Produce Application
Blue Blaze Farm
Owner: Eric and Melody ShubertFarm Address:
Danielsville, PA
United States
daytime phone: 610-837-2738
evening phone: 610-837-2738
Web site: http://www.blueblazefarm.com
Application Date: 2009-02-01
Applicant Details
| Please briefly tell us why you are applying to be part of the Certified Naturally Grown program: | We grow produce using organic methods but are not interested in the paperwork nor the cost of organic 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? | Appleridge Farms in Saylorsburg, PA are our farmer friends and they suggested we look into alternative certification for our small farm |
General Farm Information
| Farm Acreage you want listed as Certified Naturally GrownTM: | |
| Total Farm Acreage you actually GROW on: | 1 |
| Number of above acreage that you own: | 5.11 |
| 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: | |
| Hay: | |
| Grains/Beans: | |
| Sugarbush: | |
| Other Acreage: | 4.11 |
| 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: | minimal tillage using farmall cub tractor with moldboard plow to break the hardpan and then a disc to scuff the surface. Also a walk behind rototiller for touch up. |
| Do you use Cover Crops? | yes |
| If yes, please list: | just starting cover crops this season with vetch and rye |
| Do you use Compost? | yes |
| If yes, please note general sources (on farm, purchased complete, local grass clippings, local dairy, etc.): | partially finished compost from community composting facilities |
| 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". | perhaps 4 tons per acre |
| Do you use Manure? | yes |
| If yes, please note general sources (local dairy, horse farm, etc.): | local horse farms |
| 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". | two tons per acre |
| What time of year do you apply the manure? | spring, after sitting all winter |
| 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. | this will be the first year for rock phosphate |
| 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. | hand cultivated weeds |
| 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. | cucumber beetle- row covers and a mild solution of seaweed/ fish emulsion also potato bug-straw beds and the fish emulsion also flea beetles- row covers the fish emulsion can be applied every week in very diluted solution if necessary |
| 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- baking soad and water/ weekly application |
| Please list the water source you use for crop irrigation. If source is public river, pond or lake, please note the name: | well water. the well was tested in 2006 and did require minimal treatment for soil born bacteria. then tested ok |
| 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. | surrounded by woods on most sides. on one side there is a conventional corn/ soy field across a hedgerow approximately 175 feet from the nearest corner to corner. we do not have road frontage. One neighbor perhaps 200 feet to the nearest mowed lawn. |
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 have been operating for a few years part time, and this year will be our first full time operating as a farm |
