The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development today announced that certification cost share assistance will be available to eligible Michigan organic producers and handlers.
All organic certification related expenses, including inspection fees, user fees, and certifier-required testing, paid from October 1, 2014 – September 30, 2015 can be reimbursed through this application.
To qualify, an organic operation must have been inspected and certified by a National Organic Program accredited certifying agent during the time period specified above. The program provides for a 75 percent cost share of certification costs with a maximum payment of $750 per certification category. The four certification categories are crops, wild crops, livestock and handler/processor. If an operation is certified in more than one certification category, they are eligible for reimbursement up to $750 for each category.
An application and instructions can be downloaded at http://www.michigan.gov/mdard-organic.
For questions or additional information, contact Josh Grant at (517) 284-5789 or via email at grantj5@michigan.gov. This program is offered on behalf of the USDA National Organic Cost Share Program authorized in the 2014 Farm Bill.
Source: MDARD