National Organic Program Leadership Changes

Christopher Purdy began a one-year rotation as Deputy Administrator for the National Organic Program (NOP) on February 3. This rotation coincides with Dr. Jennifer Tucker, the current NOP Deputy Administrator, transitioning to the same role within the Specialty Crops Program. Purdy’s extensive public and private sector leadership experience includes his current position as Deputy Administrator […]

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Act Now: Plan for Cost Share Changes in 2025

The future of organic cost share funding is uncertain. Congress’s recent Farm Bill extension failed to fund this critical program, which helps organic operations cover certification costs. Coupled with a federal funding freeze, this puts cost share and other vital USDA programs in jeopardy. This means organic farmers and businesses could face significantly higher expenses […]

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USDA Warns of Phishing Scam Email

WARNING! On Thursday, February 6, 20205, OneCert received an email from the USDA warning that certified operations are receiving phishing emails from sources pretending to be the USDA. The USDA has also posted a warning banner on the Organic Integrity Database (OID) website. Per the NOP, these scam emails have been sent using the following: […]

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USDA Publishes New Regulations for Organic Pet Food and Mushrooms

UPDATE February 6, 2025: Today the USDA issued a delay of effective date. The new rule effective date is delayed until March 21, 2025, and operations must comply by March 22, 2027. Read the update as published in the Federal Register here. On December 23, 2024, the USDA National Organic Program (NOP) announced the publication […]

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ARE YOU NEW TO ORGANIC FARMING OR THINKING ABOUT TRANSITIONING?

The process can be overwhelming. The free Planned Approach to Organic Transition program can help by providing you with one-on-one support from a personalized team of advisors, including organic farmers and certification experts. LEARN MORE HERE […]

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OneCert’s Public Contact Reporting to the OID

The new SOE regulations require certifiers to report contact information to the Organic Integrity Database (OID) for each operation that they certify. Historically, OneCert has reported the following information to the Organic Integrity Database (OID), per the completed Initial Application and/or Annual Update Form (AUF). With the implementation of the Strengthening Organic Enforcement (SOE) Rule, […]

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Dear OneCert: Demystifying the Mass Balance Audit

Dear OneCert, my inspector said I need to be ready for a “Mass Balance Audit” at my inspection. What does that mean? What records do I need to have available for them to complete this exercise? 7 CFR 205.403(d) The on-site inspection of an operation must verify:(4) Mass-balances, in that quantities of organic product and ingredients produced […]

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Understanding Nonretail Labeling Under SOE

The Strengthening Organic Enforcement (SOE) rulemaking includes new requirements for nonretail containers used to ship or store certified organic agricultural products. In response to this change, OneCert has updated forms and procedures to collect information that will comply with the new requirements. This guidance is for OneCert clients, to aid with completing forms and providing […]

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Organic Fraud Prevention Plan Guidance for Handlers and Processors

According to the Strengthening Organic Enforcement (SOE) regulation update §205.201(a)(3), all organic operations are now required to establish monitoring practices and procedures to prevent fraud in the organic industry (these procedures are often referred to as Fraud Prevention Plans or “FPPs”). The NOP states Fraud Prevention Plans are required for every operation, and they must […]

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Real Organic Project Partners with OneCert!

OneCert is happy to announce that we have partnered with the Real Organic Project for the 2024 inspection season. This means we have streamlined the process so OneCert certified producers can get their Real Organic Project inspection at the same time as their OneCert NOP inspection at no cost! We encourage all OneCert certified farms […]

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