Livestock Application

Vesterbrook Farm

Owner: Mike & Carol Brabo

Farm Address:
16991 Highway W
Clarksville, MO 63336
Pike County
United States

daytime phone: 573-242-3401
Web site: http://www.localharvest.org/farms/M24605

Application Date: 2010-11-29

Applicant Details

Please briefly tell us why you are applying to be part of the Certified Naturally Grown program:	We wish to continue our CNG membership.
Are you currently third party Certified for your livestock 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?	We're current members.
Your application will be reviewed AFTER we receive a valid Feed Declaration for your farm. Check this box to indicate you understand this.

General Farm Information

Farmland Management and Practices

Primary Tillage System:	High density holistic grazing.
Do you use Cover Crops?	no
Do you use Compost?	no
Do you use Manure?	yes
Please note general sources of manure:	From our livestock as they move through the pastures.
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".	> 1/4
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.
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
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.	Pig weed and iron weed. Controlled by grazing. Occasional brush-hogging.
Describe your primary plant pest 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.	n/a
Please list the water source you use for crop irrigation. If source is public river, pond or lake, please note the name:	public water
Are there any known contaminants in the irrigation water?	no

Livestock Management and Practices

Please list all livestock for which you seek certification by type/breed, and indicate how many of each are on the farm today (for example: belted galloways - 20, nubian goats - 5, orpington chickens - 7, frizzle chickens - 3) For animals that have not yet been stocked for the season (e.g. poultry or piglets) please estimate how many you expect to have on farm during the upcoming season. Only list livestock that are (or will be) managed according to CNG standards.	Katahdin Sheep - 35 Red sexlink hens - 30 Buff Orpington hens - 5 Bourbon Red turkeys - 0 Rabbit Californian - 0 Hogs, Mule foot - 0
I affirm that all livestock listed on this application are raised according to Certified Naturally Grown standards. I further affirm that I will not represent ANY livestock products as Certified Naturally Grown if they have not been raised according to the standards required by Certified Naturally Grown. Any livestock treated with antibiotics or other prohibited substances will be quarantined and sold separately. All livestock are fed feed grown according to CNG standards - without synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides, and free of any genetically modified grains (GMOs).
Have all the livestock been raised according to CNG standards since the last third of gestation or since hatching?	yes
Give brief details of your rotation practice for each type and/or group of livestock. (E.g. heifers strip grazing behind electric fence moved daily, 28 day rotation, poultry rotated weekly - 3 pens.)	Sheep - Rotational grazing behind electric wire. Moved weekly. Turkeys - Free range Hens - Free range. Next year poultry will be in moveable pens.
Do the animals listed above include cows, goats, sheep or other ruminants?	yes
Do your ruminant livestock obtain at least 30% of their dry matter intake from grazed forage during the growing season?	yes
Do the animals listed above include poultry?	yes
Do your poultry either (a) have a minimum of five square feet per bird of natural, grassy outdoor space or (b) do they have at least two square feet per bird and get moved at least one time per day to fresh new pasture?	yes
Do your livestock spend most of their time on pasture during the growing season?	yes
Is all feed grown according to Certified Naturally Grown standards (without synthetic fertilizers, pesticides or post-harvest fungal treatments)?	yes
Do you buy in some feed?	yes
Will you be sure to submit a Feed Supplier Declaration? (download it at naturallygrown.org/feed) Please note: when the big name brand companies say their feed is "Natural" that does not mean that they are grown according to CNG standards. It probably means they do not add antibiotics, which is a good start, but very likely the feed was grown with synthetic fertilizers and using genetically modified seeds.	yes
For all livestock you seek to certify, please provide more information about the feed. Is it grown locally for you? Purchased in bulk at a mill? Bagged at the feed store? Is it Certified Organic? What brand, if any?	Poultry feed is purchased from Rutherford Farm, Silex MO - CNG member. Organic oats for sheep also purchased from Rutherford Farm
Describe your primary livestock pest problems and methods of control. If you indicate a name brand product, please also specify the active ingredient/s, what kind of product it is (a soap, vaccine, microbial, oil, a botanical...), and how often it's used.	Coyotes, bobcat and bald eagles - Solution=Great Pyrenees Guardian dog and guard donkey.
Describe your primary livestock 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.	Sick poultry is culled immediately. We use organic Apple Cider Vinegar in poultry water. For sheep parasites we use organic mixture of organic garlic oil and organic olive oil once per season. We're breeding parasite resistant Katahdins.
Provide details of all livestock owned by you, or grazed on your land, that are treated and quarantined on your property	Poultry needing treatment are put into a large cage for treatment by with organic Applecider Vinegar. We cull sick or injured sheep.

Seeds and Buffers

Do you purchase or grow using any Genetically Modified seeds?	no
Do you use any chemically treated seeds in your operation?	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?	no

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 livestock 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 ranch or farm in my area each year, and that the inspection will NOT be of the same rancher or farmer that inspected me.
I have reviewed the Certified Naturally Grown livestock 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: