MOSA provides our clients with much more than just certification.

Joe Pedretti

MOSA Client Services Director

Executive Director's Report - New Annual Update Date Announcement

I’ve got some news to share! This year in your annual update you will receive a newly updated MOSA Terms and Conditions Agreement, or MTCA. Please read it over carefully, sign it, and return it to us, keeping a copy for yourself. When we occasionally revise the MTCA, we will announce the updates in our newsletter; this is a vehicle for communicating important information to you, so watch this space.

And regarding your annual update, I’m happy to tell you that it will be sent to you sooner than ever. Here are some new dates for you to remember:

  • December 6: your annual update will be mailed/emailed to you

  • January 15: Early Bird deadline for a discount on your certification fees

  • February 1: Paperwork due date; we require you to return just your Annual Update OSP and your signed MTCA unless you’re adding new land or scopes. We know you may not have some information this early, such as seed tables or field plans. That’s OK; we can get that information from you later. At this point, we want to know about changes to your plan; are you adding new fields? A new scope? A new product? If so, we’ll prioritize that.

  • April 1: Fees deadline. We’re decoupling your fees from your paperwork, and this date remains unchanged for fees only.

Why are we doing this? By moving the dates up, we can begin to review your plan and assign our inspectors sooner. We can prioritize operations with timing needs sooner to meet requests for new products, new land, new facilities, or new services. We can accelerate the certification process and get you your certificate faster!

Fees this year remain largely unchanged; our rates and tiers are not being adjusted. Look for the article on page 7 that provides an overview of the 2025 fee schedule.

Don’t forget about Organic Cost Share! Funded through the Farm Bill, the Cost Share program assists producers and handlers of agricultural products who are obtaining or renewing their certification under the National Organic Program.

Producers or handlers who paid fees to begin or renew their organic certification between October 1, 2023, and September 30, 2024, are eligible to receive reimbursement for 75% of eligible certification fees up to a maximum of $750 for each certified scope, i.e., crops, wild crops, livestock, producer/handling.

We all know that organic certification isn’t necessarily easy, and it comes with its own risks and rewards. Organic Cost Share can help level the playing field with your conventional ag neighbors and defray some of the expenses of organic certification you incur, which they don’t. Don’t leave money sitting on the table!

I hope you enjoy this newsletter. As always, if you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact me at Cori@MosaOrganic.org or 844-637-2526. Thank you for reading and for your continued commitment to organic integrity.