Produce Application
OtterBee's Farm and Fungi
Owner: Rich & Kathleen DicksonFarm Address:
14387 Highway 101 S.
Brookings-Harbor, OR 97415
Curry County
United States
Mailing Address:
PO Box 3086
Brookings-Harbor, OR 97415
United States
daytime phone: 541-813-1136
evening phone: 541-813-1136
Application Date: 2008-01-16
Applicant Details
| Please briefly tell us why you are applying to be part of the Certified Naturally Grown program: | we farm and wild-harvest using natural, sustainable methods, and felt that the simplicity and honesty of CNG would best convey our "naturally grown, sustainably harvested" philosophy to our customers. |
| Are you currently third party Certified for your produce operation by any other organization (Organic, Biodynamic, etc)? | no |
| Have you ever been certified in the past? | no |
| Have you ever been denied certification? | no |
| How did you hear about Certified Naturally Grown? | originally via our Local Harvest store (in 2005) |
General Farm Information
| Farm Acreage you want listed as Certified Naturally GrownTM: | |
| Total Farm Acreage you actually GROW on: | 1 |
| Number of above acreage that you own: | 0 |
| Number of above acreage that you lease: | 1 |
| Do you have other acreage in "Conventional" Agricultural Systems? | no |
| General Listed Acreage Breakdown | |
| Veg Crops: | .75 |
| Fruit Crops: | .25 |
| Hay: | 0 |
| Grains/Beans: | 0 |
| Sugarbush: | 0 |
| Other Acreage: | 0 |
| Please check all items you grow and will market as Certified Naturally GrownTM |
Vegetables Herbs Berries Tree Fruits Grapes Grains Beans Hay Flowers Greenhouse Plants Other (please specify below) |
| Please Specify Any Other Items: | wild-harvested mushrooms |
| Please check all markets you grow for (this will be displayed on your farm profile to help potential buyers find you). |
Farmer's Market Farm Stand Local Restaurants CSA's Coops Health Food Stores Groceries Regional Wholesalers www.LocalHarvest.org Commodities Other (please specify below) |
| Please Specify Other Markets: | |
Farmland Management and Practices
| Primary Tillage System: | we use an intensive raised-bed system, and incorporate organic matter into beds with a mini-tiller each spring and fall |
| Do you use Cover Crops? | yes |
| If yes, please list: | nitrogen-fixers (i.e. clovers, vetch, winter pea crops) |
| Do you use Compost? | yes |
| If yes, please note general sources (on farm, purchased complete, local grass clippings, local dairy, etc.): | on farm, local organic dairy (occasionally purchase organic bagged compost) |
| Please list application rates. Give a specific amount or range (for example: one to two tons per acre, ten wheelbarrow loads per 1,000 square feet, or 1-2 inches deep). Do not answer "varies". | 2-3 inches deep, 2-3x/yr |
| Do you use Manure? | yes |
| If yes, please note general sources (local dairy, horse farm, etc.): | local dairy farm, purchased complete |
| Please list application rates. Give a specific amount or range (for example: one to two tons per acre, ten wheelbarrow loads per 1,000 square feet, or 1-2 inches deep). Do not answer "varies". | 1-2 5 gal. buckets per 3x8 ft box |
| What time of year do you apply the manure? | early spring & late fall |
| Do you apply any non-composted Manure within 120 days of veg-crop harvesting? | no |
| Please list any other brought in fertility sources that you use (specific rock powders, lime, soybean / alfalfa meal, specific purchased pre-mixes, etc)and how often it's used. If you indicate a name brand product, please also specify the ingredient/s. | dolomitic lime/annually; kelp meal/annually; liquid seaweed/fish emulsion/monthly during growing season - foliar feeding |
| Have any chemical fertilizers been applied to the fields you are seeking Certification for in the last three years (36 months)? | no |
| Have any non-acceptable pesticides and/or herbicides been applied to these fields in the last 3 years? | no |
| Do you use Professional Soil Testing services? | no |
| Describe your primary weed problems and methods of control. If you indicate a name brand product, please also specify the ingredient(s), what kind of product it is (a soap, microbial, oil, a botanical...), and how often it's used. | wild blackberries and wild sorrel primary weed problems - we pull them (continually); all weed control is currently manual (we also mulch with straw during growing season) - we will be using a propane flamer eventaully for walkways and blackberries |
| Describe your primary insect problems and methods of control. If you indicate a name brand product, please also specify the ingredient/s, what kind of product it is (a soap, microbial, oil, a botanical...), and how often it's used. | slugs (hand pick or apply Sluggo); cut-worms (use collars); aphids (spray water to wash them off); pill bugs/earwigs (apply diatomaceous earth); encouraging beneficials by developing habitat for ladybugs, frogs, spiders, birds, etc. |
| Describe your primary disease problems and methods of control. If you indicate a name brand product, please also specify the ingredient/s, what kind of product it is (a soap, microbial, oil, a botanical...), and how often it's used. | mildew - plant resistant varities; improve circulation amongst plants; looking into USDA-certified products if needed (nothing currently used, however) |
| Please list the water source you use for crop irrigation. If source is public river, pond or lake, please note the name: | public water system (chetco river) |
| Are there any known contaminants in the irrigation water? | no |
| Are you a maple producer who seeks to certify your sugarbush? | no |
Seeds, Transplants and Buffers
| Do you purchase or grow using any Genetically Modified seeds? | no |
| Do you use any chemically treated seeds in your operation? | no |
| Do you grow your own transplants? | yes |
| Are they grown using Naturally Grown/Organic methods? | yes |
| If they're not grown according to CNG methods, please list them here. This produce may not be sold as Certified Naturally Grown. (If they are, put "N/A") | |
| Do you purchase any transplants from outside sources? | yes |
| From which sources do you buy transplants? | |
| Please list any bought-in transplants not grown according to CNG standards. This produce may not be sold as Certified Naturally Grown (except, in the case of perennials, after twelve months of CNG cultivation). | |
| Chemical/Spray Drift and Buffers: | |
| Is there any likelihood of Chemical/Spray drift contamination of your fields? | no |
| Do you have an adequate buffer to protect yourself from potential contamination? | yes |
| Please describe your buffer. Be as specific as possible. On all sides, how far is it from your crops to the next closest use (road, conventional crop, residential yard)? Be sure to specify what is grown on neighboring land that is in agricultural use. For example: To the north and east, a wooded area of at least 100 yards separates us from the neighbor's corn fields, to the south is a fallow field at least 100 yards deep separating us from the road, and to the west about 60 feet separates our crops from a field where conventional corn and soybeans are grown. | no agricultural use within 5 miles of us; to the north - 50 yards of natural area plus pond (storm collection), then residential (downhill from us); east, wooded hillsides (no homes above us); south - 50 yards of natural grassy field/trees/brambles to fenced border of property, then residential; west - 1/2 mile grassy field/treed area/ pond to highway 101, then woods, then ocean (all downhill from us) |
Agreements
| Please indicate your agreement with the following statements by checking the boxes. | |
| I will not label, or in any way lead consumers to believe that produce not raised in accord with CNG standards is Certified Naturally GrownTM. | |
| I understand that I have to complete at least one (and hopefully more) Certification Inspection(s) of another farm in my area each year, and that the inspection will NOT be of the same farmer that inspected me. | |
| I have reviewed the Certified Naturally Grown certification standards, I understand them, and I will abide by them. I understand that if I have any questions I may contact CNG for clarification. | |
| You may use this space to tell us anything else you think we should know about your farm: | in addition to what we grow on our farm, we also harvest wild edible mushrooms from national forest lands which surround Brookings, Oregon. we have confirmed that these forest lands have not/are not sprayed with any chemicals. we harvest sustainably (i.e. we only harvest mature, healthy mushrooms; we always leave enough fruiting bodies to ensure the health of the patch; we use mesh bags to help the mushroom spore prolliferate). we obtain the necessary permits and licenses each year from the local forest service, and we continually educate ourselves concerning sustainable harvesting techniques. |
