About The CCA Program

The CCA Program began in 1991 when leaders from agribusiness, government and university organizations, along with the American Society of Agronomy (ASA), began discussions to create a voluntary certification program for crop advisers. The program was established to set standards that would be followed by its members in order to be valued by the agriculture community, employers and consumers.

Today, the CCA program is found throughout the United States, and most regions of Canada. It is coordinated by the ASA and administered at the local level by state or regional boards. Policies and guidelines are determined by the national board of directors working in conjunction with ASA and the CCA Advisory Council made up of representatives from 37 state and regional boards.

In Western Canada, the Prairie CCA (PCCA) Board administers the program within Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba. Board members are all volunteers with crop advising backgrounds representing researchers, educators, agribusiness, government extension and regulatory agencies, and the respective Institutes of Agrologists.

Since 1991, CCA certification has rapidly become the standard by which crop advisers are measured. There are currently over 14,000 certified crop advisers with some 1,931 in Canada and 1,168 in the Prairie Provinces. These advisers play a key role in assisting crop producers in implementing agronomically and environmentally sound nutrient, crop, pest, soil and environmental management plans.