Great article, and comments as well. It is important to also note that alternatives to USDA Organic certification do exist.

I work for Certified Naturally Grown (CNG), a certification program created in 2002 specifically for farmers who grow organically and sell locally but may not have the time and/or money to pursue USDA Organic certification. Certified Naturally Grown is designed to supplement the agri-business focused National Organic Program by recognizing small, local, organically committed farmers for their sustainable practices and giving customers assurance that CNG farmers adhere to specific, publicly-documented standards.

Certification through our program requires an application process, an annual inspection, and publication on our website of documents signed by the farmers and their inspectors. Certified Naturally Grown bases its standards on the National Organic Program, but improves on these standards where necessary (particularly with respect to livestock living conditions and access to pasture).

Currently almost 500 farms in 48 states are Certified Naturally Grown. CNG is a private, independent, non-profit grassroots effort that runs primarily on free-will donations from farmers and supporters, it’s nationally recognized and endorsed (http://naturallygrown.org/supportive-orgs.html), and is a legitimate alternative to the “non-local certified organic vs. local non-certified” conundrum discussed by Claudia on June 11th (Quote: “When it comes to “big organics” from far away, local food from non-certified organic farms may be the better choice”).

Hope you all spread the news! There are probably a few farms in your area that would be interested in CNG. For more information about the program, you can visit http://www.naturallygrown.org.

Best,

Jivan Lee
Program Coordinator
Certified Naturally Grown
jivan@naturallygrown.org