Certified Producers
Certified Producer Certificates
In order to sell at a Certified Farmers’ Market (CFM), each producer needs to get his or her agricultural products certified. This is done by applying to the home County Agricultural Commissioner for a Certified Producer Certificate (CPC). The CPC is an embossed certificate that lists key information about agricultural sites, storage, and the produce that will be sold at the market.
Obtaining a Certificate
If you are interested in selling at the CFM and would like to apply for a CPC, please fill out this Certified Producer Certificate application form (PDF) and email or mail it to our office. If you have questions about the application, please call our office directly for assistance. Once you have sent the form, a county biologist inspector will contact you to set up a site inspection to verify all of the products that are listed on the certificate. Once all of the commodities have been verified, the biologist will issue your Certified Producer Certificate.
The Certified Producer Certificate costs $40.00 and must be renewed annually. It is not uncommon to need to make seasonal changes to the certificate or add commodities once the certificate is issued. We encourage our producers to contact us so we can assist them in maintaining an accurate Certified Producer Certificate. Amendments can be done at any time of the year and are free of charge.
Certified Producer Certificates at the market
When selling at a CFM, every vendor must post their CPC at their stall. Periodic inspections are conducted by county biologists, who will ask to see the certificate. The main goal of the market inspections is to check that what is being sold at the market has been certified on the CPC. In this way, the integrity of the market is maintained by ensuring that all vendors are only selling California produce that they grew themselves.
Forms
Certified Producer Certificate application form (PDF)
Resources
California Department of Food and Agriculture Certified Farmers’ Markets