Produce Application
Tuscan Heights Lavender Gardens
Owner: Richard & Lynette GoochFarm Address:
12757 Fern Road EAST
Whitmore, CA 96096
Shasta County County
United States
Mailing Address:
PO Box 206
Whitmore, CA 96096
United States
daytime phone: 530-472-3066
evening phone: 530-472-3066
Web site: http://www.tuscanheights.com
Application Date: 2009-03-05
Applicant Details
| Please briefly tell us why you are applying to be part of the Certified Naturally Grown program: | After reading each page of this website, we really do like what this program offers to the smaller Farmer. |
| Are you currently third party Certified for your produce operation by any other organization (Organic, Biodynamic, etc)? | yes |
| If yes, please note which certification and agency: | USDA Certified Organic - California Crop Improvement Association |
| Have you ever been certified in the past? | yes |
| If yes, please note which agencies and dates: | We are certified through the CCIA for the 08-09 season.. but, our Certifier has lost their accrididation from the USDA Organic program, leaving us in a scramble to find a new certifier. The cost to recertify is insane! This is why we are looking at your program. |
| Have you ever been denied certification? | no |
| How did you hear about Certified Naturally Grown? | Other CA farmers. |
General Farm Information
| Farm Acreage you want listed as Certified Naturally GrownTM: | |
| Total Farm Acreage you actually GROW on: | 5.5 |
| Number of above acreage that you own: | 12.5 |
| Number of above acreage that you lease: | 0 |
| Do you have other acreage in "Conventional" Agricultural Systems? | no |
| General Listed Acreage Breakdown | |
| Veg Crops: | |
| Fruit Crops: | 1.25 |
| Hay: | |
| Grains/Beans: | |
| Sugarbush: | |
| Other Acreage: | 4.25 |
| 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: | Tractor |
| Do you use Cover Crops? | no |
| Do you use Compost? | yes |
| If yes, please note general sources (on farm, purchased complete, local grass clippings, local dairy, etc.): | purchsed organic compost mixed with our own grass clippings |
| 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". | varies |
| Do you use Manure? | 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. | powdered oyster shell, organic liquid fish emulsion fertilizer. We use these items 2 x per year. |
| 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. | We usually hand pull weeds. If the weeds get to thick, we will run a rototiller or weed eater through it. |
| 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. | We are fortunate to not have an insect problem at this time.. YEAH!! |
| 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. | n/a, yet... YEAH! |
| Please list the water source you use for crop irrigation. If source is public river, pond or lake, please note the name: | We have our own well.. 60 - 65 gallons per minute. |
| 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? | 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. | Our farm is located in a NO SPRAY area. We are zoned for Ag, but our farm is the only Ag producer in a 5 - 10 mile radius. In addition, we have 'Organic Farm - NO SPRAY" signs posted all along our farm. In addition to that, we have letters filed with our county Ag., mosquito abatement and road managment dept.s that require NO SPRAY either over head or with in 500 yards of our farm.. In addition to that.. our farm has a 50' manzaneta tree buffer that surounds most of the farm, with the exception of one acre of grape vines. |
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: | Even though we are dropping our USDA Certification (due to various issues) we are dedicated to ORGANIC practices and standards and will continue to follow those standards til the end of time! |
