Exhibit 31.1

                                 CERTIFICATIONS

      I, Dino A. Rossi, certify that:

1.    I have reviewed this annual report on Form 10-K of Balchem Corporation;

2.    Based on my knowledge,  this report does not contain any untrue  statement
      of a material fact or omit to state a material fact  necessary to make the
      statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements
      were made,  not  misleading  with  respect  to the period  covered by this
      report;

3.    Based on my  knowledge,  the  financial  statements,  and other  financial
      information  included  in this  report,  fairly  present  in all  material
      respects the financial condition,  results of operations and cash flows of
      the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

4.    The  registrant's  other  certifying  officer(s) and I are responsible for
      establishing  and  maintaining  disclosure  controls  and  procedures  (as
      defined in  Exchange  Act Rules  13a-15(e)  and  15d-15(e))  and  internal
      control  over  financial  reporting  (as  defined  in  Exchange  Act Rules
      13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have:

            (a)   Designed such disclosure  controls and  procedures,  or caused
                  such  disclosure  controls and procedures to be designed under
                  our supervision,  to ensure that material information relating
                  to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is
                  made known to us by others within those entities, particularly
                  during the period in which this report is being prepared;

            (b)   Designed such internal  control over financial  reporting,  or
                  caused such internal  control over  financial  reporting to be
                  designed  under  our   supervision,   to  provide   reasonable
                  assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and
                  the preparation of financial  statements for external purposes
                  in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;

            (c)   Evaluated the  effectiveness  of the  registrant's  disclosure
                  controls  and  procedures  and  presented  in this  report our
                  conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls
                  and  procedures,  as of the end of the period  covered by this
                  report based on such evaluation; and

            (d)   Disclosed  in  this  report  any  change  in the  registrant's
                  internal control over financial reporting that occurred during
                  the registrant's  most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant's
                  fourth  fiscal  quarter in the case of an annual  report) that
                  has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially
                  affect,  the  registrant's  internal  control  over  financial
                  reporting; and

5.    The registrant's other certifying  officer(s) and I have disclosed,  based
      on  our  most  recent   evaluation  of  internal  control  over  financial
      reporting,  to the  registrant's  auditors and the audit  committee of the
      registrant's  board of directors  (or persons  performing  the  equivalent
      functions):

            (a)   All significant  deficiencies  and material  weaknesses in the
                  design  or  operation  of  internal   control  over  financial
                  reporting which are reasonably  likely to adversely affect the
                  registrant's ability to record, process,  summarize and report
                  financial information; and

            (b)   Any fraud,  whether or not material,  that involves management
                  or  other  employees  who  have  a  significant  role  in  the
                  registrant's internal control over financial reporting.


      Date: March 12, 2009             /s/ Dino A. Rossi
                                       --------------------
                                       Dino A. Rossi, Chairman, President, and
                                       Chief Executive Officer
                                       (Principal Executive Officer)


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