This Earth Day, we’re honored to celebrate OneCert’s 22nd anniversary of USDA accreditation—a milestone rooted in passion, perseverance, and dedication to organic farming. On this auspicious day in 2003, our founder Sam Welsch guided OneCert through the new USDA-accreditation process. OneCert’s quality system was developed with the invaluable advice of Beth Hayden, who emphasized focusing […]
Read More… from 22 Years Growing Organic: Celebrating Earth Day & OneCert’s Journey!
OneCert is thrilled to announce a significant transition in leadership. Effective April 1, 2025, Karlin and Jeremy Warner assume ownership of OneCert, with Karlin stepping into the role of CEO. This marks the beginning of an exciting new era of growth and innovation for the company, building on the strong legacy established by founder Sam […]
Read More… from OneCert Ushers in a Dynamic New Chapter with Karlin Warner as CEO
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 […]
Read More… from Act Now: Plan for Cost Share Changes in 2025
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, […]
Read More… from OneCert’s Public Contact Reporting to the OID
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 […]
Read More… from Dear OneCert: Demystifying the Mass Balance Audit
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 […]
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 […]
Read More… from Organic Fraud Prevention Plan Guidance for Handlers and Processors
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 […]
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 […]
The Strengthening Organic Enforcement (SOE) Rule published by the USDA implementation period ends March 20, 2024. This means operations have until March 19, 2024, to become compliant with the rule. Handling operations, including brokers, traders, importers, distributors, and manufacturers, are among those who will be most affected by this new rule. In this post, we […]
Read More… from Handling SOE: 6 Priorities for Handling Operations Implementing the New Rule