California Certified Organic Farmers - CCOF

1. Assess your eligibility: Determine whether your operation (farm, ranch, processor, or handler) qualifies for USDA organic certification. Review USDA NOP standards to understand prohibited substances and required practices. CCOF's free weekly Organic Office Hours are a great starting point for questions at any experience level.

1. Begin your transition period (if needed): If your land has not been managed organically, USDA NOP requires a 3-year transition period during which prohibited substances are not applied. Use this time to document your practices and build your record-keeping system.

1. Create an Organic System Plan (OSP): Prepare a detailed OSP describing your fields or facilities, inputs used, pest and weed management practices, and record-keeping procedures. This is the core document of your application.

1. Submit your application to CCOF: Apply online through the MyCCOF portal. Submit your completed OSP along with supporting documentation such as field histories, input product labels, and sales records. Pay the applicable application fee.

1. Undergo an on-site inspection: A CCOF-trained inspector will visit your operation to verify that your practices match your OSP. Be prepared to walk through your fields or facility, show records, and answer questions about your inputs and processes.

1. Receive your certification decision: CCOF staff review the inspector's report and your OSP. If compliant, you will receive your USDA Organic certificate, granting you the legal right to label and sell products as certified organic.

1. Access your certificate and directory listing: Your certified operation will be listed in CCOF's public directory of 4,000+ certified producers, increasing your visibility with buyers, retailers, and distributors.

1. Maintain annual compliance: Submit an updated OSP each year, pay annual renewal fees, and undergo your annual inspection to keep your certification active.

CCOF certification evaluates whether an operation fully complies with USDA National Organic Program (NOP) standards across several key areas. The review is based on the submitted Organic System Plan (OSP) and verified through an on-site inspection.

Land and Field History: For crop operations, inspectors verify that fields have been free of prohibited substances (synthetic pesticides, fertilizers, GMOs) for at least 36 months prior to the first organic harvest. Field maps, soil test records, and prior land use documentation are reviewed.

Inputs and Materials: All inputs — fertilizers, pest control products, cleaning agents, and processing aids — must be approved under the USDA NOP. Inspectors review product labels and invoices to confirm that only compliant materials are used. Operations must maintain a current input list as part of their OSP.

Practices and Procedures: For crop producers, this includes soil fertility management, crop rotation, pest and weed management, and water management. For livestock operations, it covers animal living conditions, feed sourcing (100% organic), and prohibition of antibiotics and growth hormones. For handlers and processors, it includes segregation of organic and non-organic products, sanitation procedures, and prevention of commingling or contamination.

Record-Keeping: Operations must maintain detailed records for at least 5 years, including sales records, purchase receipts, field activity logs, and audit trail documentation that allows organic products to be traced from sale back to the field.

Parallel Production (if applicable): Operations that produce both organic and conventional products are subject to additional scrutiny to ensure there is no commingling, mislabeling, or contamination between the two streams.

CCOF is one of the largest and most established USDA-accredited organic certifiers in the United States, with over 4,000 certified operations in its directory and more than 50 years of history. It holds a particularly dominant position in California, which is the largest organic agriculture state in the US by both acreage and sales volume. CCOF's reputation is strong among premium retailers, natural food distributors, and export buyers who recognize its rigorous standards and long track record.

The US organic food market has grown consistently for decades, reaching approximately $67 billion in retail sales in 2023 (Organic Trade Association). Demand for USDA organic certification has grown in parallel, driven by consumer preference, retailer sourcing requirements, and export market access. CCOF competes with roughly 80 other USDA-accredited certifiers nationwide, including Oregon Tilth (OTCO), Quality Assurance International (QAI), OneCert, and Ecocert. While all USDA-accredited certifiers issue legally equivalent certificates, CCOF differentiates itself through its nonprofit mission, policy advocacy, and extensive producer support infrastructure.

CCOF's primary geographic strength is the western United States, particularly California, though it certifies operations across the country. For producers outside California, certifiers with stronger regional networks (such as MOSA in the Midwest or NOFA-NY in the Northeast) may offer more localized support. The organic certification market faces ongoing challenges including cost barriers for small and transitioning farmers, regulatory complexity, and fraud prevention — areas where CCOF actively engages through its Foundation grants and policy advocacy work.

CCOF was founded in 1973 in California by a group of farmers who wanted to establish credible, verifiable standards for organic agriculture at a time when the term "organic" had no legal definition. It is one of the oldest organic certification organizations in the world, predating the USDA National Organic Program by nearly three decades. In its early years, CCOF developed its own certification standards and inspection protocols, helping to define what organic farming meant in practice.

A major milestone came with the passage of the Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA) in 1990 and the subsequent launch of the USDA National Organic Program (NOP) in 2002, which established a federal legal standard for organic certification. CCOF became one of the first organizations to receive USDA accreditation as a certifying agent under the NOP, transitioning from a state-level pioneer to a nationally recognized certifier. Over the following decades, CCOF expanded its certified operations beyond California to cover producers across the United States, and established the CCOF Foundation as a separate nonprofit arm to provide grants and education. Today, CCOF is widely regarded as one of the most influential voices in US organic policy, regularly engaging with USDA, Congress, and state legislatures on behalf of its certified members.