Many consumers are seeking to know where their food comes from and how it is grown. Here at Adams Garlic, we are Certified Naturally Grown (CNG). But what exactly does that mean?
Commitment to healthy food and healthy soils.
Adams Garlic is committed to supplying you with garlic and vegetables that have been tended with your health in mind. We spend many summertime hours in the field planting, weeding, and harvesting your garlic and vegetables by hand. This intimate contact with each plant means we can observe for optimal growing conditions and address concerns very quickly.
No synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, or GMO seeds.
Period. Cover crops and crop rotation are utilized to improve soil structure and fertility, fix nitrogen, and suppress weeds, diseases, and pests. Using cover crops means that our organic fertilizer input will decrease over time as our soil becomes balanced through the building of the soil’s tilth and fertility. Crop rotation decreases the necessity of pesticide, herbicide, or fungicide use. If these are ever necessary, they will be from an organic source. We use organic seed when available and do not use genetically modified seeds.
Alternative to USDA’s National Organic Program.
CNG was created by small farmers, for small farmers, to convey the strict standards used to grow your food. CNG offers an alternative for small farmers who use “organic” growing methods but cannot use the “organic” label unless certified by the USDA. For some smaller farmers, becoming Certified Naturally Grown is less expensive and less cumbersome than the USDA Certified Organic certification.
Certification model encourages collaboration, transparency, and community involvement.
Certified Naturally Grown encourages sharing of advice between farmers. CNG utilizes a farmer-to-farmer inspection approach. Because farmer-inspectors are most familiar with the pest and disease challenges in an area, they are uniquely qualified to observe the standards of their peers and to address the challenges other farmers face. This strengthens the local, natural farming community. The on-farm inspection report, grower application, and grower declaration are posted on the internet for public access.
Additional information
For additional information, visit Certified Naturally Grown
View these links to recent articles recommending Certified Naturally Grown:
Alternative Produce Labels: Faux Organic or Just as Good?
Civil Eats, February 2015
Certified Naturally Grown: An Alternative to Certified Organic
Mother Earth News, April/May 2015
