Balanced Harvest Farm is now Certified Naturally Grown
"A growing body of research shows that pesticides and other contaminants are more prevalent in the foods we eat, in our bodies, and in the environment than we thought. And studies show that by eating organic foods, you can reduce your exposure to the potential health risks associated with those chemicals." Consumer Reports (Feb. 2006)
Balanced Harvest Farm & CSA is a Certified Naturally Grown (CNG) producer.
The Certified Naturally Grown Program is a Grassroots Alternative to the USDA's National Organic Program. It’s an alternative label and certification system that allows small local growers to assure customers that they observe strict growing practices. CNG strives to strengthen the organic movement by removing financial barriers to certification that tend to exclude smaller direct-market farms, like Balanced Harvest Farm & CSA, while preserving high standards for natural production methods.
Why is such an alternative necessary? Simply because since the National Organic Program was implemented in 2002, farmers who proudly referred to themselves as "Organic" for decades are no longer allowed to do so unless they are "certified" as such by a USDA sanctioned agency. The Organic label was not grown with government control and high cost, it was grown with sweat, idealism, and farmers helping farmers to improve and stick to those ideals.
The Certified Naturally Grown Standards and growing requirements are no less strict than the USDA National Organic Program rules. The primary difference between Certified Naturally Grown and the USDA Organic program is cost. The cost of the USDA program - both in terms of money and paperwork requirements - is too much for many small farmers to afford. This is even more true for farmers who grow a wide range of crops all at once. The paperwork takes more time for multi-crop farmers than large agribusiness mono-crop farms. This is a shame, because growing many different crops at once is a safer and more ecologically sustainable practice. The soil is worked in different ways, and disease and pest problems are significantly reduced.
The crux of the Certified Naturally Grown program is the farmer-to-farmer inspection approach. Farmer-inspectors are most familiar with the pest and disease challenges likely to be faced by other farmers using natural methods in their area, so they are uniquely qualified to observe and note whether their neighbors are complying with the standards. They're also in a good position to make suggestions on how to deal with these challenges, thereby strengthening the local, natural farming community. Farmer-inspectors fill out a check-sheet inspection form and mail it back to CNG. It is scanned in and posted on the Internet for anytime public access. To help maintain the integrity of the program, farmers may NOT inspect the same farm that inspected them.
The CNG program is administered by an executive director and a Farmers Advisory Committee made up of natural, sustainable farmers from around the country. FAC members have extensive experience in natural, sustainable agriculture and some have considerable experience administering or serving on the boards of other Certification agencies.
Because CNG is in no way affiliated with the USDA Organic program, they have more control over the growing standards and practices allowed, meaning they can maintain a more strict adherence to the original ideals and principles of organic agriculture even as USDA Organic comes under constant pressure to water down standards to accommodate large agribusiness corporations.