ResponsibleAg

What ResponsibleAg does

ResponsibleAg, Inc. is a nonprofit industry-led certification program headquartered in Owensboro, Kentucky, jointly operated by the Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA) and The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) since its launch in 2014. The program helps agricultural retailers, manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, terminals, and farmers achieve and maintain compliance with federal environmental, health, safety, and security regulations enforced by OSHA, DOT, EPA, and DHS. Its core offering is a third-party facility certification, valid for three years, that demonstrates participants' commitment to safe storage and handling of fertilizer, anhydrous ammonia, pesticides, fuel, and other farm input products.

The program's product portfolio is anchored by a proprietary ResponsibleAg Assessment Checklist covering more than 500 questions across 17 facility operations areas, updated annually and comprehensively revised every few years (with the 2026 version approved in October 2025). Supporting products include the Compliance Assistance Library (a curated resource of regulatory citations and practical solutions), the Participant Center web portal for accessing tools and corrective action plans, and a four-day competency-based Auditor Training Course priced at $2,150 per participant and held at the Ford B. West Center for Responsible Agriculture in Owensboro — a unique three-acre retired agrichemical facility retrofitted for hands-on training. Facility assessments are delivered by a network of credentialed internal and contract auditors, with findings captured through a secure web platform that generates corrective action plans linked to relevant federal regulations.

The business model is fee-based rather than venture-funded. Annual certification fees are tiered: manufacturers, producers, importers, wholesalers, and distributors pay $5,000 per company; manned terminals, retailers, and farmers pay $150 per site; unmanned retail and farm satellite terminals pay $100 per site. Auditor training adds a $2,150-per-participant professional services revenue stream. As of recent reporting, the program reports more than 2,500 participating businesses and 1,346 certified facilities spread across 29+ U.S. states, with over 3,000 facility audits completed since inception and an estimated 100,000 potential hazards identified through the audit process.

Name

ResponsibleAg

Legal name

ResponsibleAg, Inc.

Website

https://responsibleag.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Short description

ResponsibleAg is a nonprofit certification program, jointly run by the Agricultural Retailers Association and The Fertilizer Institute, that audits and certifies U.S. agribusiness facilities for compliance with OSHA, DOT, EPA, and DHS regulations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Compliance Certification

NAICS

Regulation, Licensing, and Inspection of Miscellaneous Commercial Sectors (926150)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Certification Program Administration & Scheme Management (Standard Owners) (AFALACAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Fertilizer Compliance, Testing & Certification (Nutrient Analysis, Regulatory/Stewardship Programs) (AFABABAL), Regulatory Compliance, Permitting & Audit Readiness (Food Safety, Environmental, Labor) (AFACAJAE), Pre-Assessment, Gap Assessment & Certification Readiness Services (AFALACAE)

Keywords

• Agricultural compliance certification
• Facility safety auditing
• Fertilizer handling regulation
• EHS compliance program
• Auditor credentialing training

Headquarters

HQ city

Owensboro

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Facility Certification Fees: Annual registration fees paid by agribusinesses for facility certification. Manufacturers, producers, importers, wholesalers, and distributors pay $5,000 per company. Manned terminals, retailers, and farmers pay $150 per site. Unmanned retail and farm satellite terminals pay $100 per site. Certification is valid for three years, after which facilities must undergo recertification.
2. Auditor Training Courses: Four-day auditor training courses held at the Ford B. West Center for Responsible Agriculture in Owensboro, KY. Priced at $2,150 per participant, includes training materials, exercises, handouts, and lunch. Course is competency-based and recognized by the Board of Environmental, Health and Safety Auditor Certifications (BEAC).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

ResponsibleAg delivers a third-party industry certification program for agribusinesses that store and handle fertilizer, chemicals, fuels, and other farm input supplies. Certification is valid for three years and is granted after credentialed auditors assess each facility against the ResponsibleAg Assessment Checklist (500+ questions across 17 operational areas) and create Corrective Action Plans tied to federal OSHA, DOT, EPA, and DHS regulations. The program also offers a four-day Auditor Training Course that produces credentialed ResponsibleAg auditors.

Product overview

ResponsibleAg is an industry-led certification program (not a traditional SaaS product) operated jointly by the Agricultural Retailers Association and The Fertilizer Institute. The core offering is the ResponsibleAg Certification Program, which helps agribusinesses properly store and handle farm input supplies while ensuring compliance with federal regulations. The portfolio includes the Assessment Checklist (used by credentialed auditors to evaluate facilities across 17 operational areas), the Auditor Training Course (a four-day competency-based training program), the Participant Center (a portal for accessing resources and corrective action plans), and the Compliance Assistance Library. Certification is valid for three years, with facilities undergoing audits conducted by credentialed internal or contract auditors. More than 2,500 businesses and 1,346 certified facilities participate across the United States.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ResponsibleAg Certification Program An industry-led third-party certification program for agribusinesses that store and handle fertilizer, chemicals, fuels, and other farm input supplies. Certification is valid for three years and is granted after credentialed auditors assess facilities against the ResponsibleAg Assessment Checklist and create Corrective Action Plans tied to federal OSHA, DOT, EPA, and DHS regulations.
• ResponsibleAg Assessment Checklist A comprehensive audit checklist containing more than 500 questions that credentialed auditors use to assess compliance with federal regulations across 17 areas of facility operations, including EHS documentation, commercial motor vehicles, maintenance records, fertilizer warehouses, anhydrous ammonia facilities, chemical warehouses, fuel storage, and pesticide handling.
• ResponsibleAg Auditor Training Course A four-day competency-based training course that meets the requirements for those who want to perform ResponsibleAg facility audits, including classroom lectures, computer lab, role-play scenarios, and hands-on exercises at a retired agrichemical facility. Priced at $2,150 per participant and includes training materials, exercises, handouts, and lunch.
• Corrective Action Plan Service A secure and confidential web-based plan created by credentialed auditors during facility assessments that identifies areas of non-compliance with federal regulations, references pertinent regulations, and links to practical solutions in the Compliance Assistance Library.
• Compliance Assistance Library A resource library providing quick and easy information on common federal compliance citations, enabling participants to understand regulations and implement corrective actions, with unlimited access for registered participants.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 100,000 potential hazards identified that could have led to serious injuries or fatalities
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint operator of the ResponsibleAg certification program. Provides governance through board representation (Daren Coppock serves as member). ARA is a nonprofit trade association representing agricultural retailers and distributors across the United States.
• The Fertilizer Institute (TFI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint operator of the ResponsibleAg certification program. Provides governance through board representation (Corey Rosenbusch serves as member). TFI is the leading voice of the fertilizer industry in Washington, D.C.
• Asmark InstituteflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerEx-officio board member (Brian Mason, President & CEO). Asmark Institute supports agricultural retailers with compliance tools and resources. Contributed to program development and continues to support ResponsibleAg operations.
• 50+ Industry OrganizationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMore than 50 organizations contributed to the development of the ResponsibleAg certification program, including state agricultural associations, plant food associations, and industry stakeholders.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Agricultural Retailers Association: Joint operator/parent of ResponsibleAg. A nonprofit trade association representing agricultural retailers across the U.S. While ARA is the governance parent rather than a competitor, it shares the same member base and serves as the channel for ResponsibleAg certifications.
• The Fertilizer Institute: Joint operator/parent of ResponsibleAg. The leading U.S. fertilizer industry trade association. Functions as governance parent and fertilizer-industry policy voice that drives demand for ResponsibleAg's certification.

Broad incumbents

• Intelex Technologies: Provider of EHS and quality management software used by enterprises across manufacturing, chemicals, and agriculture. Its audit, incident, and compliance-management capabilities overlap with ResponsibleAg's checklist and CAP functionality from a software-platform perspective.
• VelocityEHS: Major provider of EHS and sustainability software (formerly known as IndustrySafe). Offers audit management, corrective action, and compliance content modules across industries, including ag input handling, making it a broader-software competitor to ResponsibleAg's audit platform.
• DNV: Independent assurance and certification body providing ISO 14001, ISO 45001, and other management-system certifications. Overlaps with ResponsibleAg from a third-party certification perspective but operates broadly across industries rather than specializing in ag retail.
• SAI Global: Certification and standards-body operator offering ISO 9001/14001/45001 management-system certification across industries. Comparable in scheme administration and audit delivery model, but covers broad markets rather than the U.S. ag-input niche.
• Bureau Veritas: Global testing, inspection, and certification (TIC) firm offering ISO, environmental, and EHS certifications across industries. A broader incumbent whose agribusiness certification offerings sit in the same conceptual space as ResponsibleAg's industry-owned scheme.
• NSF International: Global certification body offering food safety, environmental, and occupational health certifications. While its ISO 22000 / FSSC programs target food processors rather than ag retailers, the NSF scheme-administration model is structurally analogous to ResponsibleAg's.
• CropLife America: National trade association representing pesticide manufacturers and distributors. Operates stewardship and certification-adjacent programs for the crop-protection industry, overlapping with ResponsibleAg's audit of pesticide storage/handling but covering the broader pesticide supply chain rather than the ag-retailer certification niche.

Direct peers

• Asmark Institute: Provides compliance tools, resources, and services to agricultural retailers, including EHS audits and DOT/OSHA program support. It is the closest direct comparable to ResponsibleAg and serves as an ex-officio board member, but covers adjacent compliance domains (DOT, security) while ResponsibleAg owns the certification scheme.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/ResponsibleAg
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@responsibleag7490
• Facebookfacebook.com/responsibleag
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/responsibleag

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 ResponsibleAg