1. 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.  

  2. 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.

  3. Submit the OSP with the application package for review by a USDA accredited certifying agent.

  4. 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.

  5. 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.

  6. 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)

www.baystateorganic.org

 

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)

www.ccof.org

 

Contact:  April Crittenden

Phone: 831-423-2263

Email: ccof@ccof.org


Address:

2155  Delaware Ave

Suite 150

Santa Cruz, CA 95060

 

Accreditation & Audit Documents


Global Organic Alliance, Inc

www.goa-online.org

 

Contact: Betty Kananen

Phone: (937) 593-1232

Email address: goaorg@goaorg.com

 

Address:

3185 Township Road 179

Bellefontaine, OH, 43311

 

Accreditation Document

Midwest Organic Services Association, Inc. (MOSA)

www.mosaorganic.org


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)

www.nfccertification.com

 

Contact: Mendy Flamer

Email: mendy@nfccertification.com

Phone: 888-422-4632

 

Accreditation & Audit Documents

 

Nature's International Certification Services (NICS)

www.naturesinternational.com


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)

www.oeffa.org

 

Contact: Sal Pinkham

 

Address:

150 East Wilson Bridge Rd

Suite 230

Worthington, OH 43085

 

Accreditation & Audit Documents

 

OneCert, Inc. (ONE)

www.onecert.com

 

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)

www.tilth.org

 

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)

www.ocia.org

 

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)

www.paorganic.org


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)

www.primusauditingops.com


Contact: Jessica Espejo

Phone: 805-623-5563

Email: primusorganic@primusauditingops.com


Address:

1265 Furukawa Way

Santa Maria, CA 93458

 

Accreditation & Audit Documents

Pro-Cert Organic Systems, Ltd.  (PRO)

www.pro-cert.org

 

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)

www.qai-inc.com

 

Contact: Liz Figueredo

 

Phone: 734-769-8010

 

Address:

789 N. Dixboro Road,

Ann Arbor, MI, 48105 

 

Accreditation & Audit Documents

 

Quality Certification Services (QCS)

www.QCSinfo.org


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