Alex Hill

Certified Naturally Grown offers a grassroots option for responsible agricultural production and guidance, without the many hurdles of organic certification.

Across the world, trillions of honeybees are hard at work, pollinating vital crops and turning nectar into honey. In various locations near Wilmington, Delaware, more than a million of those bees return home to “microapiaries” under the care of Stephanie Grant.

“I am selective in my locations, as the properties cannot be treated with synthetic herbicides or pesticides,” she says. “There needs to be an abundance of natural resources, including a variety of pollen and nectar sources, as well as a water source. And I need to ensure that the safety of the bees and people are always at the forefront. I believe we need to use nature and work with it, not against it.”

This belief system is what led Grant to pursue Certified Naturally Grown certification for her Sassy Bee Honey two years ago. Largely described as a grassroots alternative to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Certified Organic label, Certified Naturally Grown producers see it as that and more.

“I read the acronym somewhere online, and I did not know what it was. So I researched it,” Grant says. “As I read, I thought it was completely in line with my current philosophy and many of the practices I already followed. I did have to make a few modifications to become certified, but they were changes that are for the betterment of the bees. So I was completely on board.”

For beekeepers, USDA Certified Organic approval is difficult. To start, the National Organic Program doesn’t have an apiculture standard. Rather it relies on the livestock standards, a few items on the allowed synthetic-materials list, plus some “draft guidance”—standards that have been issued but not made official by the National Organic Standards Board.

Because bees can travel miles to forage, a USDA Certified Organic operation must prove their bees forage from plants not treated with prohibited materials in a 1.8-mile radius, which is difficult to come by. 

The Certified Naturally Grown label, on the other hand, has an apiary certification, making it easy for beekeepers to understand what is expected of them and best practices for beekeeping in line with nature. 

Livestock farmers, mushroom growers, aquaponics producers and vegetable farmers, too, look to Certified Naturally Grown as another way to show their customers they’re serious about responsibly managing their resources. 

“In 2002, when the law establishing the [USDA] National Organic Program took effect, farmers were required to complete the organic certification process to continue using the ‘o-word’ or else they’d risk steep fines for breaking the new law,” says Alice Varon, executive director of Certified Naturally Grown. That’s when Certified Naturally Grown was founded by a group of farmers who didn’t want to undergo this government certification.

More than 700 farmers hold this certification as of mid-2022, including several farms that Hobby Farms readers may be familiar with, such as Soul Fire Farm in New York, Indian Line Farm in Massachusetts, Broadfork Farm in Virginia, and River Queen Greens in Louisiana.

Getting Educated

Most of Demetra Markis and Dan Ginsburg’s 33-acre Milleflora Farm is in grassland in Sonoma County, California. On the 2 acres under cultivation, they have an orchard and about 1⁄2 acre of no-till, intensively planted vegetables and medicinal herbs. While their flock of two dozen Katahdin and Navajo-Churro sheep isn’t Certified Naturally Grown, the vegetables and herbs are.

Markis produces the herbs for her holistic healthcare clients, and she wanted a label that would demonstrate to them that she uses responsible growing practices.

“I feel like the certified Naturally Grown model is educational, and it tells people in our community that we’re invested in increasing our education around the best sustainable practices,” Markis says.

She takes advantage of Certified Naturally Grown’s educational opportunities as much as possible. As conferences have moved online and become even more accessible, Markis says the farmer-to-farmer panel discussions and hearing from others farming on a similar scope and scale have been invaluable. 

Following Standards

Rhinebeck, New York, farmer Suzanne Kelly focuses on long-season crops—such as garlic, ginger, turmeric and saffron—with a variety of more-usual vegetables for farmers market sales and value-added products so nothing goes to waste. Like Markis, she markets her Green Owl Farm products locally as opposed to with larger wholesalers.

Kelly says the Certified Naturally Grown label is nice to show the consumer, but it’s even more helpful to the farmer: “We may all think that we know what we need to be doing, in terms of growing organic food—real organic food—but having the standards there, and to reinforce them every time, benefits the farmer,” Kelly says. 

The standards are easy to access on the Certified Naturally Grown website.

“Our standards for produce and livestock certification are based on the [USDA] organic standards but have been modified in particular instances based on feedback from members,” Varon says. “We developed from scratch our standards for apiary, mushroom and aquaponic certification, based on [USDA] organic principles, and with guidance from advisory councils made up of experts in those types of production.”

The largest deviation from the organic rules comes in the livestock production standards. Certified Naturally Grown livestock rules clearly outline the minimum amount of space each animal must be allowed indoors and outdoors. “This was a standard we clarified when first establishing the CNG livestock standards in 2006. It was a point of contention within the organic community where many felt larger organic dairy operations were allowed to skirt the spirit of organic standards by not granting cows adequate access to pasture in the interests of boosting milk production,” Varon says.

Certified Naturally Grown’s feed requirements are less stringent than USDA’s, allowing a more community-based approach to sourcing feeds grown without synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides or genetically modified seeds. But it’s still a sticking point for livestock farmers, according to Varon.

“The cost of feed that meets this standard puts it out of reach for many producers who are otherwise doing everything according to the highest standards.”

Milleflora Farm’s sheep are an illustration of this challenge. Markis uses the sheep primarily for “community grazing”—a means of maintaining the defensible space to reduce the likelihood of wildfire spread into the populated areas in her rural community. 

“CNG quite reasonably has pasture-management and feed requirements for livestock,” Markis says. “And since we graze for much of the year on other people’s land, on roadsides and on community-owned parcels in order to reduce grass as a potential [wildfire] fuel, we just can’t guarantee that all of the land our sheep are put on is managed in a certified manner. Additionally, some grazing circumstances require us to spread flakes of alfalfa among thick stands of invasive grasses in order to guide the sheep toward trampling them down effectively. And there is no local source for organic or CNG-compliant alfalfa in flake form.”

Certified Naturally Grown is considering updating the livestock-feed standard this year, with input from members and the public.

Getting Certified

When a producer applies for certification, three requirements must be met:

• a declaration certifying they understand and follow Certified Naturally Grown standards
• membership dues
• a peer inspection

“The entire process can take just a couple of weeks or less,” Varon says. “CNG is very quick to respond to questions and applications. The biggest factor is arranging the on-site inspection by another producer.”

The Paperwork

The application paperwork and records you’re asked to keep are outlined on the Certified Naturally Grown website. These include:

• verification of seed sources and amendment purchases
• water tests for mushroom producers
• a log of water testing and inputs for aquaponics operations
• various other forms

First-time applicants print and mail their paperwork. Those getting recertified can do everything online.

The Fees

The cost to become Certified Naturally Grown is flexible, determined by the farmer, starting at $150. Producers can make monthly payments and can look to the organization’s Grassroots Fund and Equity Fund for payment assistance.

The Inspection

Certified Naturally Grown’s third-party inspection is peer-to-peer, rather than by an agency contracted with the government. While in-person inspections are the norm, farms meeting certain standards can request a remote inspection with a senior inspector.

It’s not just Certified Naturally Grown farmers who can inspect an operation, either. Other farmers using “natural” production methods, Certified Organic farmers and extension agents can also step in. 

“You trust that they’re going to tell you what they think about your practices,” Markis says. “It’s very intimate. Invite another farmer to come and walk through your beds? It’s very vulnerable. And in that sense, it really builds trust.”

Farmers aren’t allowed to trade inspections of each other’s operations within 24 months, and the farm must have a different inspector each year or have a community observer join the inspection. Part of being Certified Naturally Grown is a requirement that you inspect another farm each year if you have a farm within an hour’s drive.

Kelly has appreciated the process so much that she became a senior inspector and reaches out to farms in her area to offer inspections.

Getting the Word Out

While Certified Naturally Grown has been in existence for 20 years, it doesn’t have the name recognition of other farming labels.

“I do not believe I have come across a customer who had any idea of what [Certified Naturally Grown] was before hearing it from me,” Grant says. “They know Certified Organic, as that is seen and advertised all over. Education is a big piece of it. As people begin to see the CNG label more, they will know that the grower/beekeeper is one they can trust and share their values.”

The Certified Naturally Grown organization understands that customer education is a part of what their farmers do. “We have produced educational cards and signs that explain what it means for a farm to be Certified Naturally Grown,” Varon says. “We also produce social media content that helps members easily explain what it means that their farm is Certified Naturally Grown.”

The producers who contributed to this article take advantage of these resources. “They sent me a big stack of postcards that I was able to hand out at our local farmers market and community meetings,” Markis says.

“I can make a sign with their logo. They’ve created a really easy-to-use marketing-material resource on their website that you can use for your farm, which is a huge help. So I’m not writing the language or having to design the marketing to explain what CNG is. It allows me to chat with people about exactly what that means and what we’re doing.”

Kelly, too, posts a Certified Naturally Grown sign at her farmers market and festival booths, uses Certified Naturally Grown twist ties for her bunched produce, and puts its stickers on her winter squash. “It is a lot of education, because people don’t know the difference, but people love the idea, when you explain it to them,” she says.

In looking for more of a lifestyle than a label, Certified Naturally Grown’s grassroots sensibility has appealed to now hundreds of farmers. 

“CNG is also about so much more than natural or organic practices. It is about sustainability, creativity in methods, integration of our food systems and nature with the ‘human world.’ It is important to know where your food comes from, how it was produced, who produced it,” Grant says. 

This article originally appeared in the November/December 2022 issue of Hobby Farms magazine.

Annie Maxwell is a lifelong lover of good food and grows some herself on a small farm in the Southeast.

Read the article at Hobby Farms

Food producers and manufacturers, both large and small, want to increase their products’ appeal to today’s discerning consumer. One way to market is at the point-of-sale, providing trusted and attractive labels that speak to the buyer’s health, environmental, moral, and social concerns. Who controls food certification labels, what do they mean, and do they deliver as promised?

Food certification labels do not indicate better nutrition or quality. These labels cannot guarantee better human nutrition or health; they are marketing devices using a set of standards concerned with one or more of the following

• social issues
• environmental impacts
• dietary restrictions
• animal welfare
• fair trade

Some promote ‘sustainability,’ a concept we still struggle to measure and define. And there are older labels, such as kosher and halal, based on religious practices and laws.

Are These Foods Safer?

These labels are not indicators of food safety. Food companies can choose from many food safety certifications promoted by international, non-governmental organizations such as ISO 22000, FSSD 22000, and BRCGS. In the United States, our Food and Drug Administration (FDA) enforces the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) to regulate food safety for food manufacturers above a specific size. Meat, poultry, and some dairy are policed by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). These safety certifications and programs provide safe and wholesome foods to the consumer. While expensive and rigorous, these certifications are not placed on a food package label since they are meaningless to a shopper, and safety is “a given” in the US. If you buy food at a grocery store in the United States, it has passed regulated safety standards.

Kosher and Halal

Some labels provide a quick reference for faith-based dietary restrictions. The term ‘kosher,’ translated from a Hebrew term, means ‘proper’ for consumption. To be labeled kosher, food or ingredients must meet the requirements of dietary laws written in the Jewish faith’s religious texts or oral traditions. There are injunctions against eating certain foods, notably pork, and meat and dairy products are not to be consumed together. Foods labeled ‘pareve’ are neutral foods and may be consumed with either meat or dairy. Animals destined to be kosher meat have special slaughtering methods. [1]

Common kosher labels sport a ‘K’ or a ‘U,’ but there are at least ten other symbols depending on the certification agency.  When these letters are next to the kosher symbol, a ‘D’ indicates dairy, an ‘M’ indicates meat, an ‘F’ indicates fish, and a ‘P’ indicates Passover, not to be confused with pareve. These symbols help kosher followers to abide by their dietary rules.

The Arabic word, halal, means ‘permissible’. Products that are allowed to be eaten by Muslims under Islamic law are certified by Halal agencies or authorities. Like Kosher dietary laws, dietary restrictions under Halal include eating pork and animals not slaughtered according to halal methods. Other restrictions include eating carnivorous animals, birds of prey, and alcohol and intoxicants. Halal labels contain the word halal or may have the letter ‘M’ next to a crescent moon symbol.

Both kosher and halal have certifying agencies such as the Orthodox Union (OU) or the Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America (IFANCA). Their certification may or may not align with a quality certification such as ISO 9000. IFANCA put it this way, “ISO alone does not make a product halal, [but] a halal product can be made without ISO.” That said, Kosher and Halal are as safe as conventional foods meeting USDA and FSMA standards. They provide valuable labels for the faithful as well as non-believers.

Organic labels

The USDA National Organic Program (NOP) started organic certification in the 1990s as a marketing program for American farmers. The USDA defines ‘organic’ as,

“…foods grown and processed according to federal guidelines addressing, among many factors, soil quality, animal raising practices, pest and weed control, and use of additives. Organic producers rely on natural substances and physical, mechanical, or biologically based farming methods to the fullest extent possible.”

The USDA NOP has stringent rules and a list of prohibited substances.

For example, to certify produce as organic, a farmer must document and prove that the plants have been grown on soil with no prohibited substances, such as conventional pesticides or fertilizers, applied for at least three years before harvest. The three-year rule is a difficult hurdle for new organic-wannabe producers as they cannot sell their produce at a premium during this period. They also experience lower crop yields during this transition time.

NOP verification is backed up by yearly inspections, complaint investigations, and non-compliance enforcement. It is a highly respected label but challenging to obtain due to the time, expense, and recordkeeping needed for certification. It may also create unintended consequences for animals due to changes in husbandry practices.

To raise and sell certified organic meat or poultry, NOP regulations require that the animals be raised in living conditions that accommodate their natural behaviors, such as pasture grazing for cattle. Heat and insects in the south, and conversely, snow and bitter cold in the north can limit pasture availability. Barns, sheds, and other confinements can protect from biting insects, provide temperature regulation, air movement, and safety from predators. Because of environmental impacts such as these, pasture-raised livestock and poultry have lower growth rates and feed efficiencies than those raised in confinement. In addition, the animals must be fed 100% organic feed and forage. As mentioned in a recent ACSH article, most feedstuffs such as corn, soybeans, and forages such as alfalfa are GMOs and therefore not organic by USDA standards. It is difficult for farmers to find feeds and forage which meet these demands, raising both farmer’s and buyer’s expense.

On the chemical side, livestock cannot have antibiotics or hormones administered to them. This eliminates the preventative or prophylactic use of antibiotics, a good thing as it helps prevent antibiotic resistance in food animals. The meat, eggs, or milk from animals that get sick and require antibiotic treatment can no longer be sold as organic. Eliminating hormones is not problematic for poultry since chickens and turkeys grow rapidly and are not used commercially.

The label, Certified Naturally Grown (CNG), is a non-governmental, grassroots alternative to the USDA Organic label, with much lower requirements than the USDA-administered program. It has been described as push back to the NOP. Both CNG and NOP provide consumers with desired ethical, environmental, and social standards for organic foods.

CNG’s core requirements are membership dues, a signed declaration, on-site inspection, record keeping, and a peer-review of other farmers in the program.

CNG costs less to administer and certify than NOP and is appropriate for small, local farmers selling directly to their communities. CNG claims its regulations meet or exceed the USDA NOP without the massive paperwork. There is no 3-year waiting period with CNG. Inspections are conducted annually by other farmers in the CNG network, which they claim promotes sharing and community. CNG farmers feel that NOP is more suitable for larger operations that can afford the fees and staff to keep up with the required “paper trail.”

Non-GMO Labels

The most notable non-GMO label is Non-GMO Project Verified, a non-profit identifying non-GMO choices in foods, pet foods, and dietary supplements by verifying the non-GMO status through third-party analytical testing. Laboratories use molecular testing to look for the DNA of GMOs in a food or ingredient; the highest level of GMO “contamination” allowed in food is 0.9%. Commonly-grown GMO crops include corn, papaya, soybean, sugar beets, yellow summer squash, zucchini, and potatoes. To receive a NOP Organic label, GMO testing is also required, making the non-GMO project label redundant in food labeled USDA Organic.

WOW! There are so many food certification labels out there. Next, we will examine environmental, sustainability, animal welfare, and fair trade labels. And we’ll learn more about ‘natural’ and ‘clean’ labels.

[1] Eggs, fish, fruit, grains, unprocessed juices, pasta, soft drinks, coffee, tea, some candies, and snacks are considered pareve. Fish can be eaten with dairy, but not meat. The foods eaten during the 8-day Passover holiday have additional processing rules.

Jane Caldwell, Ph.D., is a freelance science writer specializing in food safety and quality. She is the founder and primary consultant of Caldwell Food Safety LLC and a contributing editor for Food Technology Magazine.  Jane publishes a weekly newsletter for foodies called SPICY.

Read the article at the American Council on Science and Health

Two farmers markets in Forsyth County have been recognized by a national group for bringing fresh food to the local community.

Vickery Village Farmers Market and Cumming Harvest have been named to the Guide to Exceptional Markets by Certified Naturally Grown, an organization that offers peer-reviewed certification for farmers and beekeepers producing food for without using synthetic chemicals or GMOs.

The two are among just 15 farmers markets in the state to make the list.

“They list all the markets that are sort of focusing on that,” said Joern Seigies with Bramberi Farm, which was selling homegrown berries at Vickery Village on Thursday. “So that kind of was a driving force in getting this done and all the other products, not all of them might be certified yet, but pretty much everyone here has the same growing practices: no spraying on anything, everybody’s local. That’s our guidelines are you have to be within 50 miles and we prefer Forsyth County and Cumming folks here.”

The Vickery market meets each Thursday morning and offers a range of foods from fruits and veggies to meats and honey all made locally. The current farmers market has been going on for about a year and replaced a previous market held at Vickery Village.

“It was a combination of things,” Seigies said. “I was looking for a place to do sort of an organic-only market and Certified Naturally Grown is the small farmers’ organic [organization.]”

The market also includes items made by local vendors, including soap, jewelry and other items. Starting this Saturday, a weekly artisan market will also be held at Vickery.

“There’s a lot of artisans locally, so I wanted to bring them more together now that we have the space already,” said Katherine Burkhardt with Elevated Eco Arts. “I wanted to promote that and bring a community of artisans together.”

Also making the list was Cumming Harvest, which is connected to Fill Ministries, which seeks to provide healthy food for those in need in the community.

Stephen Daniels, co-founder of Fill Ministries with wife, Suellen, said unlike standard markets, Cumming Harvest is an online farmers market where customers can place orders and pick them up behind Episcopal Church of the Holy Spirit on Pilgrim Mill Road later in the week.

“The most important attribute is we’re a chemical-free, organic set of growers, so all the food products in the market certify that they maintain those standards,” he said. “It’s very healthy, great products to enjoy. It’s an online market from the standpoint of the growers put up each week what products they have available and the customers they can log in, review that and make a selection they like. Then they pick it up on Saturday morning.”

Daniels said through both the farmers market and the non-profit, there were numerous opportunities for volunteering and all food sold through the market would come from vendors in or just around Forsyth County.

“It’s very nice to be recognized, but we just have a passion for healthy eating and providing great food. This food is, generally speaking, harvested right before the clients receive it in comparison to the normal food chain, [where] that product is harvested weeks before and it’s in transit and shows up in grocery stores,” Daniels said.

“The growers will harvest the product the day before the market and bring it to the customer, so it’s almost like going out back and picking products from your own garden or off your own back porch. Very, very fresh.”

Read article at Forsyth County News

The certified-organic label is a strict one, and that’s not a bad thing — consumers want to know (and have the right to know) what they are putting into and on their bodies! But recently, small-scale farmers who are striving to farm naturally – without chemicals — have expressed irritation with the organic labeling guidelines and certification process. That’s why the alternative label, Certified Naturally Grown (CNG) was born.

The Certified Naturally Grown label was started by a group of New York farmers in 2002. According to AgWeek,  the farmers created the label to oppose the federal takeover of the organic program. Some farmers think the organic certification process is expensive and cumbersome (the farmers find the federal organic program’s record-keeping requirements troublesome and the fees too high).

According to the Certified Naturally Grown organization, items that bear this label are grown using the same standards as produce that’s organic, but the National Organic Program of the USDA does not certify the produce. The label is ideal for producers who sell mainly through CSAs, farmers markets and local food businesses.

According to CNG, if produce bears the CNG label, it is free of:

• Synthetic fertilizers
• Pesticides
• Herbicides
• Fungicides or GMO seeds

There are three different certification programs in the CNG:

• Produce (fruits, veggies, and maple) $125-200 per year. The minimum due for produce certification is $110.
• Apiary (beekeepers) $75-200 per year.
• Livestock (includes poultry and eggs) $125-200 per year. The minimum due for livestock certification is $110, too.
• There’s also a Scholarship Fund available for farmers who are experiencing financial difficulties.

All farmers interested in bearing the label must fill out an application and sign a CNG declaration. Each farm also must:

Arrange an on-farm inspection: Every farm arranges its own on-site inspection. Inspections are done by volunteers (ideally by other CNG farmers) and are free. All CNG farmers and beekeepers should do one inspection of another CNG farm or apiary every year.

Record keeping: Farmers must maintain records of receipts and orders of the following:

• Seed and transplant orders.
• Soil amendment items.
• Organically acceptable botanical and biological pesticides.
• An updated copy of the farm’s application.
• “Farmers that need to use chelated micronutrients to correct a soil deficiency must have soil tests from within the last one year that specifically note the deficiency.” — CNG

After a farmer fills out a CNG application and undergoes the required annual inspection, the farmer’s land may be subject to unannounced pesticide residue testing.

Read the article at Organic Authority

Known as the grass-roots alternative to Certified Organic agriculture, Certified Naturally Grown is a national certification organization that assures that food labeled as such was produced without synthetic chemicals or genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

When the laws regulating the U.S. organic industry took full effect in 2002—12 years after the establishment of the National Organic Program (NOP) in 1990—some independent-minded organic farmers in New York’s Hudson Valley found themselves in a quandary. Because of the prohibitive costs and hefty paperwork requirements, they didn’t want to acquire Certified Organic status from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), but realized they then wouldn’t be able to call their products “organic.” By law, the NOP decrees that only farmers certified by its program may use the Certified Organic label to signify they’ve met the required standards. So, the New York farmers opted to create Certified Naturally Grown (CNG), an alternative label that would still convey the value of the practices applied on their farms to net them an important advantage in the marketplace.

“Certified Naturally Grown is like the USDA’s National Organic Program in that our certified producers must follow similar standards, farm without the use of synthetic chemical inputs or GMOs, and farm to support biological diversity and ecological balance,” says Alice Varon, CNG executive director. CNG certification, however, isn’t as expensive or time-consuming as securing certification from the USDA’s program. In some states, USDA organic certification can cost thousands of dollars. CNG charges $200 or less, and the paperwork load is much lighter, too. All certification and inspection documentation is available online for every participating farm.

Read the article at Mother Earth News