You have until September 30 to choose your new certifier and submit an application. You must also inform the NOP (AIAInbox@ams.usda.gov) by September 30 of the name of your certifier and the date your application was submitted.

If an operation does not inform the NOP that it is applying for certification with another certifier or surrendering certification by September 30, the NOP will issue the operation a noncompliance, which may lead to suspension or revocation of the operation's certification.

You are still obligated to notify the NOP within the 60-day period that you are surrendering your certification.

You can find a complete list of certifiers on the Organic Integrity Database Certifier Locator tool: https://organic.ams.usda.gov/Integrity/Certifiers/CertifiersLocationsSearchPage.aspx.

Once you receive your new organic certificate, you will need to inform the NOP. (AIAInbox@ams.usda.gov)

We are very proud of our inspector staff and contractors, who are some of the most experienced NOP inspectors in the industry, and certainly the experts in the field on Biodynamic farms and processors. Stellar's surrendered accreditation in no way reflects upon the quality of the inspection work performed by our staff.

Your new certifier will require that you submit a preliminary application, a complete OSP for the scope(s) of certification requested, and pay the appropriate fees. Stellar will make available any certification documentation that your new certification agency requires for your certification.

No you don't. All you need to do is identify what certifier you want to work with and submit the application by September 30.

On Thursday July 12 the NOP forwarded a notice to USDA- accredited certifiers about the use of existing labels when an operator is changing certifiers. That notice follows. What it means is that if you have Stellar labels in inventory you will be allowed to continue using them with any certifier you choose, as long as the new certifier approves the use-up of existing labels and you notify them of your label inventory.

NOP Notification:
NOP 2604: Instruction - Responsibilities of Certified Operations Changing Certifying Agents" currently allows certified operations to use existing supplies of labels identifying the prior certifier for no more than 90 days beyond the date that the certifier discontinued service or lost accreditation.

To facilitate an operation's change in certifiers when a certifier is no longer accredited, NOP is waiving the 90 day constraint in NOP 2604, and certifiers may choose to allow the use up of existing supplies of labels identifying the prior certifier.

• Certifiers that choose to approve the use-up of existing label supplies are to do the following:
• Verify existing supplies of labels identifying the prior certifier;
• Review the existing label(s) for compliance with the USDA organic regulations;
• To prevent consumer confusion, upon approving use of the label(s), in the Organic Integrity Database, note in the Additional Information column of the certified operation's listing, "Previously certified organic by [Name of Certifier]"
• NOP will not be immediately updating NOP 2604 with this change. As such, if you use this allowance, keep this email as part of your documentation for review by NOP auditors during future audits.

Yes, you will have to have a new inspection with your new certifier. That timeline will be established with your new certification agency.

If you paid an inspection deposit and did not have an inspection, that deposit will be refunded unless there is a prior balance due and then the inspection deposit will be applied to the balance due.

We are going to waive all 2018 Stellar licensing fees that would normally be due on all sales between Jan. 1, 2018 and July 31, 2018.

We will also waive any inspection fee for Stellar Certification Services that occurred after June 3, 2018.

If you have any questions about your account, please contact our Office Manager Felicity Baxter via email or calling her at 541.929.7148 ext. 1

We want to encourage all our Stellar clients who are not Biodynamic to consider getting Demeter certified. The marketplace is seeking out Demeter certified products and there are more brands looking for Biodynamic raw materials than are available in the USA. For the remainder of 2018 Stellar clients may apply for Demeter certification with no application fee. To learn more please contact our Director of Business Development Erin Sojourner via email or call her at 828.361.7596.

CCOF is a well-established organic certifier with more than 40 years of experience and a commitment to organic food and farming. They provide service oriented, efficient and world class certification including online OSPs, client portals, online materials lists and dedicated client service representatives. CCOF works in 44 states.

Benefits to Stellar members include:

• Reduced application fee of $125
• A streamlined application process Please see their abbreviated application here.
• CCOF's licensing of the Stellar Name and Logo so clients that have Stellar labeled product will not have to change labels for up to three years.
• Dual certification for combined Biodynamic and organic inspections. This will start in the 2018 inspection season.

Visit www.ccof.org/stellar for more information.

A note from CCOF President Jake Lewin:

Dear Stellar Certified Clients,

I want to take a moment to introduce myself, the leadership team, and CCOF as a whole. CCOF is governed by the people that grow and make organic food. Our board is mostly farmer-based and is democratically elected by the membership. Learn all about us at www.ccof.org/ccof

Myself and the leadership team at CCOF are veterans of organic food and farming and it's an honor to work with you. We are fully engaged with the needs of organic farmers and processors and work every day to do exactly what we say, which is this:

CCOF advances organic agriculture for a healthy world. We advocate on behalf of our members for organic policies, support the growth of organic through education and grants, and provide organic certification that is personal and accessible.

CCOF is a nonprofit organization governed by the people who grow and make our food. Founded in California more than 40 years ago, today our roots span the breadth of North America and our presence is internationally recognized. We are supported by an organic family of farmers, ranchers, processors, retailers, consumers, and policymakers. Together, we work to realize a future where organic is the norm.

As Stellar exits NOP organic certification and you make your choice about how to move forward with organic production and organic certification, we want to express our gratitude for your efforts, welcome you, and celebrate the opportunity to partner with Demeter and Stellar (both now and the in future). We are here to support your efforts and to make organic the norm. More about how we're working with Stellar can be found at www.ccof.org/stellar. We also want to thank the staff and inspectors at Stellar who we are working with now to support your transition, should you choose to move forward with CCOF.

If you have any concerns or questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to me directly. We look forward to working with you.

Jake Lewin
President
CCOF Certification Services, LLC
2155 Delaware Ave., Suite 150
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
(831) 423-2263, ext. 6288
direct (831) 346-6288
fax (831) 423-4528
jake@ccof.org
www.ccof.org

Baystate Organic Certifiers is a well-established organic certifier with more than 30 years of experience in the organic certification. Providing exceptional customer service, a unique and highly efficient certification system, and a Sound & Sensible approach to organic certification. Baystate also prides itself on an all-inclusive and transparent fee structure. Baystate does not charge for inspections in their core certification area, nor do they charge any extra fees such as new product/label review fees, quarterly assessments, or fees based on non-organic production.

In order to make the transition to a new certifier easier for Stellar clients, the partnership with Baystate includes...

• Offering a streamlined application process and, in cooperation with Stellar, accepting existing Organic System Plan documents on order to begin the process of switching to Baystate.
• Providing the ability to apply for organic certification with a simple $150 up-front fee, and extending certification fee deadlines until December 31, 2018 for Stellar clients. The 2018 Fee Schedule can be found at: http://baystateorganic.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Baystate-Fee-Schedule-2018.pdf
• No charge for inspections in their core certification area, nor do they charge any extra fees such as new product/label review fees, quarterly assessments, or fees based on non-organic production.
• Direct communication/cooperation with various State and Federal agencies to assist in the gathering of information on the Cost Share Reimbursement process for switching operations. More information can be found at: http://baystateorganic.org/costshare/

MOSA has been certifying organic farms and businesses since 1999. We certify over 2,000 farm, processor, distributor, and retail clients in 22 states and are well-versed in a wide diversity of farm and business models.

• For the 2018 certification process, MOSA will waive the certification costs. Certification fees will be $0. The inspection fee is the only expense for farmers and businesses transitioning from Stellar to MOSA. An inspection deposit of $300 for producers and $400 for handlers is paid upfront with any balance for the inspection cost invoiced after the inspection. Administrative fees may be assessed for adding new products or significant changes to OSPs outside of the annual review process.
• Starting in 2019, MOSA fee schedules can be found at mosaorganic.org/mosa-forms.
• MOSA's application process can be completed entirely on our online application process found at mosaorganic.org. We would also accept the Stellar Organic System Plan as the initial application and work with the operation to transfer that information into MOSA forms during the 2018 certification process.

Fee schedules and contact information can be found at MOSA's website mosaorganic.org. Our phone number is 608-637-2526. Our primary email is mosa@mosaorganic.org. View MOSA Certified Organic letter to Stellar clients.

NICS is a farmer focused organic certification agency started in 2007 and serves around 1,000 clients in 22 states, primarily in the central US, reaching from New York to California, Minnesota to Texas. Our team prides itself in providing top notch organic certification services because we understand and come from organic crop and dairy farms. Our service is friendly, knowledgeable, and down to earth. While we do not offer on-line account access, we do offer personalized service.

Along with all of that, NICS can offer current Stellar clients the following:

• In 2018, NICS will offer Stellar clients discounted certification fees of $150 for crop clients and $400 for handling clients.
• Inspections will be billed at cost and user fees will only apply after certification with NICS is complete.
• Friendly, knowledgeable staff are available for questions 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, on the phone and by email
• NICS has a comprehensive OSP and will accept any supporting documentation from other agencies with the completion of the NICS OSP
• Potential for dual Demeter and NOP dual inspections is being discussed
• NICS Material Review team is on-call for almost any input requests with no charge being assessed for material reviews
• Our website, www.naturesinternational.com, provides complete and current certificates for every NICS certified operation
• Our simple and easy to use website includes all applicable forms, including the fee schedule which would be effective in 2019 for any Stellar Clients who continue certification with NICS

If you are interested in discussing the possibilities for certification with NICS, please call the office today 608-637-7080

NOFA-NY, LLC has been accredited with the USDA National Organic Program (NOP) since April 29, 2002 and is New York's largest certifier. Our goal is to maintain the highest level of organic integrity while caring about our farmers and handlers. We support a diverse client base, bring extensive local and regional knowledge, have a highly experienced and dedicated staff and offer a wide range of special services. NOFA-NY certifies primarily in New York State and the surrounding Northeast region.

Benefits to Stellar clients moving to NOVA include:

• NOFA-NY is waiving the $75 new applicant fee for Stellar clients.
• Our certification fee for crop/livestock producers includes the cost of inspection and is based on annual gross organic sales. Stellar certified clients applying with NOFA-NY in 2018 would use their 2017 gross organic sales to determine the correct fee category. For specifics and handler fee schedule, visit https://www.nofany.org/files/Certification_Fees.rev3.pdf
• To apply for certification, visit our website for all needed forms: https://www.nofany.org/certification/apply-for-organic-certification or contact the office for an email or hard copy version.

Call our office at 607-724-9851 (M-F 8:30-4:30) to speak with a certification coordinator or email certifiedorganic@nofany.org. We promptly respond to all requests for info. We look forward to working with Stellar clients on a smooth transition!

OneCert's fees include the cost of the inspection (time and expenses), so there is no hidden cost. The total annual fee for a small farm is only $1000. After cost-share reimbursement, your out-of-pocket cost is only $250.

OneCert's certification packet can be requested at https://onecert.com/packets/. OneCert will assist any applicant from Stellar by transcribing your current OSP information to the OneCert forms. This will enable OneCert to process your application more efficiently so that we can schedule an inspection and make a certification decision in time for you to be eligible for cost-share reimbursement this year.

OneCert's fee schedule is included with the certification packet that can be requested from https://onecert.com/packets/.

The Organic Crop Improvement Association (OCIA) would like to take this time to introduce ourselves and offer you great savings on your organic certification. OCIA is a non-profit, member-owned organic certification organization committed to the environmentally sound stewardship. In business for over 30 years and certifying over 9,000 organic producers, processors and members of Community Grower Groups in over 9 Countries, OCIA is known as one of the Pioneers of Organic Certification.

Just a few services that OCIA offers to you include:

• The opportunity to work with a local OCIA chapter, which provides you with regional flexibility and great source of crop improvement information and support
• Stability and support from one of the world's first and largest organic certification agencies
• Transaction Certificates to aid in keeping necessary audit trail documentation in place, so that certified organic products can be easily traced through the chain of custody
• Access to global organic marketplace through multiple accreditations
• The opportunity to move $10 of your $35 OCIA membership dues directly to OCIA Research & Education, a charitable non-profit created by members to support organic farming research projects.

A $200 coupon will be applied to new members from Stellar for their first year of certification fees with OCIA. More information about OCIA can also be found atwww.ocia.org. Please don't hesitate to contact Angie Tunink with questions at atunink@ocia.org or 402-477-2323 Ext. 320

OTCO has been certifying organic farms and brands for 30+ years. We certify all over the US and are currently active in 49 US states and internationally in Canada and Mexico.

• The initial application fee is $75. It is a one-time payment at initial application and does not get assessed in future years.
• We can work with Demeter to establish a joint inspection to cover both for USDA organic and Biodynamic with one shared inspection.
• Info on additional fees and link to fee schedule: https://tilth.org/knowledgebase_category/understanding-costs/
• To apply send us your current Organic System Plan (completed with Stellar) along with the Operation Information (O1) form and a contract along with certification fees. Our certification fees are outlined in our publicly available fee schedule.

Contact info: 503-378-0690 or email organic@tilth.org