What is the Certified Crop Adviser Program?
Established by the American Society of Agronomy, the CCA is a voluntary certification program. Now available in more than half of the United States, the CCA program sets base standards for those who provide crop production advice to farmers. Certification ensures that farmers have access to crop advisers who have knowledge and skills in the basic competency areas of soils and soil fertility, pest management, soil and water management, and crop growth and development.

What is a Certified Crop Adviser?
A Certified Crop Adviser has proven experience and knowledge, and maintains a high level of crop advising skills through an aggressive continuing education program.

Am I eligible to be a Certified Crop Adviser?
To be eligible for certification, you must have a minimum of:   

Who Administers the CCA program?
The CCA program is coordinated by the American Registry of Certified Professionals in Agronomy, Crops and Soils (ARCPACS) – a membership service of the American Society of Agronomy (ASA). ARCPACS provides certification is agriculture, biology and soils. CCA is one of seven ARCPACS certification areas. CCA differs from the six other areas because Crop Adviser certification is based on experience and testing. The other certification areas are based on a minimum of a B.S. degree in agriculture.
Each state/region that adopts the CCA program has a CCA state/regional board made up of a cross-section of peers and representatives from the state agriculture department, the land-grant university, state agribusiness association, natural resources conservation service, and others.
The Kentucky CCA board is your representative. The board certifies credentials, develops and administers exams, enforces the Code of Ethics and oversees continuing education.

Who prepares the national and state CCA exams?
An exam committee appointed by the ASA developed the national exam in cooperation with the Educational Testing Service, the organization that also developed the college entrance Standardized Aptitude Test (SAT). The state/regional exam, taken at the same time as the national test, is developed by the Kentucky CCA board.

What will the national and state CCA exams cover?
Four areas are covered in the exams to certify basic knowledge and understanding of:

• Soils and soil fertility;
• Soil and water management;
• Plant growth and development;
• Pest management (weeds, insects, and diseases).

How do I prepare for the exams?
Before you sit for the exam, you will receive performance objectives that describe the agronomic information to be tested. Background materials are available from the American Society of Agronomy, your local extension service, colleges and universities, and private education and training organizations that offer production management courses.

When is the CCA exam held?
The exam is held on the first Friday in February.

What if I fail one or both of the exams?
If you fail both exams, you may take both of them again. If you fail only one of the two exams, you need only retake the exam you did not pass. Applicants must pass both exams within four consecutive tries.

What will it cost?
ARCPACS charges a fee of $100 to administer the program and it costs $75 to take the Kentucky exam. The international retest exam fee is $50 and the Kentucky retest exam fee is $37.50.

What are the benefits of the CCA program?
To become a Certified Crop Adviser, you will make an investment of your time and money. There are a number of reasons why that investment will pay you dividends in the long run:

• Widespread involvement in the CCA program will build confidence with the general public, elected officials and regulatory agencies.
• The general public desires a certification program that establishes a base standard of experience and knowledge for those who advise farmers.
• Through the CCA program, Crop Advisers will have increased communication with policy makers at the state and national levels.
• As a Certified Crop Adviser you are a proven source of agricultural information.
•  Certification is a basis for agricultural professionalism.
•  Programs and seminars offering continuing education hours are easily and more
   locally available.