USDA Renews Paperwork for Organic Sellers Seeking Fee Exemptions
Published Date: 11/4/2026
Notice
Summary
The USDA wants to keep collecting info from organic sellers who ask to skip certain marketing fees under federal programs. This helps make sure the rules stay fair and clear. If you’re involved in organic farming or selling, you can share your thoughts by January 4, 2027—no extra costs or changes are coming, just a paperwork extension.
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 1 costs, 0 mixed.
Organic handlers can apply to skip assessments
If you handle only 100 percent certified organic products, you can apply for an exemption from market promotion assessments under Federal marketing orders by submitting a "Certified Organic Handler Application for Exemption from Market Promotion Assessments Paid Under Federal Marketing Orders" to the relevant marketing order board or committee. This exemption authority derives from the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act amendment and applies to the marketing orders listed in the notice (for example, Texas citrus 7 CFR part 906, Florida avocados 7 CFR part 915, Washington cherries 7 CFR part 923, California dried prunes 7 CFR part 993, and others).
Paperwork time: 15 minutes per application
Completing the certified organic handler exemption form is estimated to take 0.25 hours (15 minutes) per response. The agency estimates 210 respondents and a total annual burden of 52.5 hours for this information collection.
California dried prunes reporting suspended until 2030
Marketing Order 993 (California dried prunes) currently has handling and reporting requirements suspended at the industry's request until July 30, 2030. Its reporting requirements are inactive now but Marketing Order 993 remains included in this information-collection renewal until the industry decides whether to proceed with termination in 2030.
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