We are delighted (and exhausted) to announce we have joined the Certified Naturally Grown (CNG) Mushroom program.

When pressed on why we wanted to join CNG, our response was that , “we want to be held to a higher standard.”

While USDA certification is certainly a draw to supermarket consumers, many of the farmers we know still consider the associated paperwork and fees a headache not worth the stamp of the organic label. We’re the small guys. We want your trust and we are willing work to earn it. We want that direct relationships with our customers.

Since the initial announcement in December 2015, we have embraced Certified Naturally Grown (CNG) certification program for Mushrooms.

What is Certified Naturally Grown?

Certified Naturally Grown is a grassroots alternative to the USDA, through which farmers audit one another for sustainable practices. Certified Naturally Grown is neither costly nor overburdened with paperwork, and this allows the small farmers to devote their energies to actual farming.

The difference between Certified Naturally Grown and the USDA National Organic Certification Program is quite simply; cost. The cost of becoming certified under the USDA’s program is prohibitive for many small local producers. The USDA’s program is better suited to medium and large commercial growers who can afford the fees and have a large enough staff to handle the paperwork requirements. The Certified Naturally Grown program is especially appropriate for farms selling directly to their local communities.

Though a Certified Naturally Grown farm leaves less of a paper trail than a Certified Organic one, all CNG records are openly available online. Growers clearly state their growing practices and sign a statement that they have abided by all of the CNG regulations (which are essentially the same as certified organic).

The CNG approved auditors are other mushroom growers and are allowed offer advice as they walk the fields, talk to the grower, and evaluate the farm (USDA certifiers, on the other hand, are not allowed to offer any suggestions during an audit).

To avoid any conflict of interest issues, you are not allowed to audit the farmer who audited you.

About us.

We’re Ron, Ginny and Johanna Delaney and our Tiny House Farm is located in Augusta New York.

We’ve been working in close alliance with Cornell Small Farms Program, Northeast Beginning Farms Project, Armed to Farm, and most importantly, the Temperate Forest Mushroom Growers Network of North America.

To develop our forest grown mushroom program, we’ve attended numerous training seminars and workshops over the years. This includes Cornell University’s annual Camp Mushroom. This weekend workshop is for farmers, woodlot owners, and hobby growers who want to cultivate their own shiitake, oyster, lions mane, and stropharia mushrooms and provides a great foundation to work from and they offer printed guidance on how to get it all started.

Where do we go from here?

Well, of course, more Shiitakes. We’re also looking into Lion’s Mane and Oyster. Beyond that, we already have pawpaws, elderberries and garlic growing on THF. Next year we will be adding even more products. All grown with organic methods.

A special thank you to Jared Popoli of Minglewood Mushrooms – Cortland NY, for stopping out for a visit along with Emily and the two special forest fairys. A lot of good advice was offered.