Livestock Application
Blackbriar Farms
Owner: John and Leslie LawsonFarm Address:
1321 Comer Rd
Crawford, GA 30630
Oglethorpe County
United States
Mailing Address:
13221 Comer Rd
Crawford, GA 30630
United States
daytime phone: 706-247-5601
evening phone: 706-783-3868
Application Date: 2011-06-07
Applicant Details
| Please briefly tell us why you are applying to be part of the Certified Naturally Grown program: | We like the transparency of the CNG certification and feel that it is better than the Organic certification for smaller farmers and communities. |
| Are you currently third party Certified for your livestock 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: | We were Certified Naturally Grown vegetable growers in 2009 while our livestock operation was getting set up progress. |
| Have you ever been denied certification? | no |
| How did you hear about Certified Naturally Grown? | Initially from our friends at the Athens Farmers Market (Athens GA). It was/ is required that all the sellers be CNG certified. |
| Your application will be reviewed AFTER we receive a valid Feed Declaration for your farm. Check this box to indicate you understand this. |
General Farm Information
| Farm Acreage you want listed as Certified Naturally GrownTM: | |
| Total farm acreage to be used for pasture and feed crops | 50 |
| Number of above acres that you own: | 50 |
| Number of above acres that you lease: | 0 |
| Do you have other acreage in "conventional" agricultural systems? | no |
| General Listed Acreage Breakdown | |
| Pasture: | 50 |
| Hay: | 15 |
| Grains: | 0 |
| Other (please specify below): | |
| If indicated, please specify how 'other' acres are used | |
| Please check all items you grow and would like to market as Certified Naturally GrownTM (to certify produce, please complete the separate produce application) |
Dairy Cattle Beef Cattle Goats (meat and/or milk) Sheep (meat and/or milk) Bison Geese (meat) Geese (eggs) Chicken (meat) Chicken (eggs) Ducks (meat) Ducks (eggs) Turkey (meat) Turkey (eggs) Pigs Rabbits Hay Grains Animals for fiber (specify below) 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: | Locally Grown in Athens GA ...LocallyGrown.org |
Farmland Management and Practices
| Primary Tillage System: | We follow Joel Salatin's method with the chicken tractor following the livestock as they are rotated. |
| 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. | |
| 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 |
| 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. | thistle is a minor problem. |
| Describe your primary plant pest 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 clip them off. Where we have weeds, we use a weedeater to cut them down and keep them from setting seed. |
| Please list the water source you use for crop irrigation. If source is public river, pond or lake, please note the name: | Our deep well...we irrigate the entire farm through the filtered well. |
| Are there any known contaminants in the irrigation water? | no |
Livestock Management and Practices
| Please list all livestock for which you seek certification by type/breed, and indicate how many of each are on the farm today (for example: belted galloways - 20, nubian goats - 5, orpington chickens - 7, frizzle chickens - 3) For animals that have not yet been stocked for the season (e.g. poultry or piglets) please estimate how many you expect to have on farm during the upcoming season. Only list livestock that are (or will be) managed according to CNG standards. | 8 Irish Dexter cattle 17 Holstein steers 26 Katahdin sheep 300 Plymouth Barred rock hens + 6 roosters |
| I affirm that all livestock listed on this application are raised according to Certified Naturally Grown standards. I further affirm that I will not represent ANY livestock products as Certified Naturally Grown if they have not been raised according to the standards required by Certified Naturally Grown. Any livestock treated with antibiotics or other prohibited substances will be quarantined and sold separately. All livestock are fed feed grown according to CNG standards - without synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides, and free of any genetically modified grains (GMOs). | |
| Have all the livestock been raised according to CNG standards since the last third of gestation or since hatching? | yes |
| Give brief details of your rotation practice for each type and/or group of livestock. (E.g. heifers strip grazing behind electric fence moved daily, 28 day rotation, poultry rotated weekly - 3 pens.) | Cows and sheep are rotated weekly with electric strip fencing to section the pasture. Mobile chicken house is move 2x weekly and the chickens free-range in open pasture. |
| Do the animals listed above include cows, goats, sheep or other ruminants? | yes |
| Do your ruminant livestock obtain at least 30% of their dry matter intake from grazed forage during the growing season? | yes |
| Do the animals listed above include poultry? | yes |
| Do your poultry either (a) have a minimum of five square feet per bird of natural, grassy outdoor space or (b) do they have at least two square feet per bird and get moved at least one time per day to fresh new pasture? | yes |
| Do your livestock spend most of their time on pasture during the growing season? | yes |
| Is all feed grown according to Certified Naturally Grown standards (without synthetic fertilizers, pesticides or post-harvest fungal treatments)? | yes |
| Do you buy in some feed? | yes |
| Will you be sure to submit a Feed Supplier Declaration? (download it at naturallygrown.org/feed) Please note: when the big name brand companies say their feed is "Natural" that does not mean that they are grown according to CNG standards. It probably means they do not add antibiotics, which is a good start, but very likely the feed was grown with synthetic fertilizers and using genetically modified seeds. | yes |
| For all livestock you seek to certify, please provide more information about the feed. Is it grown locally for you? Purchased in bulk at a mill? Bagged at the feed store? Is it Certified Organic? What brand, if any? | The livestock only eat grass here on the farm and our stored hay. |
| Describe your primary livestock pest problems and methods of control. If you indicate a name brand product, please also specify the active ingredient/s, what kind of product it is (a soap, vaccine, microbial, oil, a botanical...), and how often it's used. | Haven't had a problem. We use kelp, diatomaceous earth. |
| Describe your primary livestock 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. | We keep hydrogen peroxide and tea tree oil for any cuts. we use Basic H soap from Shackleys for worming along with diatomaceaous earth and kelp. So far have had few issues with disease. |
| Provide details of all livestock owned by you, or grazed on your land, that are treated and quarantined on your property | none so far |
Seeds and Buffers
| Do you purchase or grow using any Genetically Modified seeds? | no |
| Do you use any chemically treated seeds in your operation? | 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 specific. On all sides, how far is it from your livestock pasture to the next closest use (i.e. road, conventional crop, residential yard)? Specify what is grown on neighboring land 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 a blueberry farm, and to the west about 60 feet separates our crops from a field where conventional corn and soybeans are grown. | There are only cattle farms in our area and we have a 95 acre farm with all our fields inside a woodland buffer of 200+ yards. The neighboring farms are also wooded...there is a big separation from us and other farms. |
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 livestock 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 ranch or farm in my area each year, and that the inspection will NOT be of the same rancher or farmer that inspected me. | |
| I have reviewed the Certified Naturally Grown livestock 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: | |
