USDA Organic Certification Application

Streamline Your USDA Organic Certification Application

Achieving USDA organic certification is a critical milestone for farms, processors, and handlers committed to organic practices. This USDA Organic Certification Application template guides you through the complete National Organic Program (NOP) compliance process, from operator information to your detailed Organic System Plan (OSP).

Whether you're a small-scale farmer seeking your first certification or an established operation preparing for annual renewal, this form captures everything certifying agents need to evaluate your organic practices—land history, crop production methods, livestock management, pest and weed control, record-keeping systems, and preventative measures against contamination.

Built for Organic Producers and Processors

This template is designed for:

• Organic crop producers applying for certification of farmland, orchards, and specialty crops
• Livestock operations raising organic cattle, poultry, dairy, or other animals
• Food processors and handlers who process, pack, or store organic products
• Wild crop harvesters collecting organic products from natural environments
• Agricultural consultants helping clients navigate the certification process

Why Use Paperform for Organic Certification Applications?

Traditional organic certification applications involve dozens of pages of PDFs, confusing sections, and manual data entry. With Paperform, you create a professional, brand-aligned application form that collects all required information in one streamlined experience.

Conditional logic ensures applicants only see questions relevant to their operation type—crop producers won't wade through livestock questions, and processors skip field management sections. Calculation fields can help applicants estimate acreage, production volumes, or certification fees based on their operation size.

Once submitted, you can use Stepper (stepper.io) to automate your certification workflow: send confirmation emails, create tasks for on-site inspections, route applications to certifying agents for review, update your certification database, and trigger reminder emails for missing documentation. Connect submissions to your CRM, project management tools, or internal databases to maintain a complete audit trail.

For organizations managing multiple certification applications, Papersign (papersign.com) lets you turn approved applications into official certification agreements that applicants can sign electronically, keeping everything linked to the original submission.

Compliant, Secure, and Professional

This form template is SOC 2 Type II compliant and can be customized to meet your organization's specific requirements. Add your certifying agency branding, adjust questions to reflect your review process, and collect file uploads for required documentation like field maps, input lists, and previous certifications.

Whether you're an independent certifying agent, a state agriculture department, or an organic trade association, this template helps you collect consistent, complete applications that speed up the review process and reduce back-and-forth requests for missing information.

Get started with this USDA Organic Certification Application template and simplify the path to organic certification for your applicants.