Certified Naturally Grown

1. Review CNG Standards: Visit naturallygrown.org and read the applicable standards for your operation type — crops, livestock, or apiary. Confirm your current practices align with CNG requirements (no synthetic pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, or GMOs).

1. Create an Account & Apply Online: Register on the CNG website and complete the online application for your operation type. The application covers your farm history, inputs used, land management practices, and sales channels.

1. Pay the Annual Membership Fee: CNG uses a sliding-scale fee based on your farm's gross annual revenue, making it accessible to farms of all sizes. Payment is made during the application process.

1. Arrange a Peer Inspection: After submitting your application, coordinate with a fellow CNG-certified farmer or approved inspector in your region to schedule an on-site visit. CNG's website provides a list of eligible inspectors.

1. Undergo the On-Site Inspection: The inspector visits your farm or apiary, reviews your records and inputs, observes your practices, and completes a standardized CNG inspection form. Be prepared to show input labels, receipts, and any field maps.

1. Inspector Submits Report: Your inspector submits the completed inspection form to CNG. Staff review the application and inspection report for completeness and compliance.

1. Receive Certification: Once approved, you receive your CNG certificate and gain access to the CNG seal for use on products, signage, and marketing materials. Your farm is listed in the public CNG online directory.

1. Renew Annually: Each year, submit an updated application, pay the annual fee, and arrange a new peer inspection to maintain your certification.

CNG evaluates farms and apiaries against standards that mirror the core principles of the organic movement. The inspection and application process covers several key areas depending on operation type.

For Crop Operations: Inspectors verify that no synthetic pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers have been applied to the land, and that no GMO seeds or planting stock are used. Soil fertility must be maintained through natural means such as compost, cover crops, and crop rotation. Buffer zones from neighboring conventional operations are assessed. Records of all inputs — including seed sources, soil amendments, and pest management materials — are reviewed.

For Livestock Operations: Animals must be raised without the routine use of antibiotics or synthetic hormones. Pasture access and humane treatment standards are evaluated. Feed must be free of synthetic additives and GMOs. Records of veterinary treatments, feed sources, and animal management practices are reviewed during inspection.

For Apiary Operations: Beekeepers are assessed on hive management practices, including the avoidance of synthetic miticides and antibiotics. Foraging areas must be free of prohibited inputs within a reasonable radius. Hive records and treatment logs are reviewed.

Across all operation types, the inspector completes a standardized CNG inspection checklist and submits a written report. There is no points-based scoring system — compliance is assessed as a pass/fail determination against CNG's published standards. Inspectors also assess the overall integrity of the operation and may flag areas for follow-up.

Certified Naturally Grown occupies a well-defined niche in the U.S. agricultural certification landscape as the leading peer-based, grassroots alternative to USDA Organic. With an estimated 2,000–3,000 certified operations at any given time, CNG is significantly smaller in scale than the USDA Organic program (which covers over 40,000 certified operations globally), but it serves a distinct and underserved segment: small-scale, direct-market farmers for whom federal organic certification is cost-prohibitive or administratively burdensome. CNG is particularly strong in the northeastern United States, where dense networks of farmers markets, CSAs, and food co-ops create ideal conditions for peer-based certification.

The program's reputation within the sustainable agriculture community is generally positive. It is respected by local food advocates, farmers market managers, and food co-ops as a credible signal of natural practices, though it lacks the legal standing and retail recognition of USDA Organic. Some critics note that the peer-review model, while community-building, may be less rigorous than third-party professional inspection. However, CNG has responded to this by maintaining clear standards, standardized inspection forms, and staff oversight of submitted reports.

Demand for CNG has grown alongside broader consumer interest in local food systems, transparency in food production, and skepticism of large-scale organic agriculture. The rise of the Real Organic Project — which layers on top of USDA Organic to address perceived weaknesses in the federal program — reflects a similar impulse. CNG's sliding-scale fee model and low administrative burden make it particularly resilient among small farms navigating tight margins. However, farms that grow and begin selling through wholesale or retail channels often graduate to USDA Organic certification, limiting CNG's ceiling for growth.

Certified Naturally Grown was founded in 2002 by Ron Khosla, a New York farmer who was frustrated by the cost and complexity of the newly implemented USDA National Organic Program (NOP), which had been codified into federal law in 2002. Khosla recognized that many small-scale farmers who genuinely farmed organically could not afford the fees and paperwork required by the NOP, and that the federal program was increasingly oriented toward large commercial operations. He modeled CNG on the principles of participatory guarantee systems (PGS) — a globally recognized approach to certification based on peer inspection and community accountability rather than third-party auditors.

From its origins as a small network of farms in the Hudson Valley of New York, CNG grew steadily over the following two decades into a national program covering thousands of farms, apiaries, and livestock operations across the United States and Canada. The program expanded its standards beyond crops to include livestock (2004) and apiary operations, reflecting the diversity of small-scale agricultural producers. CNG incorporated as a nonprofit organization and developed an online application and inspection management system to support its growing membership. It has remained committed to its founding principles of affordability, community, and accessibility, positioning itself as a complement — rather than a competitor — to the USDA Organic program.