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Certified Crop Adviser Program

Find Your Local CCA!

Knowledge. Experience. Dedication. That's the CCA Value. 

Are you looking for a local agronomy or crop expert? Someone who has been certified as having knowledge and experience? Then you need a certified professional from one of the certification programs of the American Society of Agronomy. 

The American Society of Agronomy has developed a tool to search for a CCA based on location and speciality. Visit certifiedcropadviser.org/certifications/professional-search/ to use the search tool. 

To Become Certified

Applicants for certification must:

  • Have two years crop advising experience with a Bachelor of Science degree in agronomy, or four years post high school crop advising experience (must be documented with transcripts, detailed description of experience and supporting references or three years of experience with an associates degree in an agronomy-related field).
  • Pass both a local and international CCA exam, covering four major competency areas: nutrient management, soil and water management, pest management and crop management.
  • Sign a Code of Ethics.
  • Submit references from a grower and a colleague/employer.
  • Earn 40 hours of continuing education every two years.

Continuing Education Unit Requirements and Policies

  • 40 CEUs every two years
  • A minimum of five CEUs in each of the four competency areas
  • A minimum of 20 CEUs must be board-approved
  • Ohio accepts approved CEUs from all states

If you are certified by the Ohio Department Agriculture as a “pesticide applicator," you may receive 10 CEUs in pest management for your two-year CEU cycle. To obtain these CEUs you must send a copy of your current Ohio Applicator License to:

American Society of Agronomy / CCA Program 
5585 Guilford Road
Madison, WI 53711

Exam Information

NEW in 2020! The CCA Exam is now an internet-based exam, available within a one week window in the spring and fall each year via a remote proctor. 

Exam Week: Wednesday, August 5 – Wednesday, August 12, 2020

Exam Details: As of 2019, the CCA Exam is offered exclusively online, completed at the examinee's computer and monitored by a proctor via the examinee's webcam, with additional security features to protect the integrity of the exam. The exam can be taken 24 hours a day within the designated exam week, including Saturday and Sunday. Examinees must schedule their exam time at least 24 hours before they plan to complete the exam (this is an additional step to registering for the exam).

Registration Period: Exam registration is available online starting April 27. The registration deadline for the August 2020 exam week is June 26. Any individuals who were signed up for the August 2019 or February 2020 exams, but did not take the exams will NOT automatically be rescheduled for the August 2020 exam week.

Scheduling Period: After registration closes and closer to the scheduling window, emails will be sent to all registrants with an exam specific link to schedule your specific and preferred test time. Registrants are encouraged to schedule their exam early in this window. The scheduling window will be Monday, July 27 – Monday, August 10.

The following information is included in the registration packet.

  • Registration Form
  • International Performance Objectives
  • Tri-State Performance Objectives

CCA Exam Cost:
International Exam - $245 (includes remote proctoring fee) 
Tri-state Exam - $88 (includes remote proctoring fee)

Link to exam registration: 

There are two exams, the International Exam with 150 multiple choices questions and the Tri-State Exam with 100 multiple choice questions. Both exams are timed - two and a half hours for the International Exam and two hours for the Tri-State Exam. The exams cover four performance objective areas:

  • Nutrient Management
  • Soil & Water Management
  • Pest Management
  • Crop Management

In addition, we now have four specialty exams that you can take which will be offered for OH CCAs:

  • 4R Nutrient Management Specialty (4R NMS) Certification
  • Precision Agriculture Specialty (PASp) Certification
  • Resistance Management Specialty (RMS) Certification
  • Sustainability Specialty (SSp) Certification

Information on the specialty exams is linked from the exam page here: https://www.certifiedcropadviser.org/exams.

Click here to learn more about the CCA Exams from the American Society of Agronomy.

All CCA Exam questions can be directed to certification@sciencesocieties.org.