It's a common misconception that CNG members must only rely on another CNG producer to complete their annual peer-review. While we'd love to have so many participants that there's always a CNG-er within an hour's drive, for many, the nearest CNG farm is a couple hours away or more. This post reports on the full variety of inspector-options available to members. 

Peer inspections are at the heart of our grassroots certification program. Farmers who participate know what they're like, but the general public - and your customers - may wonder: what does a peer inspection actually look like? And how is it helpful for your farm and business? We'd like to fill in that picture - and that's where you come in! 

Certified Naturally Grown's peer inspections are about much more than verifying a member's practices meet CNG standards.

Our peer-review model also:

• promotes knowledge exchange between like-minded producers,
• fosters valuable relationships, and
• provides peer-to-peer technical assistance, all of which 
• helps farms succeed. 

This summer we want to enhance these benefits and streamline the inspection process.

The best farmer's markets are the ones that celebrate local, sustainable farmers and makers. They go the extra mile to make their local food systems more transparent and accessible. The nine markets listed below are committed to sustainable practices by preferring to work with, and in some cases even requiring their producers to become Certified Naturally Grown or organic. 

Learn more about markets across the country that recognize CNG in our Guide to Exceptional Markets (GEMs). 

We’ve got a big problem in Washington: one that could harm farmers and communities around the country. 

Last November we welcomed Ariel Looser on board as our Membership Services Coordinator. It's about time that we introduce her! During her six months with CNG, she's been welcoming new members, sending out certificates and orders, keeping up with our busy renewal season, and ensuring that the 750+ farmers and beekeepers have up-to-date certifications. We finally took a moment to interview Ariel about her interests in food and farming, and the many factors that brought her to CNG.

Twist ties are an easy marketing tool for farmers--and they're as stylish as they are practical! Our ties feature the fun hand-drawn CNGfarming.org and the CNG logo, which compliment your beautiful produce while drawing attention to your growing practices. They're sturdy, colorful, and water resistant. 

We dedicate this blog post to all of the CNG farmers and supporters who helped grow our membership this year. 21 CNG farmers and beekeepers referred new producers to apply, and 16 organizations of the sustainable food movement spread the word among their networks. In just 3 months, our recent membership campaign resulted in 200 new applications, and 118 new members so far. This is the most applications we've ever received in one season.

Together, we're stronger!

Just before midnight on April 15, we received our 200th application of 2018, meeting our campaign goal within minutes of the deadline! 

We'd like to say a big thanks to everyone in our community who recommended CNG to farmers and beekeepers in their networks. It clearly made a difference, as we saw an increase of 33% over the 151 applications we had received by April 15 in 2017.