USDA Organic Certification Cost Share Program (OCCSP)
USDA Agricultural Marketing Service
Up to $750 per certificate
Researched for this program: 4 rejection traps · 4 required documentsWhat decides this award ↓
Get reimbursed for your organic certification costs
Reimbursement of up to 75% of organic certification costs for certified organic farmers and handlers, up to $750 per certificate scope per year. Simple, low-paperwork program — apply through your local USDA Service Center (the FSA county office serving your operation) after you pay your organic certification fees. No competition, no scoring; any certified organic producer qualifies. Effectively a partial refund on your annual certification bill. Note: OCCSP was defunded in early 2025 (excluded from the Farm Bill extension), but was restored July 4, 2025 via H.R.1 (the reconciliation bill) at $8M per year through FY2029.
- Funding type
- Grant
- Level
- Federal
- Amount range
- $50 – $750
- Realistic amount
- Most OCCSP recipients receive $200–$750 per year. Farms with multiple certification scopes (crops, livestock, wild crops…
- Deadline
- December 31, 2026 — the published national deadline to apply for the OCCSP 2025 and 2026 program years. USDA's Farm Service Agency administers the program; apply through your local USDA Service Center.
- Status
- active
- States
- Nationwide
- Payment model
- reimbursement
Who qualifies
- Must be a certified organic producer (farmer/rancher/wildcrafter) or handler (processor, distributor) who holds a valid USDA-accredited certifier certificate
- Must have paid organic certification fees to an accredited certifying agent for the relevant certification year
- Applies to: organic crop producers, organic livestock producers, organic handlers (processors, distributors), and wild crop harvesters
- Must apply through the local USDA Service Center (FSA county office) serving your operation; state agencies may also administer OCCSP later under the cooperative agreements FSA says it will announce
- Application must be made for certification fees actually paid — not pre-application estimates
- No minimum farm size or revenue requirement
What it covers
Eligible expenses
- Annual certification fees paid to USDA-accredited certifying agents for organic crop certification
- Annual certification fees for organic livestock certification
- Annual certification fees for organic handler (processor/distributor) certification
- Annual certification fees for wild crop harvesting certification
- Application fees for initial organic certification (in the first year)
Ineligible expenses
- Costs incurred before certification fees were actually paid
- Fees for non-USDA-accredited certification programs
- Transition planning costs (OCCSP covers only certified operations, not transition to organic)
- Training or consulting costs unrelated to the certification fee itself
- Late fees or penalties charged by certifiers
How to apply
-
1
Pay your annual organic certification fee
Pay your certifying agent's annual certification fee as normal. Keep all receipts and documentation from your certifier showing the fee amount, certificate date, and scope of certification. OCCSP reimburses actual paid fees — save your payment confirmation.
~1 hrs
-
2
Obtain your certificate from the certifier
Ensure you have a copy of your current organic certificate from your USDA-accredited certifying agency. The certificate must show your name, operation, scope (crops/livestock/handling/wild crops), and certificate dates.
~1 hrs
-
3
Contact your local USDA Service Center (FSA county office)
USDA's Farm Service Agency administers OCCSP and takes applications through local USDA Service Centers. Contact the FSA county office that serves your operation and ask for the OCCSP application; the official FSA program page linked above carries the current forms and the service-center locator. FSA has said it will announce an application period for state agencies to administer OCCSP under cooperative agreements, so a state-run window may exist later — the FSA service center is the channel that works today.
~1 hrs
-
4
Submit application with proof of payment
Complete the OCCSP application your FSA county office provides. Attach: your current organic certificate, proof of payment for certification fees (receipt, cancelled check, or certifier invoice with payment notation), and any other documentation FSA requests. Submit by December 31, 2026 — the published deadline covering both the 2025 and 2026 program years.
~1 hrs
-
5
Receive reimbursement
FSA reviews the claim and issues payment by check or direct deposit for up to 75% of your certification costs, capped at $750 per certification scope. Processing times vary by office and by how quickly your documentation clears — your FSA county office can tell you where the claim stands.
~1 hrs
Industry & certifications
NAICS codes: 111110, 111120, 111130, 111219, 111310, 111411, 111419, 112111, 112210, 311
If you're certified in multiple scopes (crops AND livestock, or production AND handling), you can receive up to $750 per scope — file for each separately to maximize reimbursement.
Deadline & timing
OCCSP is administered by USDA's Farm Service Agency (FSA), which publishes one national deadline: December 31, 2026 to apply for both the 2025 and 2026 program years. Producers and handlers apply through their local USDA Service Center — the FSA county office serving the operation. FSA has said it will announce an application period for state agencies to administer OCCSP under cooperative agreements, so a state-run window may open later; where that happens you would apply through the state instead. Until then, the service-center channel and the December 31, 2026 deadline are the reliable instruction. Important funding history: OCCSP was defunded in early 2025 but restored July 4, 2025 via H.R.1 at $8M/yr through FY2029.
Deadline: December 31, 2026 — put it in your calendar before you close this tab.
Includes reminders one week and one day before. Verify on the official program page — funders move dates.
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