CERTIFICATION FEE SCHEDULE (Effective June 1, 2008)
HOFA currently certifies producers of crops, wild crops, livestock, and handling

The fee schedule below provides information on fees for first time applicants and producers  seeking continuance of their organic certification status.  Producers must pay all certification fees and associated costs before receiving notification of certification status.
Fees are subject to change.

Application Packet Fee: (Required of First Time Applicants Only)            $  75.00
The producer will be sent the following items upon receipt of a $75 payment by the HOFA Office. The Application Fee is non-refundable and includes one year’s membership in the organization.

  1. Certification Application Form (for Appropriate Certification Category)
  2. HOFA Organic Certification Handbook includes  copy of the Federal Organic Rule
  3. OMRI Generic Brands and Product List
  4. One-year membership in the organization

 

Producers will be notified 10-12 weeks prior to their issuance date the requirements for continuance of organic certification. (Renewal)

Certification fee covers:

MINIMUM CERTIFICATION FEE:GROSS SALES UNDER $50,000/YEAR FROM ORGANIC SALES

MINIMUM CERTIFICATION FEE:           $425.00

CERTIFICATION FEE: GROSS SALES $50,000 AND OVER /YEAR FROM ORGANIC SALES

Gross Annual Sales                 Base Fee          Plus            Percentage of Gross Annual Sales
$50,000-$99,999             =          $   300              +                      0.25%   (multiply by 0.0025)
$100,000-$199,999         =          $   400              +                      0.25%              
$200,000-$299,999         =          $   600              +                      0.25%              
$300,000-$399,999         =          $   800              +                      0.25%              
$400,000-$499,999         =          $1,200              +                      0.25%              
$500,000-$699,999         =          $1,500              +                      0.25%              
> $700,000                      =          $3,250              +                        0%     

* Inspector travel in excess of 25 miles incurred during a site visit is compensated at the rate of $0.50/mile and the cost is charged to the producer.  The need for analytical residue and GMO testing may not be identified until the time of the site visit by the inspector.  The cost for such required testing will be conducted by the certifying agent at the certifying agent’s own expense.

 

Additional Fees:

Multiple Category Certification (such as crop and processing or crop and apiary, etc.)  50% of minimum fee ($212.50) plus highest gross sales category. Example: $425 crop certification fee + $212.50 processing certification fee = $637.50 Inspections must occur simultaneously and additional travel fees may be charged as required by the inspector to conduct on-site inspections at all locations.

Additional site inspections  $100/site will be charged to the producer if additional locations are requested for certification.

Late fee for applications post marked after renewal date $75 
All requests for continuance of certification (renewals) must be post marked no later than renewal issuance date on certificate.  It is recommended that producers submit paperwork 6-8 weeks prior to issuance date to insure a timely renewal process.

Non-compliance fee  $20/ hour
This fee may be invoiced to a producer when a non-compliance must be resolved prior to certification, including an incomplete application, major non-compliance, and/or proposed suspension.

Product(s) added  to certificate mid-year  $35
Any producer requesting additional products be added to organic certificate after a certificate has been issued will be charged an administrative fee for review of request and issuance of new certificate.

Export Affidavits for compliance with Japan (JAS)
$25 first time set up fee
$10 per export affidavit transaction.  Export affidavit fees will be billed to each producer on a quarterly basis (March, June, September, December)

Returned checks from the bank  $25

Non-refundable fees for application withdrawal  A producer may choose to withdraw a request for certification or continuance of certification at any time during the certification process and receive partial refund of fees paid to date.  The following fees will be applied if withdrawal occurs once request for certification is in process:

$75 before inspection occurs
$200 at inspection
$250 after inspection prior to issuing certificate

Handling Operations for the following categories:
Distributor, Warehouse, Broker, and Retail Establishments
Handlers of organically certified products will be charged certification fees based on square footage of their operation and include cost of inspection fee.  Additional charges may be applied for travel costs or additional facilities included for inspection.  First year applicants will be charged a $100 non-refundable one-time set up fee. 

Square footage of facility:               First Year:                              Renewal:

0-2500

$475

$375

2501-7500

$850

$750

7501-18,000

$1600

$1500

Over 18,000

$2600

$2500