Photo from Chris Delaney of Santa Rosa Ranch. 

Consumers are becoming more aware of the ecological impacts of popular holiday traditions like Thanksgiving turkeys, pumpkins, and Christmas Trees. Over the years we’ve been delighted when reporters call us to ask about Certified Naturally Grown Christmas trees. This year, we’re proud to feature two--Licking Creek Bend Farm in Needmore, Pennsylvania and Santa Rosa Ranch in Barriere, British Columbia.

We have news about the markets and food co-ops that prefer CNG, the USDA postponement of the NOP Livestock Standards, our fun new T-shirt designs, and the perks for new members who join CNG in the fall. 

Defenders of the organic program were dealt another blow last Monday when the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced it would postpone - yet again - the implementation of higher animal welfare standards. These improved guidelines were the result of a concerted effort by organic leaders, and followed thousands of public comments demanding tightened standards that would at last put a stop to factory farms taking advantage of the organic label.

Photo by Groezinger Produce Farm in Stockton, Illinois

Fall might not seem the time of year for starting something new, when the last summer crops are harvested and many of us hunker down for winter. But farmers who join CNG at this time have several advantages. They start the busy spring season on the right foot, with their certification in the bag. Plus, our late-fall joiners are considered paid through February of 2019 - what a deal!

The cutest members of our bunch might be new to farming, but before you know it, they’ll be building rich soil and planting seeds. That’s why we’re devoting this blog post to the babies of CNG--the future farmers of the good food movement.

Our 750+ members come from all walks of life. They are a mix of lifelong farmers, veterans, educators, cancer survivors, office workers, nurses, doctors, artisans, and beginning agriculturalists. For the many farmers and beekeepers of Certified Naturally Grown, the decision to renew their CNG certification year after year is rooted in their values, identity, and market needs. 

Many farmers market managers across the country have developed clear guidelines for their vendors, making it easier to promote the market according to a shared set of standards.

Aside from being delicious and packed with nutrients, mushrooms play an incredible role in soil and forest ecology, and hold powerful medicinal properties that consumers are seeking. To assist the sustainable farmers who grow this delicious and healing food, we worked with experts to craft rigorous production standards and launched our mushroom certification in 2016.

With the help of new legislation, New York State will expand its hemp production to 2000 acres, up by 6000% this year--from just 30 acres in 2016. Research and production of industrial hemp statewide will get a big boost, making New York one of many states to support this re-emerging crop.

Fundraiser parties are so fun to attend, but they seem like a ton of work to pull off. As someone who supports a number of local food and community-grown initiatives, I’ve thought about throwing a casual fundraiser myself, but I thought I'd need a lot of money and time to make it happen. Recently, I went to an event that completely changed my mind--the fundraiser party was completely homegrown, low-maintenance, low-cost, and most of all, fun. It made me wonder, could members and friends of CNG do something like this, too? To answer this question, I followed-up with the inspiring host, Erika Inwald, of the Domestic Fair Trade Association.