Produce Application

Green Earth Growers

Owner: Jolea Gress

Farm Address:
7150 Casey Parkway
Prior Lake, MN 55372
Scott County
United States

daytime phone: 952.447.4131
Web site: http://www.greenearthgrowers.net

Application Date: 2008-01-31

Applicant Details

Please briefly tell us why you are applying to be part of the Certified Naturally Grown program:	We farm a little less than an acre, we believe in growing a sustainable, healthy product, yet have issues with the whole organic certification process....we are looking for an alternative!
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?	Through a friend

General Farm Information

Farmland Management and Practices

Primary Tillage System:	We have a tiller (walk behind) that we use every spring to get the field ready, thats it
Do you use Cover Crops?	no
Do you use Compost?	no
Do you use Manure?	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.	We have used Daniels Plant Food (soybean based) and want to try and use an earthworm casting tea this year
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.	hand weeding, we used landscape fabric last year
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.	We mainly have issues with squash bugs, we have used Neem Oil and Botanigard (mycoinsecticide)
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.	none in place
Please list the water source you use for crop irrigation. If source is public river, pond or lake, please note the name:	Well water
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?	no
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.	150 feet to north is a coventional field where corn and soybeans are grow, 30 feet to the West is a county road

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 Grown^TM.
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:	We rent greenhouse and farm land, primarily we are a greenhouse operation that grows transplants and bedding plants, we have been farming a little less than an acre for the past three years, the land we rent was a certified organic farm for the past 20 years, we are currently looking at implementing cover crops this year and also looking at spreading turkey manure from a local farm on the field in the fall? Any suggestions on our practices are welcome!