The federal government is offering to reimburse much of the cost for Hawaiçi organic food producers and processors to obtain organic certification.
Organic farmers and livestock operators requiring annual certification approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture can apply for repayment of 75 percent of the cost of inspection and certification up to $750.

There is $75,000 available under the program through a cooperative agreement between the state Department of Agriculture and the USDA. It is the second year that these reimbursements have been available to Hawaiçi farmers.
A similar program has $15,000 available for certification of organic processors and handlers.
Funds are available for certification obtained from Oct. 1 through Sept. 30, 2010.
Applications and more information are available online at http://hawaii.gov/hdoa/add/md/OrganicProducers.