Produce Application
High Breeze Farm
Owner: Bill BeckerFarm Address:
195 Barrett Rd
Highland Lakes, NJ 07422
Sussex County
United States
daytime phone: 973-764-6098
Web site: http://www.HighBreezeFarm.com
Application Date: 2008-02-09
Applicant Details
| Please briefly tell us why you are applying to be part of the Certified Naturally Grown program: | I've grown organiclly all my life, I started selling produce a couple years ago, but was under the income limit for organic. I want to expand,advertise, and legally tell people of my methods. I prefer your "grassroots" approach to certification |
| 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? | add in "Growing for Market" |
General Farm Information
| Farm Acreage you want listed as Certified Naturally GrownTM: | |
| Total Farm Acreage you actually GROW on: | 75 |
| Number of above acreage that you own: | 0 |
| Number of above acreage that you lease: | 75 |
| Do you have other acreage in "Conventional" Agricultural Systems? | no |
| General Listed Acreage Breakdown | |
| Veg Crops: | 2 |
| Fruit Crops: | |
| Hay: | 35 |
| Grains/Beans: | |
| Sugarbush: | 5 |
| Other Acreage: | 33 |
| 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: | |
| 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: | rototiller |
| Do you use Cover Crops? | no |
| Do you use Compost? | no |
| Do you use Manure? | yes |
| If yes, please note general sources (local dairy, horse farm, etc.): | poultry and cow manure generated on my farm, and some horse manure from a local farm |
| 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". | I use a munure spredder and apply mabey 5-6 tons to the acre on the hay ground only |
| What time of year do you apply the manure? | spring |
| 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. | leaves and woodchips |
| 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. | lambsquaters and chickweed , control with organic mulch and hand cultivation |
| 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. | potato beatle, hand picking and crop rotation. Cabbage worm, ground limestone and Bt |
| 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. | Powdery mildew, crop rotation and carefull irrigation |
| Please list the water source you use for crop irrigation. If source is public river, pond or lake, please note the name: | Private well and a spring |
| Are there any known contaminants in the irrigation water? | no |
| Are you a maple producer who seeks to certify your sugarbush? | yes |
| Maple sap is considered a wild crop. CNG's Wild Crop Harvesting Standard states that “A wild crop must be harvested in a manner that ensures that such harvesting or gathering will not be destructive to the environment and will sustain the growth and production of the wild crop.” Please briefly describe any steps you take to protect and ensure the sustainability of your sugarbush. | Herbicides and/or pesticides are never used in the sugarbush. It is "wild" containing a variety of plant species promoting a healthy ecosystem including wildlife and birds which provide natural pest control. Trees are tapped minimally to sustain their health. |
| Do you use an organic de-foamer? | yes |
| In rural areas, woods have unfortunately been used as dumping grounds for all manner of garbage, including toxic waste. These dumps can contaminate the sap, and your syrup, if too close to your sugarbush. Will you refrain from tapping any trees that stand within 50 feet of old dumps (or recent ones!) in or near your sugar bush? | yes |
| Over-tapping trees can stunt their growth. Do you (or will you) adhere to the Cornell Sugar Maple Research & Extension Program guidelines which state "trees 10-17 inches in diameter (31-53 inch circumference) should have no more than one tap. A tree 18-24 inches in diameter (57-75 inch circumference) should have no more than two taps. A tree larger than 25 inches in diameter (79-inch circumference) should have no more than three taps." | yes |
| To maximize tree health and sap production, CNG supports Cornell's recommendation that all taps are 5/16" in diameter or smaller. Is this your practice, and if not, would you be willing to transition to 5/16" (or smaller) taps within the next three years? Please elaborate. | The farm will transition to using 5/16th (or smaller) taps within the next three years. |
| Use this space if there's anything else you'd like to share about your maple operation. | The sugarbush is surrounded by state forest providing a large buffer zone around it. |
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") | they are grown according to CNG methods |
| 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. | The entire farm is part of Wawayanda State Park and is surounded by forest land. The closest residential property is mine and I don't use any sprays at all. The closest ag. land is about a half mile to the north |
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: | |
