Farmers and artisanal food producers can dramatically boost their online visibility by creating a free profile at Farmspread. This new online tool offers a robust farmers market management platform that also enables producers to thrive at famers markets and other direct-sales channels. With Farmspread’s advanced SEO - that's the fancy technical stuff that gets you noticed in online searches - vendors can be easily found by markets and consumers searching for foods grown within a particular locality or region. 

1. Telling dozens of customers at the farmers market that you’re “chemical free", "committed to ecological practices", and "just as great as organic” leaves you with a hoarse voice at the end of the day. (photo from Big Lick Farm in Winston, Oregon)

Last week, community leaders in Montgomery County, Maryland expanded their Green Business Directory to include Certified Naturally Grown and USDA organic farms. The most populated county in Maryland, and one that borders Washington, DC, Montgomery County makes it easy for residents to discover a variety of ecologically-minded services, restaurants, nonprofits, and now, farms and gardens. 

We have news about our new membership campaign, our partnership with FarmSpread, our first business allies, and perks for market managers who refer farmers to CNG.

We are pleased to announce a new partnership with Farmspread, a comprehensive farmers market management platform, which will enable farmers to feature their Certified Naturally Grown (CNG) status on their Farmspread vendor profile page. 

Farmspread was created to promote direct sales of farm and artisan products while supporting the expansion of alternative food distribution channels such as farmers markets. Our partnership with Farmspread promises to boost the online presence of CNG producers who choose to participate, and introduce our certifications to many new local food enthusiasts and the farmers who feed them. 

Every member add a member. This was a membership campaign idea suggested to us by a CNG grower, and we're proud to announce that the idea is taking off! 

We're offering a $25 Gift Card to members who refer an applicant to Certified Naturally Grown by April 15. The new applicant can get one too - it's a win-win-win! Please spread the word, and help us reach our goal of 200 by April 15!

With the onset of spring, many farmers are considering their certification options. And when one news report after another shows how the organic program has become co-opted by corporate interests, more farmers are seeking an alternative. We want to be sure they seriously consider CNG certification.

This spring, we're providing these #CNGproud signs to farmer's markets and food co-ops that have met the criteria to become listed in our Markets Directory. 

When we released the news a few weeks ago that ManageMyMarket created ways for CNG growers to become more visible and searchable on farmers market websites, we wondered, what other tools are out there for farmers market managers? 

Our search led us to a few leaders in the farmers market game: FarmSpread and MarketWurks, in addition to ManageMyMarket. (photo above is from Umpqua Valley Farmers Market in Roseburg, Oregon, and features Big Lick Farm)

Photo from Fat Top Farm

Mushrooms are full of nutrients are are delicious to eat, but few conscientious eaters know how they’re grown or where they come from. These magnificent fungi behave so differently from plants that they needed a separate certification, and Certified Naturally Grown was ready to fill the gap. Since launching our Mushroom Certification in 2016, we’ve certified several mushroom producers from coast to coast. Here’s an update on the mushroom growers of CNG and what they’re up to.