Sweet Grown Alabama Blogs

CNG. Certified Naturally Grown.

If this is a new term for you, I wouldn’t be surprised. There are currently only seven farms in Alabama with this certification, the majority of which grow produce and flowers.

What does CNG mean? A Certified Naturally Grown farm operates under a set of standards similar to the USDA organic standards, to produce products without Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) or synthetic inputs.

Many commercial agricultural products such as pesticides, herbicides, and synthetic fertilizers aren’t allowed on a CNG farm, neither are GMO seeds. Livestock must be fed organically for a minimum of six months prior to achieving CNG status and raised on open pasture the majority of the year.

In order to meet CNG requirements and be approved as a CNG farm, you must have a peer-reviewed inspection. This distinctive model allows producers to see how other farms operate, collaborating on new ideas within the CNG space.

In our opinion, we tend to operate differently than even several commercial organic operations. We don’t use chemicals in any form and try to raise our livestock with a more holistic approach, choosing homeopathics and essential oils over traditional methods of treatment. When we discovered CNG a few years ago, we made certification a long term goal for our farm.

We’ve always fed NonGMO feed without soy, but had difficulty finding an organic mill that would produce a custom mix for us. Years of searching came to a close this January when we found a custom organic mill and were finally able to make the switch to organic feed.

Our farm achieved CNG status this summer and is the first one in the state to sell pork, pet milk and soap under the CNG label. For the first time in ten years of farming, we have a label for our operation. One that helps show new customers our commitment to the way we raise.

The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Sweet Grown Alabama.