By Suzannah Schneider, Communications Manager and Certification Coordinator

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...have you made your list, and checked it twice?

Whether you're looking for the perfect something for your mom or your employer, your mail carrier or your daughter, Kwanzaa or Christmas, Certified Naturally Grown farmers and beekeepers have the perfect gifts for your community! Plus, when you buy a present directly from our family of grassroots growers, your gift supports growers who say "no!" to GMOs and synthetic chemicals. 

With all the gifting (and re-gifting) that happens this time of year, why not give a gift that creates a more eco-friendly world?

Keep reading for our guide to farm-friendly treats. Don't worry, we won't tell if you buy one of everything for yourself, too!

By Suzannah Schneider, Communications Manager and Certification Coordinator

Imagine . . . you’ve lost all but one room of your home.

The power has been out for three weeks, so you’ve been forced to shower and cook outside in 100°F weather with endless rain. Cell service is close to impossible. You can forget about internet.

What’s more, you’re a farmer. Your acres are decimated. You’ve lost everything but your purple top turnips in the saturated soil.

This is the reality for Ronnie and Scott Barnes of Happy Homestead Farm in Fountain, Florida. They have to be prepared for any little “blip on the radar” to become a Category 4 storm, like Hurricane Michael did in early October.

They could lose their entire farm at any moment.

Farmers depend on our Grassroots Fund to get through difficult times. But this year’s hardships surpassed all prior years, and the fund has run dry. Won’t you help us replenish it? All gifts made before 2019 will be MATCHED!

By Suzannah Schneider, Communications Manager and Certification Coordinator

Image via Songbird Farm

Certified Naturally Grown farmers and beekeepers work tirelessly to grow the very stuff that keeps us alive! In the spirit of Thanksgiving, we're sharing a few of the many of tough jobs growers do to keep our fridges full and our hearts fed.

Read on to see if your least favorite farm chore made the cut!

By Suzannah Schneider, Communications Manager and Certification Coordinator

We're proud to announce that we just sent out the first-ever edition of our print newsletter, Growing Above and Beyond! Read on for a sneak peek at the articles, and learn how to snag you very own copy.

By Suzannah Schneider, Communications Manager and Certification Coordinator

To enter a career in the armed forces, you're going to need a bushel of stamina, agility, and faith. Farming isn't too different - it's certainly not for the faint of heart, and it calls for a diverse skillset you won't often find in civilian jobs. Here are just some of our valued veteran Certified Naturally Grown farmers who have extended their public service after returning home from the military. This Veteran's Day, join us in expressing gratitude for the their work as they continue to protect our land, our waterways, and our health with their CNG crops.

Just like many CNG farms, Certified Naturally Grown runs a tight ship to keep our grassroots certification program thriving. We’re proud to announce the addition of three new teammates. Following the departure of Hannah and Ariel, our staff has recently grown from four to a whopping five people! As the farm season starts to wind down, our busy season approaches. We look forward to connecting with you during the winter months!

Read on to meet the new faces joining Alice and Aly at CNG:

If you applied for certification between 2011-2018, it was Hannah who walked you through the application process, offering advice and answering questions about CNG standards every step of the way. In fact, she reviewed more than 2,000 applications during her time with CNG! She also helped to draft standards for new CNG certification programs in both aquaponics and mushroom production. More recently she helped to revise our inspection worksheets to provide more guidance on best practices, as part of our Inspections 2.0 initiative.

After serving as our certification specialist for six years, Hannah is leaving CNG to dive deeper into her PhD thesis on the history of natural resources management in Minneapolis. In celebration of our longest-serving staff person (other than our director!), we interviewed Hannah about her experience here at CNG and the aspects of the job that she'll never forget. We won't forget you, either, Hannah! Thanks for all you've done. 

The 2018 Farm Bill is moving into conference – a time when the House and Senate attempt to reconcile the differences in each of their drafts to pass a final, unified bill. When it comes to growing our nation’s local and regional food economies, the Senate version of the Farm Bill comes out as the clear winner. The Senate’s bill lights the way forward for a brighter food and farm future by including a $60-million-per-year investment in local food systems through the innovative Local Agriculture Market Program (LAMP). We need to ensure LAMP makes it into the final Farm Bill.

An eye-catching display at the farmer's market requires more than beautiful produce and goods, but also effective signage, spatial creativity and artistry. How do you stand out, draw people in, and bring them back week after week? To answer these questions, we draw inspiration from savvy Certified Naturally Grown farmers and producers who are doing just that. It's impossible to highlight every incredible CNG farm stand in one post, so stay tuned for more!