; or (D) by a State agency that— (i) has statutory authority to certify, administer, or license professionals in one or more fields of natural resources, agriculture, or engineering; and (ii) is approved by the Secretary under paragraph (5) to certify a third-party provider. (5) Non-Federal certifying entity (A) Establishment of approval process Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2024 , the Secretary shall establish a process to approve a non-Federal entity (including a State agency and an Indian Tribe), to become a non-Federal certifying entity. (B) Approval Not later than 60 days after the date on which the Secretary receives an application by a non-Federal entity to certify third-party providers under this section, the Secretary shall make a decision on whether to approve such application. (C) Eligibility In carrying out subparagraph (B), the Secretary shall take into consideration— (i) the ability of the applicable non-Federal entity to assess the qualifications of a third-party provider and to certify third-party providers at scale; (ii) the experience of the applicable non-Federal entity in working with third-party providers and eligible participants; (iii) the expertise of the applicable non-Federal entity in the technical skills described in paragraph (3)(A); and (iv) such other qualifications as the Secretary determines to be appropriate. (D) Agreement Upon approving an application under this paragraph, the Secretary shall enter into an agreement with the non-Federal entity to become a non-Federal certifying entity. (E) Duties of non-Federal certifying entities In certifying third-party providers under this section, a non-Federal certifying entity shall— (i) assess the ability of a third-party provider to appropriately provide technical assistance to eligible participants for specified practices and conservation activities