Produce Application
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Gravel Knolls Farm
Owner: James RosselotFarm Address:
9424 Cinti.-Dayton Rd.
West Chester, OH 45069
Butler County
United States
daytime phone: 513 652 7654
Web site: http://www.gravelknollsfarm.com
Application Date: 2009-05-08
Applicant Details
| Please briefly tell us why you are applying to be part of the Certified Naturally Grown program: | The farm was certified organic through OEFFA from 1989 to 2006. We enjoyed the grassroots effort and comradeship of the organization. Once it went on to a national level we felt dwarfed and less significant with a bigger expense to pay for belonging. We also felt that the "organic" label was being diluted so we opted out but kept the standards of growing organically. We feel that joining The Certified Naturally Grown organization will bring us back into the loop of small farmers uniting for the same purpose: growing with respect for ourselves, our customers and nature. |
| 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? | yes |
| If yes, please note which agencies and dates: | OEFFA, 1989-2006 |
| Have you ever been denied certification? | no |
| How did you hear about Certified Naturally Grown? | Literature |
General Farm Information
| Farm Acreage you want listed as Certified Naturally GrownTM: | |
| Total Farm Acreage you actually GROW on: | 15 |
| Number of above acreage that you own: | 79 |
| Number of above acreage that you lease: | 0 |
| Do you have other acreage in "Conventional" Agricultural Systems? | no |
| General Listed Acreage Breakdown | |
| Veg Crops: | 10 |
| Fruit Crops: | |
| Hay: | 4 |
| Grains/Beans: | |
| Sugarbush: | |
| 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: | |
| 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: | Spading machine |
| Do you use Cover Crops? | no |
| Do you use Compost? | no |
| 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. | We balance from soil tests using rock powders as needed. We fertilize at planting using one of three pre-mixes: Fertrell Super N(4-2-4)feather meal,composted shicken manure,greensand,bone char,peanut meal,sulfate of potash,gypsum. Revita 8-3-3(Composted poultry manure,langbenite,sulphate of potash,kelp meal.) Revita 5-3-5(Composted poultry manure.) We also spray using Neptune's Harvest Fish and Seaweed(Hydrolized fish and seaweed.) |
| 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? | 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. | Canada thistle:cultivation, rotation, vinegar, flaming Foxtail: cultivation, rotation, vinegar, flaming |
| 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. | Flea beetles and cabbage worms; Neem oil (Fertilome Triple action Plus) |
| 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. | Very few disease problems. |
| Please list the water source you use for crop irrigation. If source is public river, pond or lake, please note the name: | City water |
| 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? | 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 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 farm has been in our family for 93 years. Some chemical fertilizer was used in the fifties and sixties but none since then. It has always been a mixed use(livestock and crops). It is rolling so we have to deal with gravel on the high spots(hence the farm name)but for the most part has good fertility. We have been building the organic matter base and have maintained it at a respectable level. We use horses some and are trying to move more in that direction. |
