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Background

Senior Inspectors are more experienced members who complete an eight hour training designed to maximize the educational value of the peer-review inspections they complete. Only SIs are authorized to conduct Remote Inspections which, starting in 2022, will all include Observers, primarily newer members who will benefit from the opportunity to learn the ropes of a peer-review process, ask questions, and learn about another farming operation. 

SIs agree to the following

  • You’re generally available to conduct inspections upon request by CNG staff
  • You’re willing to conduct multiple inspections (whether remote or on-site) per year
  • You’ll adhere to the Inspection GuidelinesRemote Inspection Policy and Remote Inspection Checklists 
  • You’ll coordinate with CNG staff before finalizing plans to conduct an ROI, so that observers may be invited

Perks for Confirmed SIs

  • Credit toward certification dues based on the number of Qualified Inspections conducted. (See definition of Qualified Inspection below). In particular…
    • Conduct 3 Qualified Inspections, receive $100 credit toward the minimum certification dues
    • Conduct 5 Qualified Inspections, consider the minimum certification dues of $250 fully paid for the year
  • An enhanced listing on the CNG website enabling members to search for SIs to conduct their remote inspection
  • The opportunity to connect with a greater number of CNG producers, and to make a valuable contribution to our grassroots initiative
  • Consideration for paid speaking engagements, if interested, as part of CNG’s educational offerings

Requirements to Become a Confirmed SI:

  • Your farm has been CNG for at least three years
  • You have personally conducted on-site CNG inspections for at least two different farms
  • You’ve completed the SI Profile online
  • You’ve completed CNG’s Peer-Review class
  • You’ve completed the post-class assessments
  • You’ve observed an ROI
  • You’ve conducted an ROI
  • You’ve debriefed with CNG staff, if needed
  • You’ve completed the SI Declaration which affirms your understanding of what’s required and expected of SIs.
  • Your SI Profile has been both “Accepted” and then “Certified”, the last step. We will send you a congratulatory email once the process is complete! 

Terms and Conditions (aka “the fine print”)

  • Definition of “Qualified Inspection” (n.)
    An inspection, either remote or in-person, counts as a Qualified Inspection only if it:
    • has been reviewed by CNG staff and determined to comply with CNG’s Inspection Guidelines and Remote Inspection Policy, and it 
    • was conducted for a farm whose most recent inspection was at least 14 months ago, or for a member referred by CNG staff.
  • Qualified Inspections must all have been completed within a 14 month window in order to be tallied together to qualify to receive a dues waiver (In other words, you haven’t met the threshold for a dues waiver if you’ve done three Qualified Inspections but they were spread out over the course of 3 years… or 15+ months).
  • Applications to become a certified SI are filed on behalf of a specific individual person, rather than a farm, because it is intended to determine the farming experience of the prospective SRI’s. If one member of a farming pair qualifies as an SRI, that doesn’t mean the other member of the pair also qualifies. Rather, both farming partners should apply separately if they wish to be eligible to conduct inspections that count toward a dues waiver. If more than one person on a farm applies to be an SRI, each individual applying should be listed on the farm’s CNG profile (which can be updated by logging into a farm’s certification account – see below). 
  • If more than one person on a farm is a SI, the inspections they conduct as individuals may be combined to qualify for the farm’s certification dues to be waived. 
  • In contrast, when considering whether an inspection is a “repeat” inspection or “traded”, what matters is the farm from which the inspector comes, rather than the individual farmer. This means that if Edna and deShawn Brown are both farmers at Brown’s Farm, and they are both SRIs, if Edna inspects Green Acres Farm in 2019, then it would be considered a “repeat inspection” if deShawn Brown inspected Green Acres in 2020, because he is from the same farm as Edna. Some flexibility may be provided to members who have been CNG for six years or more, and made a good faith effort to adhere to this guidance. 
  • If an SI conducts inspections for a single farm with two certification types, such Produce and Livestock, it counts as 1.5 inspections.

How to Claim Credit Toward Your Certification Due

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