Arkansas Department of Agriculture
The Arkansas Department of Agriculture is now accepting applications from producers for reimbursement under the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Organic Certification Cost Share Program. Organic certification fees paid between the dates of October 1, 2022 – September 30, 2023, are eligible. Applications for reimbursement are available at cognitoforms.com/ArkansasAgriculture1/NationalOrganicCertificationCostShareApplication and are due by November 1, 2023.
Reimbursement for 75 percent of eligible certification costs up to $750 is available for operators who have been certified by a USDA-accredited certifying agent. Certification costs that have already been reimbursed through the USDA Farm Service Agency or other agencies are not eligible. The Arkansas Department of Agriculture administers the USDA National Organic Certification Cost Share Program through funding provided by the USDA.
“Anything we can do to help offset costs for Arkansas producers is a win for agriculture, which is our state’s largest industry,” says Arkansas Secretary of Agriculture Wes Ward. “We appreciate the opportunity to partner with the USDA on this program that provides important cost-share assistance to an expanding sector of Arkansas’s agricultural industry.”
According to the latest data available from the USDA National Agricultural Statistic Service, certified organic production in Arkansas has grown significantly since 2012. From 2012 to 2021, the number of farms producing certified organic commodities increased from 32 farms to 82. Sales of certified organically produced commodities increased from $789,000 in 2012 to over $110 million in 2021, an increase of over 13,900 percent.
For questions about the application or the reimbursement process, contact Karen Reynolds at 501-529- 1630 or karen.reynolds@agriculture.arkansas.gov.