Certified Crop Advisor

What Certified Crop Advisor does

Certified Crop Adviser (CCA) is a professional certification program operated by Science Societies, a coalition of three nonprofit scientific societies — the American Society of Agronomy (ASA), the Crop Science Society of America (CSSA), and the Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) — headquartered at 5585 Guilford Road in Madison, Wisconsin. Founded in 1992, the program certifies agronomists and crop advisers serving farmers and growers in the United States, Mexico, and Brazil, validating expertise in sustainable agronomy through rigorous examination, ethics review, and continuing education requirements. The organization is a nonprofit with 11–50 employees and operates under the legal entity Science Societies (Alliance of Crop, Soil, and Environmental Science Societies).

The CCA program generates revenue primarily through recurring certification fees covering exam registration, credential renewals, specialty certifications, and the Technical Service Provider (TSP) credential, with additional educational revenue from continuing education units (CEUs) delivered via an online classroom, webinars, podcasts, the Crops & Soils magazine, and an annual CANVAS conference. Distribution is multi-channel: a self-serve online certification portal handles registration and CEU tracking, regional local boards provide in-person credential reviews and ethics oversight, and a public Find a CCA directory connects growers with certified professionals. Core products include the flagship CCA credential, the Certified Professional Agronomist (CPAg) credential, specialty certifications, and the TSP certification, supported by regional variants Programa CCA México and Certified Professional Agronomist Engineer – Brasil.

The program serves two primary customer segments: farmers and growers who need science-backed agronomic guidance for nutrient management, pest management, and conservation planning; and agronomists and agricultural professionals — including data scientists, regional agronomists, and extension specialists — who use the CCA and CPAg credentials to demonstrate expertise and advance their careers. Strategic partnerships with the Agricultural Retailers Association, Field to Market, the National Association of Conservation Districts, and the Conservation Technology Information Center reinforce the program's credibility and ecosystem positioning within the agricultural sector.

Name

Certified Crop Advisor

Legal name

Science Societies (Alliance of Crop, Soil, and Environmental Science Societies)

Website

https://certifiedcropadviser.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Certified Crop Adviser is a nonprofit professional certification program administered by Science Societies that credentials agronomists across the U.S., Mexico, and Brazil, validating expertise in sustainable agronomy through exams, continuing education, and ethics oversight.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Certification Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Crop Production (11511), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Carbon, Sustainability & Farm Certification Support (Agro-Environmental Advisory) (AFACABAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sustainability & Environmental Certifications (Carbon, Water, Regenerative) (AFALAMAC)

Keywords

• Professional certification programs
• Crop advising services
• Agronomy continuing education
• Soil science certification
• Agricultural credentialing

Headquarters

HQ city

Madison

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Certification Fees: Revenue generated from certification exams, credential renewals, and specialty certifications. Professionals pay to register for exams, obtain certification, and maintain their credentials through continuing education.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Certified Crop Adviser (CCA) program is a professional certification initiative that credentials individual agronomists through rigorous examination and ongoing continuing education, validating their expertise to deliver science-backed agronomic advice to farmers and growers. It is complemented by the Certified Professional Agronomist (CPAg) credential, specialty certifications, Technical Service Provider (TSP) certification, and a continuing education (CEU) ecosystem delivered through an Online Classroom, webinars, podcasts, and professional publications.

Product overview

Certified Crop Advisor is a certification organization offering professional credentials for agronomists. The core offerings are the Certified Crop Adviser (CCA) and Certified Professional Agronomist (CPAg) certifications, which validate expertise in sustainable agronomy through rigorous examination and continuing education requirements. These foundational credentials are supported by specialty certifications and TSP (Technical Service Provider) certification for additional specialization. The program maintains a network of local CCA boards for credential reviews, CEU applications, and ethics concerns. Educational services include an Online Classroom platform and CEU (Continuing Education Units) system where certified professionals earn credits through webinars, podcasts, and courses. A Find a CCA directory service connects growers with certified professionals. International variants include Programa CCA México and Certified Professional Agronomist Engineer – Brasil for Brazilian professionals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Certified Crop Adviser (CCA) Flagship professional certification program that credentials agronomists serving on the front lines of sustainable agronomy, validating expertise, ethics, and commitment to continuous learning through rigorous examination and ongoing continuing education.
• Certified Professional Agronomist (CPAg)
• Specialty Certifications
• Technical Service Provider (TSP) Certification
• Continuing Education Units (CEUs)
• Online Classroom
• Find a CCA Directory
• Programa CCA México
• Certified Professional Agronomist Engineer – Brasil

Quantifiable outcome

• CCAs provide and implement expertise in sustainable, science-backed advice that farmers and growers can trust

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerARA partners with the CCA program as a supporter to ensure farmers can always get sound agronomic advice. ARA represents agricultural retailers who benefit from having CCA-certified professionals on their teams.
• American Society of Agronomy (ASA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerASA is one of the three founding scientific societies administering the CCA program. ASA provides certification governance, exam development, and continuing education standards for crop advisers.
• Field to MarketcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerField to Market partners with the CCA program as a supporter organization focused on sustainable agriculture and continuous improvement in the ag industry.
• National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerNACD partners with the CCA program to support conservation planning and sustainable agronomy practices. NACD represents conservation districts across the United States.
• Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerCTIC partners with the CCA program to promote conservation technology and sustainable farming practices. CTIC supports the mission of providing farmers with sound agronomic advice.

Scale indicators2 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Crop Science Society of America (CSSA): Co-administering scientific society for the CCA program with a broader crop science membership, publications, and conference portfolio. Governance is intertwined with CCA, making it both a peer and an operational affiliate.
• CropLife America: National trade association representing the crop protection and agricultural products industry, with overlapping stakeholder relationships to CCA's certified advisors and a similar role in setting professional standards across the agriculture value chain.
• American Society of Agronomy (ASA): Parent scientific society that co-administers the CCA program and offers broader membership, publications, and the Sustainable Agronomy Conference. Comparable as the parent governing body that CCA operates under, with a much broader scientific mission.
• Soil Science Society of America (SSSA): Co-administering scientific society for the CCA program that also runs its own Certified Professional Soil Scientist credential. Closely affiliated with CCA operationally while operating a wider soil science portfolio.

Direct peers

• International Society of Precision Agriculture (ISPA): Professional society advancing precision agriculture through education, conferences, and credential-adjacent activities for agronomists and crop advisors—overlapping significantly with CCA's target audience of agronomic professionals.
• National Alliance of Independent Crop Consultants (NAICC): Professional alliance representing independent crop consultants in the US, with a parallel mission of credentialing and supporting agronomy professionals who advise growers—directly comparable to CCA's role of certifying crop advisers.
• American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers (ASFMRA): Professional society that accredits and certifies farm managers and rural appraisers through rigorous testing and continuing education—a comparable certification-first organization serving agricultural professionals with similar governance and revenue mechanics.
• Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA): Membership and certification body for golf course superintendents, employing a similar credentialing-plus-continuing-education model tied to a defined professional community. Comparable in operating structure to CCA despite the turfgrass rather than crop focus.
• American Registry of Professional Animal Scientists (ARPAS): Professional certification registry for animal scientists using a similar exam-based credentialing and continuing education model. Operates the same way CCA does for agronomists, but in the animal science domain, making the operational model highly comparable.

Regional players

• International Certified Crop Adviser (ICCA) / CCA Canada: Canadian counterpart running a parallel CCA credential program under the same international standards framework, serving Canadian agronomists with a near-identical certification product but in a distinct geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CCASoundAdvice
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ScienceSocieties
• Facebookfacebook.com/CCA.certifiedcropadviser
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/certified-crop-adviser

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Certified Crop Advisor