Produce Application
Bluebird Acres Farm
Owner: John & Deborah LeDouxFarm Address:
8009 County Road 1
Friendship, NY 14739
Allegany County
United States
daytime phone: 585 973-1123
evening phone: 585 973-1123
Web site: http://www.bluebirdacresfarm.com
Application Date: 2009-01-31
Applicant Details
| Please briefly tell us why you are applying to be part of the Certified Naturally Grown program: | We've been growing our own produce for several years using the standards advocated by Certified Naturally Grown. We have begun small-scale marketing to local natural food stores, and want to gradually ramp up production. We wholeheartedly support the principles espoused by CNG, and recognize the direct link between soil health, plant health, and human health. |
| 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? | Olean newspaper, then read about it online. |
General Farm Information
| Farm Acreage you want listed as Certified Naturally GrownTM: | |
| Total Farm Acreage you actually GROW on: | 2 |
| Number of above acreage that you own: | 13.5 |
| Number of above acreage that you lease: | 0 |
| Do you have other acreage in "Conventional" Agricultural Systems? | no |
| General Listed Acreage Breakdown | |
| Veg Crops: | 1 |
| Fruit Crops: | 1 |
| Hay: | 0 |
| Grains/Beans: | 0 |
| Sugarbush: | 0 |
| Other Acreage: | |
| 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: | mushroom cultivation in the future |
| 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: | no-till ( we use raised beds ) |
| Do you use Cover Crops? | yes |
| If yes, please list: | buckwheat, rye, beans, clover |
| Do you use Compost? | yes |
| If yes, please note general sources (on farm, purchased complete, local grass clippings, local dairy, etc.): | Leaves and grass clippings from on the farm, vegetable kitchen waste, worm composting. |
| 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". | Side dressing, until we can produce more. |
| Do you use Manure? | yes |
| If yes, please note general sources (local dairy, horse farm, etc.): | Neighbor's horse manure, another neighbor's cow and chicken manure ( not treated with hormones or medications ). |
| 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" manure |
| What time of year do you apply the manure? | fall only |
| 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. | Tomatoes Alive, Strawberries Alive, organic bloodmeal and bonemeal, organic fish emulsion 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? | 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. | Heavy mulching has prevented any weed problems thus far. The few weeds we have are hand-pulled. |
| 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. | So far, few insect problems. We try to prevent them by utilizing No real problems so far, for prevention we utilize companion planting and trap crops. Japanese Beetles are picked off manually and dropped into a bucket of water with a little dish soap. |
| 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- usually doesn't kill he plants until after harvest, so we haven't tried any countermeasures. In our orchard, we spray with organic dormant oils and Bordeaux mixtures. |
| Please list the water source you use for crop irrigation. If source is public river, pond or lake, please note the name: | Currently well water, in the future a small man-made pond. |
| 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? | no |
| 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. | The nearest livestock operation is a few geese and sheep 1/4 mile away. The nearest working farm is 1 mile, and they don't use chemicals. There is a 25 yard buffer between the road and the orchard. All around are miles of woods. |
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: | Our current mailing address is in Scottsville, NY, but our farm is in the town of Wirt in Allegany county, NY. We will be living there year-round when we complete construction of our house. |
