The producer or handler adopts organic practices, discontinues use of prohibited substances, and maintains these new management strategies for three years. Alternatively, if the producer or handler can prove that prohibited substances have not been used in their operation for the past three years, they may be able to move past this step without the three-year wait.
Develop an Organic System Plan (OSP). This plan is the foundation of the organic certification process. It should explain how the operation will comply with USDA organic regulations.
Submit the OSP with the application package for review by a USDA accredited certifying agent.
After the OSP is reviewed by a Certifier, the producer or handler will request an inspection of the farm/processing operation. Every operation that applies for organic certification is inspected on-site by an organic inspector. The inspector assesses the risk of contamination from prohibited materials, and may also take soil, tissue or product samples.
After the on-site inspection, a certifying agent will review the inspection report. The inspector presents his or her findings and observations of practices on the farm or facility as they compare to the organic system plan.
Upon review of the inspection report, the certifying agent will issue an organic certificate that names products that can be sold as organic by that operation. If the inspection revealed areas of noncompliance, the certifier will issue a "notice of noncompliance" and outline areas that need to be addressed before the organic certificate can be issued.
For more information, see What is Organic Certification.
To get an idea of what goes into an Organic System Plan (OSP), please see example templates for Crop and Livestock Farms (PDF) and Market Farms (PDF).
How to Choose an Organic Certifier
It might be helpful to start out by talking with other organic farmers about their experiences with their certifiers. Ask your fellow farmers some basic questions, such as: does the agency answer quickly and clearly, do they complete the certification process in a timely manner?
Next, call a few of the certification agencies that are at the top of your list, and visit their websites to learn more about their services. Make sure you understand their fee structure by requesting the information upfront, and understand what services are included as fees can vary between certifier. Some certifiers may charge an application fee, some may not. Ask if the fees will increase in the future, or if they generally stay the same year after year.
Find a Certifier
The following table of Accredited Certifying Agents that work in Pennsylvania is current as of March 2020.
Baystate Organic Certifiers (BOC)
Contact: Don Franczyk
Phone: 774-872-5544
Email: applications@baystateorganic.org
Address:
1220 Cedarwood Circle,
N. Dighton, MA 02764
Accreditation & Audit Documents
CCOF Certification Services, LLC (CCOF)
Contact: April Crittenden
Phone: 831-423-2263
Email: ccof@ccof.org
Address:
2155 Delaware Ave
Suite 150
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Accreditation & Audit Documents
Contact: Betty Kananen
Phone: (937) 593-1232
Email address: goaorg@goaorg.com
Address:
3185 Township Road 179
Bellefontaine, OH, 43311
Midwest Organic Services Association, Inc. (MOSA)
Contact: Cori Skolaski
Phone: 608-637-2526
Email: mosa@mosaorganic.org
Address:
122 W Jefferson St.
Viroqua, WI 54665
Accreditation & Audit Documents
Natural Food Certifiers (NFC)
Contact: Mendy Flamer
Email: mendy@nfccertification.com
Phone: 888-422-4632
Accreditation & Audit Documents
Nature's International Certification Services (NICS)
Contact: Christina Fanta
Phone: 608-637-7080
Email: nics@naturesinternational.com
Address:
224 East State Hwy 56
Viroqua, WI 54665
Accreditation & Audit Documents
NOFA-NY Certified Organic, LLC (NOFA-NY)
www.nofany.org/organiccertification
Contact: Terry Jessica
Phone: 607-724-9851
Email: certifiedorganic@nofany.org
Address:
834 Upper Front St.
Binghamton, NY 13905
Accreditation & Audit Documents
Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA)
Contact: Sal Pinkham
Address:
150 East Wilson Bridge Rd
Suite 230
Worthington, OH 43085
Accreditation & Audit Documents
OneCert, Inc. (ONE)
Contact: Sam Welsch
Phone: 402-420-6080
Email: info@onecert.com
Address:
2124 Y Street
Suite 208
Lincoln, NE 68503
Accreditation & Audit Documents
Oregon Tilth Certified Organic (OTCO)
Contact: Applicant Experience Team
Phone: 503-378-0690
Email: organic@tilth.org
Address:
PO Box 368
Corvallis, OR 97339
Accreditation & Audit Documents
Organic Crop Improvement Association (OCIA)
Contact: Cindy Elder
Phone: 402-477-2323
Email: info@ocia.org
Address:
5910 S 58th St, Ste B,
Lincoln, NE, 68516
Accreditation & Audit Documents
Pennsylvania Certified Organic (PCO)
Contact: Kyla Smith
Phone: 814-422-0251
Email: pco@paorganic.org
Address:
106 School Street, Suite 201
Spring Mills, PA 16875
Accreditation & Audit Documents
Primus Auditing Operations (formerly Primus Labs) (PAO)
Contact: Jessica Espejo
Phone: 805-623-5563
Email: primusorganic@primusauditingops.com
Address:
1265 Furukawa Way
Santa Maria, CA 93458
Pro-Cert Organic Systems, Ltd. (PRO)
Contact: Cody Sander
Phone: 306 382 1299
Email: info@pro-cert.org
Address:
Box 100A, 475 Valley Road, RR #3
Saskatoon, SK CANADA S7K 3J6
Accreditation & Audit Documents
Quality Assurance International (QAI)
Contact: Liz Figueredo
Phone: 734-769-8010
Address:
789 N. Dixboro Road,
Ann Arbor, MI, 48105
Accreditation & Audit Documents
Quality Certification Services (QCS)
Contact: Beth Rota
Phone: 352-377-0133
Email: accreditation@qcsinfo.org
Address:
5700 SW 34th St
Suite 349
Gainesville, FL 32608
Accreditation & Audit Documents
SCS Global Services, Inc. (SCS)
www.scsglobalservices.com/services/organic-certification
Contact: Chris Fanta
Phone: 510-221-3641
E-Mail: cfanta@scsglobalservices.com
Address:
2000 Powell St.
Suite 600
Emeryville, CA 94608
Accreditation & Audit Documents