Over the winter and early spring a group of experienced Certified Naturally Grown farmers completed more than eight hours of lessons and practical assessments designed to further strengthen their skills delivering peer-review inspections. 

They took quizzes, role-played real life examples, observed inspections, and conducted them remotely under the observation and review of other CNG farmers and staff. And they did amazing! 

We are very pleased to announce our first cohort of newly certified Senior Inspectors. 

Certified Naturally Grown is developing another set of video lessons for farmers using ecological practices. We seek experienced farmers who are comfortable speaking in front of a camera and working collaboratively to develop a script. 

We seek to hire two or three farmers for this role. They will be filmed by a small crew on their farms as they provide instruction on farming practices that relate to the selected topic(s). Preference will be given to farmers who have earned the Certified Naturally Grown designation, but other farmers with relevant talent and expertise will be seriously considered. More info at CNGfarming.org/jobs

Peer inspections are at the heart of our certification process, and a top reason farmers are drawn to CNG. For several years we have been evolving our distinct approach, to maximize the value it offers.

Last fall we combined two somewhat recent innovations to create a third:            

Observed Inspections (2019)
+
Remote Inspections (2020)
=
Remote Observed Inspections (2021).                 

Our first Remote Observed Inspections (ROIs) were intended to help newer CNG members (observers) learn from more experienced farmers how to conduct a peer-review inspection. They were surprisingly well-received, as we reported here. Yet we also saw how these ROIs could be even more valuable, with a bit more guidance for the Senior Remote Inspectors (SRIs) conducting them. We also realized we'd need many more SRIs in order to host more ROIs, and offer enough observer seats to satisfy interested members. So this winter, we developed a new educational offering. 

CNG's new Peer-Review Training teaches the fundamentals of what it takes to conduct a robust peer-review inspection. At the heart of the training is a two hour class, short videos, and a series of quizzes based on the class and two Study Guides. Farmers who complete these elements may enter the final stage: receiving a practical assessment with individual feedback, observing an ROI, and then ultimately conducting an ROI and debriefing afterwards.

While the training was initially designed for developing Senior Remote Inspectors, the curriculum will be used for the benefit of all CNG producers, and the class will be offered again to a broader swath of the CNG membership later this year. But already we've accomplished so much.

We have always been proud to feature Certified Naturally Grown producers growing high-quality food for their local communities. This spring we’re going to take it up a notch with full weeks dedicated to particular types of Certified Naturally Grown crops and the members who produce them. First up was Microgreens Week which just wrapped last week. Click the images to check out the farmers, facts and fun we featured.

This month we launched an exciting new partnership with No-Till Growers, a family of podcasts for the market grower focused on a holistic approach to soil health and successful farming. In particular, CNG is supporting The Collaborative Farming Podcast for the next 10 episodes. This podcast series is dedicated to multi-owner farms and cooperative farming models.

Be sure to give them a listen wherever you get your podcasts! Find them on Instagram here: The Collaborative Farming Podcast and No-Till Growers 

Is this on your To Do list?

Act soon, and get a speedy reply, plus 3 Free Signs once your farm is certified!

Be ready for opening day at the farmers market!

These and other marketing materials such as twist ties, logo stickers, and canvas banners are available exclusively to Certified Naturally Grown producers in our online store. 

Calling Front Range farmers and food hubs! We're partnering up with our friends at GoFarm to put on a free CNG workshop where you can learn the ins and outs of certification and find out if CNG's right for your farm!

We'll eat dinner together, network, and then get into the details of CNG certification. You'll learn all about our grassroots certification program, including in-depth explanations of our standards, the benefits of certification, and how to get certified. Then we'll have a Q&A session to dig into your specific questions! 

Mark your calendars and RSVP for this fun, informative workshop!

Any questions about CNG or the event? Want to host a CNG workshop with your organization? Interested in our other educational offerings for farmer training programs?

Reach out to [email protected]

The generosity of our grassroots community has always helped to determine the investments we can make in our offerings. This winter we will expand educational programming and networking opportunities for members. Please chip in to support this work, and let us thank you with a gift!

Gift A. This calendar features artful illustrations of each month's seasonal produce. 

Gift B. Holiday Greeting Cards are perfect for sending new year's wishes to loved ones. They are blank inside, and come in a pack of 5. 

We have big plans to cover up to seven topics of great interest to the CNG membership (we asked, of course). Your support will help to increase the number of topics we can cover this winter and beyond. Please chip in and let us thank you with a gift.

In the late winter of 2022, we launched a three part discussion event that was held LIVE on Youtube. We invited producers, and leaders to discuss a series of topics and the discussion was informal and guided by questions submitted by the viewers. We call it CNG Roundtable LIVE, and it was so fun to chat with farmers about these juicy topics:

• Season Review Tactics
• Choosing CNG Inputs
• Reducing Single Use Plastic

Want to view the recordings? Visit our YouTube channel HERE