REPORT TO CONGRESS

Fiscal Year (FY) 2019

NATIONAL AND AGRICULTURAL MANAGEMENT ASSISTANCE

ORGANIC CERTIFICATION COST SHARE PROGRAMS

I. BACKGROUND

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) administers two organic certification cost share programs

collectively referred to as the Organic Certification Cost Share Programs (OCCSP); (1) The National

Organic Certification Cost Share Program (National), and (2) The Agricultural Management Assistance 

Organic Certification Cost Share Program (AMA). 

The Farm Service Agency (FSA) provides cost share assistance either to State agencies who may provide 

cost share payments to producers and handlers by establishing a grant agreement with FSA or directly to 

producers and handlers who apply for cost share payments at one of FSA’s 2,100 county offices. 

Applicants are free to apply with either the State agency or FSA in States where a State agency 

participates in OCCSP. However, applicants may not apply through both the State agency and FSA.

In 2019, FSA announced the availability of National and AMA funds through a variety of

communication channels, such as telephone calls and emails to State contacts, outreach materials, and

informational postings to Grants.gov and through the FSA Web site: 

https://www/fsa.usda.gov/programs-and-services/occsp/index.

To be eligible for OCCSP, applicants must receive an initial certification or continuation of

certification from a USDA-accredited certifying agent, in accordance with the USDA organic

regulations. The 2019 reimbursement amount was 75 percent of certification costs, with a maximum

of $750 per certification category: crops, livestock, wild crops, processing/handling, and State Organic 

Program fees.

1 Operations that were certified in more than one category were eligible for a maximum 

reimbursement of $750 per certification category, not to exceed 75 percent of total certification costs.

A. National OCCSP

The National OCCSP is authorized under Section 10606 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act 

of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 6523), as amended by Section 10004(c) of the Agriculture Act of 2014 (2014 Farm

Bill; Pub. L. 113–79), and Section 10105 of the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018 (2018 Farm 

Bill; Pub. L. 115-334), which reauthorized the National OCCSP and provided “no year” funding,

available to certified organic producers and handlers in the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and five 

U.S. Territories (hereafter referred to as “States”).2 Twenty-six State agencies chose not to participate

in FY 2019; however, certified operations in all states could participate through FSA county offices. 

State agencies that did not participate are American Samoa, Colorado, Delaware, the District of

Columbia, Georgia, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, Nebraska, 

Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, the Northern Mariana Islands, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, South 

1 State Organic Program fee was added as an eligible category in 2017. It applies only to producers in a State with a 

recognized State Organic Program under the National Organic Program regulations.

2 The 2018 Farm Bill authorized $2 million from CCC to be used for National OCCSP for each of FYs 2019 and 2020, $4 

million for FY 2021, and $8 million for each of FYs 2022 and 2023, to remain available until expended.
2

Dakota, Tennessee, U.S. Virgin Islands, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming. Funds obligated through 

grant agreements that are not used are returned to FSA and available for later years

B. The AMA OCCSP

The AMA OCCSP is authorized under the Federal Crop Insurance Act (FCIA), as amended

(7 U.S.C. 1524(b)). Under this authority, Congress authorizes USDA to annually provide organic 

certification cost share assistance to certified organic producers operating in 16 specifically named

States: Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire,

New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

State agencies in Delaware, Hawaii, New Hampshire, Nevada, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming 

chose not to participate, citing inadequate resources to manage the program or a decision to let FSA 

administer all OCCSP payments in that State. To prevent duplicate assistance payments, producers 

participating in the AMA OCCSP are not eligible to participate in the producer portion of the National

OCCSP. Unused funds are returned to the Treasury because AMA OCCSP funds are annual funds.

II. FISCAL YEAR 2019

A. National Participation

Under the 2019 National OCCSP, $1,876,000

3 was available under the 2018 Farm Bill, and 

$14,698,164 in unobligated funding was available from prior years. FSA allocated $9,595,350 to the 30

State agencies that signed grant agreements. These State agencies subsequently disbursed $6,864,148

in cost share assistance to 9,405 qualifying organic operations. Funds apportioned for FY 2019 that 

were not allocated to State agencies were available to provide payments directly to certified operations 

through FSA county offices and cover FSA administrative costs. Under the 2019 National OCCSP, 

FSA county offices have disbursed $2,160,677 to 2,888 certified operations. Remaining FY 2019

National OCCSP funds that were not spent by State agencies or FSA remain available for FY 2020. 

The Appendix to this report provides State-by-State data on the funds allocated and disbursed by 

participating State agencies and FSA county offices. Disbursements vary by the number of requests for 

reimbursement submitted by organic operations.

B. AMA Participation

Under the 2019 AMA OCCSP, $938,0004 was apportioned for 16 States authorized to receive funds by 

the legislation. FSA allocated $801,591 to the 9 States that signed agreements with FSA to participate. 

The $136,409 difference between the total apportionment for the program and the amount FSA 

allocated to the 9 participating States was available to make payments through FSA county offices and 

cover FSA administrative costs. The participating State agencies subsequently disbursed $723,240 in 

cost share assistance to 1,167 qualifying organic operations. FSA county offices disbursed $72,924 to 

106 qualifying organic operations. 

3 The 2018 Farm Bill authorized $2,000,000 in National OCCSP funding for fiscal year 2019, which was sequestered at 6.2% for a total 

apportionment of $1,876,000.

4

In fiscal year 2019, AMA OCCSP was authorized $1,000,000 and then sequestered at 6.2% for a total apportionment of $938,000.
3

The Appendix to this report provides State-by-State data on the funds allocated and disbursed by

participating State agencies and FSA county offices
4

III. APPENDIX

National Organic Certification Cost Share Program FY 2019 Allocation and Disbursement 

State

State Agency Funding and 

Disbursements

Funds Disbursed 

by FSA County 

Offices

Number of

Operations

Assisted by State 

Agencies

FY 2019

Allocation1

FY 2019 Funds 

Disbursed2

Number of 

Operations 

Assisted by FSA

Alabama $8,000 $2,475 $2,065 3 County Offices1

Alaska $12,000 $9,718 $1,206 7 2

American Samoa N/A $0 $0 0 0

Arizona $75,000 $61,284 $7,996 79 9

Arkansas $11,000 $5,036 $7,965 8 12

California $4,100,000 $2,132,475 $23,882 3,682 31

Colorado N/A $0 $117,845 0 156

Connecticut $26,000 $21,433 $960 35 2

Delaware N/A $0 $2,604 0 3

Dist. of Columbia N/A $0 $0 0 0

Florida $78,000 $43,715 $16,170 46 20

Georgia N/A $0 $49,133 0 65

Guam N/A $0 $0 0 0

Hawaii N/A $0 $49,422 0 59

Idaho N/A $0 $110,395 0 147

Illinois N/A $0 $130,502 0 181

Indiana N/A $0 $224,763 0 265

Iowa N/A $0 $266,250 0 376

Kansas $50,000 $33,122 $20,181 51 29

Kentucky $50,000 $50,000 $750 127 1

Louisiana N/A $0 $27,926 0 20

Maine $283,000 $272,897 $1.969 98 2

Maryland $47,991 $33,648 $5,114 68 6

Massachusetts $5,000 $4,965 $38,548 7 55

Michigan N/A $0 $187,045 0 257

Minnesota $493,000 $449,281 $47,489 555 59

Mississippi $5,000 $0 $9,801 0 7

Missouri $93,400 $93,382 $32,453 102 45

Montana $180,000 $146,169 $13,564 210 19

Nebraska N/A $0 $102,540 0 139

Nevada N/A $0 $12,655 0 18

New Hampshire N/A $0 $15,945 0 45

New Jersey $57,000 $47,924 $3,194 60 5

New Mexico N/A $0 $25,516 0 40

New York $448,000 $420,132 $57,828 436 76

North Carolina $209,000 $201,418 $14,957 211 21

North Dakota $105,000 $105,000 $1,243 132 2

N. Mariana Islands N/A $0 $0 0 0

Ohio $383,809 $383,706 $37,513 458 54

Oklahoma N/A $0 $12,747 0 28

Oregon $330,150 $206,553 $105,609 238 146
5

State

State Agency Funding and 

Disbursements

Funds Disbursed 

by FSA County 

Offices

Number of

Operations

Assisted by State 

Agencies

FY 2019

Allocation1

FY 2019 Funds 

Disbursed2

Number of 

Operations 

Assisted by FSA

Pennsylvania $215,000 $213,432 $13,906 272 County Offices19

Puerto Rico N/A $0 $0 0 0

Rhode Island $8,000 $7,977 $3,847 15 6

South Carolina $36,000 $13,216 $8,949 24 17

South Dakota N/A $0 $46,470 0 65

Tennessee N/A $0 $20,044 0 31

Texas $50,000 $37,264 $58,745 150 77

U.S. Virgin Islands N/A $0 $669 0 1

Utah N/A $0 $18,347 0 26

Vermont $363,000 $351,266 $14,429 478 12

Virginia $43,000 $30,582 $67,832 88 82

Washington $825,000 $616,994 $33,514 958 42

West Virginia N/A $0 $6,423 0 9

Wisconsin $1,005,000 $869,084 $64,671 807 73

Wyoming N/A $0 $19,053 0 25

Total $9,595,350 $6,864,148 $2,160,677 9,405 2,888

1 Amount FSA authorized the State agency to use for reimbursement to certified organic operations plus indirect cost, if applicable, to cover 

State agencies administrative expenses. N/A represents non-participation by the State agency.

2

Funds paid by State agency to reimburse certified organic operators plus indirect cost, if applicable, to cover State agencies administrative 

expenses.
6

AMA Organic Certification Cost Share Program FY 2019 Allocation and Disbursement 

State

State Agency Funding and 

Disbursements Funds 

Disbursed by 

FSA County 

Offices

Number of

Operations

Assisted by 

State Agencies

Number of 

Operations 

Assisted by 

County Offices

FY 2019

Allocation1

FY 2019 Funds 

Disbursed2

Connecticut $37,500 $28,335 $675 53 1

Delaware N/A $0 $0 0 0

Hawaii N/A $0 $10,796 0 17

Maine $100,000 $99,978 $679 182 1

Maryland $18,091 $17,705 $0 43 0

Massachusetts $47,000 $31,804 $3,919 53 8

Nevada N/A $0 $1,500 0 2

New Hampshire N/A $0 $3,481 0 10

New Jersey $20,000 $16,603 $904 34 2

New York $255,000 $254,301 $30,667 365 40

Pennsylvania $189,000 $139,514 $7,668 196 11

Rhode Island $5,000 $5,000 $0 14 0

Utah N/A $0 $5,585 0 6

Vermont $130,000 $130,000 $0 227 0

West Virginia N/A $0 $7,050 0 8

Wyoming N/A $0 $0 0 0

Total $801,591 $723,240 $72,924 1,167 106

1 Amount FSA authorized the State agency to use for reimbursement to certified organic operations plus indirect cost, if applicable, to cover 

State agencies administrative expenses. N/A represents non-participation by the State agency.

2

Funds paid by State agency to reimburse certified organic operators plus indirect cost, if applicable, to cover State agencies administrative 

expenses.