Frequently Asked Questions
Why is this program necessary? Why can't farmers growing without chemicals just call themselves "Organic" like they have for decades?
Congress declared that after October 21, 2002, any farmer selling over $5,000 worth of produce may NOT refer to their produce or growing methods as "Organic" unless they have been certified by a USDA accredited certification agency. Failure to comply with this order is punishable with fines up to $10,000 per violation per day. [NOP Final Rule: 205.100]
While the newly created certification process is affordable and pleasing to the huge organic agribusiness farms - especially those that specialize in growing only a few varieties of vegetable, its implementation has been counter-productive for the thousands of small, diversified family farms using natural methods and growing many different varieties of crops (a necessary and recommended practice for disease and insect control).
Diverse crops mean significant record-keeping burdens, as each crop requires a paper-trail from purchase of seed to sale of every pound of produce. Mounds of paperwork, plus high certification fees, make it unlikely if not impossible for many small farms to become certified organic. Some of the nations best organic farmers are ironically no longer able to call themselves "organic" anymore!
Certified Naturally Grown provides these small, local growers with an alternative label and certification system that consumers can quickly come to trust and understand.
Does this mean I shouldn't trust Certified Organic food anymore?
Certified Naturally Grown wasn't created to discourage people from buying USDA Organic produce, rather, it was created to ENCOURAGE people to purchase from the small diversified farmers that make up their local landscape.
While we don't mean to discredit the USDA Organic program, we do feel its important for people to understand that it is really designed to serve the larger farming operations. Most Organic food you buy in a grocery store is produced on huge factory farms owned by corporations that are more interested in earning profits than producing safe, sustainably grown food. The biggest organic food companies are now owned by Dole, Kraft, General Mills, Unilever and even Coca Cola!
This can be seen as either encouraging or depressing, depending on how you want to look at it. While its true that USDA Organic has come under a lot of attacks recently and is not accepted as a legitimate form of certification in other countries (US Farmers now need to have their food certified by European or Japanese accreditted certification agencies to sell in those markets due to concern over the legitimacy of the USDA Organic label) there are still many wonderful Certified Organic farmers out there. The point is, don't base your buying decisions on certification status. Instead, know your farmers and how they produce the food you're eating.
Because we are in no way affiliated with the USDA Organic program, we do have more control over the growing standards and practices that we allow, meaning that we can maintain a more strict adherence to the original ideals and principles of organic agriculture even as USDA Organic comes under constant pressure to water down standards to accommodate large agribusiness corporations.
As a consumer, how do I know I can trust that a farm that claims to be Certified Naturally Grown actually grows using ecologically sensitive methods, free of chemicals and GMOs?
Every aspect of the Certified Naturally Grown certification process is transparently open for the public to see and investigate - you will find every farmer's complete certification application on-line. Public access to scanned copies of Inspection Reports goes even further to ensure consumer confidence in this grassroots movement. Even the USDA program doesn't allow for this kind of public scrutiny.
The truth is, though, that farming is a solitary profession and no one can ever really know what may or may not be happening on an isolated farm at 5AM on a Sunday morning. No amount of USDA paperwork can catch the farmer who WANTS to cheat. Unlike the USDA Organic program which does NOT include tissue sampling for pesticide residues, CNG farmers agree to submit to random tissue sampling and laboratory testing for pesticide residues in their produce. The cost for such testing is paid for by CNG, not the farmer. Although not every farmer is tested every year, the possibility of testing is an additional deterrent and helps to maintain the legitimacy of the Certified Naturally Grown program.
The BEST way to ensure the food you eat is grown the way you want is to shop locally from farmers you can see, meet and feel comfortable with.
What do you do when you get a report of someone "cheating?"
A member of the Farmers Advisory Board verbally contacts the farmer and their original inspector(s). Generally, a second inspection with a new farm-inspector is required and the Farmers Advisory Board votes on whether or not to remove the farmer from the program, which basically means rescinding the license to use the Certified Naturally Grown trademark and de-listing them from the website.
Who runs Certified Naturally Grown?
The program is administered by an executive director and a Farmers Advisory Committee made up of natural, sustainable farmers from around the country. FAC members have extensive experience in natural, sustainable agriculture and some have considerable experience administering or serving on the boards of other Certification agencies. Many CNG farmers besides those the Farmers Advisory Committee are regularly involved in program administration and are key parts of the CNG operation.
Certified Naturally Grown is a (status pending) non-profit organization incorporated in New York, USA.
I'm a farmer and this all sounds pretty good to me. How do I get started?
Review the Program Requirements and Certification Standards, then submit an online application today. You can expect to hear back from us within six or eight weeks, often sooner, depending on the season.
How much does it cost to be a Certified Naturally Grown farmer?
Farmers are strongly encouraged to make an annual donation of $50 - $150 to cover our basic costs of overhead, testing, mailings and public outreach. Free-will donations have sustained the organization since its inception. See Requirements & Cost.