Micheal Clements, NAFB News Service

The Department of Agriculture this week announced Organic Certification Cost Share Program funds to offset the cost of receiving and maintaining organic certification. Applications for eligible certification expenses paid between October 1, 2019, and September 30, 2020, are due October 31, 2020. However, due to expected participation levels and the limited funds available, the Farm Service Agency revised the reimbursement amount available through fiscal year 2023. Certified producers and handlers are now eligible to receive reimbursement for up to 50 percent of the certified organic operation’s eligible expenses, up to a maximum of $500 per scope. The National Organic Coalition says the 2018 Farm Bill “clearly set reimbursement rates” at 75 percent of the certified organic operation’s eligible expenses, up to a maximum of $750 per scope. In a statement, the coalition says it is “outraged that USDA’s Farm Service Agency has chosen to reduce reimbursements to organic producers in the midst of a pandemic.”