Turfgrass Certification is the process required to produce high quality pedigreed turf and is open to all who wish to participate. Certified turf is a limited generation production system. Foundation seed/sprigs produces Registered sod, Registered seed/sprigs produces Certified sod and Certified sod is sold to the end user. There is no class beyond Certified. In some varieties, there may be no Registered class.

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Listed below are several basic requirements to become a certified sod producer:

 

1. Start clean. All planting & harvesting equipment and storage facilities must be clean to prevent contamination from other crops, varieties or weeds.
2. Plant eligible seed/sprigs and retain proof of eligibility. Foundation or Registered seed/sprigs must be planted for the crop to be eligible for certification. If you are going to produce Registered sod you will need to purchase Foundation seed/sprigs. If you are going to produce Certified sod you will need to purchase Registered seed/sprigs or in some cases Foundation seed/sprigs.
3. Eligible Ground. The ground on which you want to establish Certified turfgrass MUST BE INSPECTED PRIOR TO PLANTING. THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS. The field must have been found to be free of noxious weeds or other strains of the same species and must not have been tilled or otherwise molested prior to inspection.
4. Field Inspection Application. Contact OCIA office for an application for field inspection and submit it by the appropriate deadline. This will start the paper work process to complete sod certification.
5. Prepare your field for inspection by OCIA. This involves roguing any contaminants such as off-type plants and controlling any weeds that might be present. Isolation also needs to be determined at this time. In turf there must be 10 feet between a certified sod field and other non-certified fields.
6. Field inspections. The inspector will contact you prior to making the inspection to make you aware that he will be in the area and confirm that your field is ready for inspection. After inspection is completed you will receive a copy of the field inspection report.
7.  Official tags/labels. Once the sod has passed the field inspection, tags or labels can be ordered from the OCIA office. ALL Certified sod sales require official OCIA tags to be legally sold. Sod distributed without the proper certification tags is not pedigreed sod. One tag per pallet of sod is required. Specific crop standards and other information are available from the OCIA office.

 

Fees

• Annual Applicant Fee (per applicant): $1000.00
• Inspection Fee: $20/acre of part of an acre up to 20 acres, then $10/ac over 20.
• Late Fee: Round-trip mileage at IRS rate or $50 (whichever is greater).
• Tags: 10 cents per tag, minimum order of 10 tags.