| Natural Food Certifiers (NFC) in New York Natural Food Certifiers (NFC) awards natural food and medicinal products kosher,organic, and vegan certification. Based in the Hudson Valley area... | |
| Natures International Certification Services in Wisconsin Certification Services is a new organic certification agency founded by David Engel in June of 2005 to serve organic producers and... | |
| NOFA-NY's Certification Agency: NOFA-NY Certified Organic, LLC NOFA-NY Certified Organic, LLC, is a subsidiary company of the Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York, Inc. (NOFA-NY), a nonprofit... | |
| North Carolina's Organic Program Web Page Provides a description of the state's organic certification program, and provides contact information. Also gives access to lists of certified... | |
| Organic Certification for Crops Fact Sheet This fact sheet gives an overview of the transition and certification process for growing organic crops. It also provides a list of resources,... | |
| Organic Certification Guide from Chatham County Center North Carolina Extension This website features a link to a series of informative articles to help farmers understand and navigate the certification rules and process. It... | |
| Organic Certifiers, Inc. in California OCI serves clients varying from small, local growers to internationally recognized business entities. They issue export certificates for products... | |
| Organic Crop Improvement Association "A nonprofit, member-owned, agricultural organization, OCIA is dedicated to providing the highest quality organic certification services and... | |
| Organic Growers of Michigan OGM is a non-profit USDA accredited certifying organization of more than 200 organic farmers, gardeners and friends who are interested in organic... | |
| Organic National and International Certifiers As of May, 2007, web site under construction. Organic National and International Certifiers certifies crops, livestock, wild crops and handling... | |
| Primus Labs, Organic Certifier Certifies crops and handling operations. | |
| Rhode Island Certified Organic Program Rhode Island certifies crop producers and handlers. Their web site features information, required forms, and directories of certified producers and... | |
| Stellar Certification Services, Inc. in Oregon A nonprofit certification service associated with the Demeter Association (biodynamic farming), Stellar Certification Services, Inc. provides NOP... | |
| Texas State Organic Certification Program The web page of the Texas organic program provides background on the program, on basic requirements, and on the certification process. It also... | |
| The Georgia Crop Improvement Association The Georgia Crop Improvement Association is an organization of seed producers who are interested in growing and making available to the public,... | |
| The North Carolina Crop Improvement Association, the Official Agency for Seed Certification in the State The North Carolina Crop Improvement Association (NCCIA) is a non-profit educational and service organization recognized as the official agency for... | |
| Vermont Organic Farmers Certification Summary This Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont web page summarizes Vermont Organic Farmers' process for becoming certified. The page... | |
| Yolo County Department of Agriculture Yolo Certified Organic Agriculture (YCOA) was created and inspired by the community it serves: local growers and consumers. The certification... | |
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| Pathway to Organic: Producers // Processors | |
Regional Guide: United States | |
North American Directory | |
Key Resources |
Disclaimer: Organic Trade Association (OTA) is providing this information solely as a resource to the public. Although the information contained on this site is believed to be correct at the time of posting, OTA disclaims all responsibility for any damages or liability that may result from use or reliance on this web site or information contained herein
© 2010 the Organic Trade Association