Pandemic Assistance Available for Certified Organic and Transitioning Farms

  • Dec 04, 2021

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s new Organic and Transitional Education and Certification Program is making pandemic assistance available to cover the costs associated with organic certification and/or transitioning to organic production. Financial assistance is available to cover expenses paid during the 2020, 2021 and 2002 fiscal years.

To be eligible for OTECP, an applicant must:

  • Have paid eligible expenses during fiscal year 2020, 2021, 2022 (expenses prior to October 1, 2019 are not eligible). Expenses that have been incurred, but not paid, are not eligible.
  • Be either a certified organic or transitional operation at the time of application.

Eligible expenses and payments for certified organic operations include:

  • Application fees
  • Inspection fees
  • USDA organic certification expenses
  • State organic program fees
  • User fees or certifier sales assessments
  • Postage
  • Soil testing required by the USDA National Organic Program
  • Educational event registration fees

Eligible expenses and payments for transitional operations include:

  • Certifying agent fees or consultant pre-certification inspection fees
  • Soil testing required by the USDA National Organic Program
  • Educational event registration fees

The application period is November 8, 2021 – January 7, 2022. Eligible producers can apply by working directly with a Farm Service Agency office. For producers with an eAuthentication account, they may apply via the online OTECP Application Portal. For complete details concerning potential payment amounts and the application process, visit the USDA OTECP website.

Share This Post: