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: baystateorganic@earthlink.net


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


Ecocert ICO, LLC (ECO ICO)

www.ecocertico.com

 

Contact: Leslie Zuck

Phone: 888-337-8246

Email: info.ecocertico@ecocert.com


Address:

P.O. Box 158, 2498 Perry Crossing Way

Suite 210

Plainfield, IN 46168

 

Accreditation & Audit Documents

Global Organic Alliance, Inc (GOA)

www.goa-online.org

 

Contact: Betty Kananen

Phone: 937-593-1232

Email: goaorg@centurylink.net


Address:

3185 Township Road 179

Bellefontaine, OH 43311

 

Accreditation & Audit Documents


International Certification Services, Inc (ICS)

www.ics-intl.com

 

Contact: Dawn Krapp

Phone: 701-486-3578

Email: info@ics-intl.com


Address:

301 5th Ave SE

Medina, ND 58467

 

Accreditation & Audit Documents


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: Reuven Flamer

Phone: 914-319-9040

Email: nfccertification@gmail.com


Address:

100 Lawrence Street

Suite 304

Nanuet, NY 10954

 

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


New Jersey Department of Agriculture (NJDA)

https://www.nj.gov/agriculture/divisions/md/prog/jerseyorganic.html


Contact: Erich Bremer

Phone: 609-633-1738

Email: Erich.Bremer@ag.nj.gov


Address:

369 S. Warren St.

Trenton, NJ 08625

 

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: Andy Hupp

Phone: 614-262-2022

Email: organic@oeffa.org


Address:

41 Croswell Rd.

Columbus, OH 43214

 

Accreditation & Audit Documents


OneCert, Inc. (ONE)

www.onecert.com


Contact: Sam Welsch

Phone: 402-420-6080

Email: info@onecert.com


Address:

1021 D Street

Lincoln, NE 68502

 

Accreditation & Audit Documents


Oregon Tilth Certified Organic (OTCO)

www.tilth.org


Contact: Connie Karr

Phone: 503-378-0690

Email: organic@tilth.org


Address:

2525 SE 3rd Street

Corvallis, OR 97333

 

Accreditation & Audit Documents


Organic Crop Improvement Association (OCIA)

www.ocia.org


Contact: Cindy Elder

Phone: 402-477-2323

Email: info@ocia.org


Address:

1340 North Cotner Blvd.

Lincoln, NE 68505

 

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: Sean Manley or Melanie Riedener 

Phone: 705-374-5602 

Email: infoebo@pro-cert.org

 

Address:

P.O Box 74, 2311 Elm Tree Road

Cambray, Ontario K0M 1E0


Accreditation & Audit Documents


Quality Assurance International (QAI)

www.qai-inc.com


Contact: Jonathan Lackie

Phone: 858-792-3531

Email: info@qai-inc.com


Address:

4370 La Jolla Village Drive

Suite 300

San Diego, CA 92122

 

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: Brandon Nauman

Phone: 510-452-8000

Email: bnauman@scsglobalservices.com


Address:

2000 Powell St.

Suite 600

Emeryville, CA 94608

 

Accreditation & Audit Documents