Produce Application
Let Us Farm
Owner: Lee and Randy HooveyFarm Address:
16271 N. 2120th Ave.
Geneseo, IL 61254
Henry County
United States
daytime phone: 309-945-6210
evening phone: 309-945-7996
Application Date: 2008-09-09
Applicant Details
| Please briefly tell us why you are applying to be part of the Certified Naturally Grown program: | We are a small place - 8 acres that we are currently using for a farmers market garden. We would like to eventually expand into a CSA. The costs and regulations for a certified organic certification outweigh it's benefits. I also like the fact that your farmers help each other instead of just doing paperwork. |
| 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? | Browsing the internet. |
General Farm Information
| Farm Acreage you want listed as Certified Naturally GrownTM: | |
| Total Farm Acreage you actually GROW on: | 8 |
| Number of above acreage that you own: | 8 |
| Number of above acreage that you lease: | 0 |
| Do you have other acreage in "Conventional" Agricultural Systems? | no |
| General Listed Acreage Breakdown | |
| Veg Crops: | 2 |
| Fruit Crops: | .25 |
| Hay: | 2.5 |
| Grains/Beans: | |
| Sugarbush: | |
| Other Acreage: | 4 |
| 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: | I have a small kubota tractor that is used to disk and spread seed on the fields. It has a tiller for preparing seed beds and cultivating paths. I also have a walk behind tiller and a mantis-like cultivator. Much of our weeding is done by hand. Next year we plan to use plastic mulch on some crops. |
| Do you use Cover Crops? | yes |
| If yes, please list: | currently it is field peas and buckwheat. Before that field peas and triticale. Last year it was buckwheat, oats, and field peas. |
| Do you use Compost? | yes |
| If yes, please note general sources (on farm, purchased complete, local grass clippings, local dairy, etc.): | To date we have used 10 year old composted straw that was left in a barn by the previous owner. |
| 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 |
| Do you use Manure? | yes |
| If yes, please note general sources (local dairy, horse farm, etc.): | We have been raising some chickens and the manure has been spread on the future garden areas. |
| 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". | 15 wheelbarrow loads |
| What time of year do you apply the manure? | 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. | We use oyster shell on land for tomatoes. We also use kelp as a general fertilizer and mineral supplement for the garden. |
| 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? | yes |
| 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. | Water weeds were a problem this year. Mostly it is hand weeding around plants and tilling the top two inches in the walking paths. We do not use chemical to weed. We have been growing buckwheat in the field because it does a good job of suppressing weeds. Every type of seed, vine, or tree we have planted has been certified organic as has the buckwheat, oat, peas, etc. |
| 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. | Squash bugs were our only major problem this year. We used a SAFER brand spray that is OMRI approved. We use only OMRI approved chemical insecticides. We used a SAFER product on the fruit trees and grape vines to control japanese beetles. |
| 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. | The only disease problems we have been confronted with is blossom end rot on the tomatoes that is largely controlled with calcium in the planting hole. |
| Please list the water source you use for crop irrigation. If source is public river, pond or lake, please note the name: | We use water from our drinking well. |
| 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") | na |
| 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. | To the north is a road. the plants are at least 50 feet away. To the east and west are houses with garages, barns etc. We own both. To the south is a neighbors corn/soybean field. There is a buff or at least 50 feet - more depending on where our plants are. We rotate the areas where the garden is placed. The buffer on this side has a fence with trees along the entire length. Our long range plan is to add at least another row of trees. |
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: | We will be adding some lime to our field to bring up the ph levels that were slightly low on our soil test. Our little farm is notable for the things we have accomplished in the short time that we have been here. |
