Produce Application

Peacefield Farm

Owner: Rich & Lorrie Dykstra

Farm Address:
2810 S Morton Rd.
Ludington, MI 49431
Mason County
United States

Mailing Address:
4959 W Deren Rd
Ludington, MI 49431
United States

daytime phone: 231-690-4625
evening phone: 231-843-3066
Web site: http://www.peacefieldfarm.com

Application Date: 2009-12-07

Applicant Details

Please briefly tell us why you are applying to be part of the Certified Naturally Grown program: We intend to open several restaurant accounts, who may want assurance that we follow the NOP guidelines, etc.
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: Organic Growers of Michigan, 1980 - 83 when operating an herb farm in Hastings, known as Misty Morning Farm. (Rich is a founding member of OGM)
Have you ever been denied certification? no
How did you hear about Certified Naturally Grown? Creswick Farms, Ravenna; VGNews article; web site; many other sources.

General Farm Information

Farm Acreage you want listed as Certified Naturally GrownTM:
Total Farm Acreage you actually GROW on: 16
Number of above acreage that you own: 16
Number of above acreage that you lease: 0
Do you have other acreage in "Conventional" Agricultural Systems? no
General Listed Acreage Breakdown
Veg Crops: 1.5
Fruit Crops: .25
Hay: 13
Grains/Beans: 0
Sugarbush: 0
Other Acreage: 0
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: 2 bottom plow, roto-tiller, field cultivator, disc
Do you use Cover Crops? yes
If yes, please list: Oil-seed radish, alfalfa, buckwheat, winter rye, oats, rye/vetch combination
Do you use Compost? yes
If yes, please note general sources (on farm, purchased complete, local grass clippings, local dairy, etc.): horse manure from other farms mixed with alfalfa hay from my acreage, including wood chips/horse manure from fairgrounds
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". one ton per acre
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. TBRockPhosphate, gypsum, lime, Dramm (brand) fish emulsion. All used per soil test recommendations. Bio-Humus (Agri-energy) Soil advisor: Jay McCaman, Sand Lake, MI
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. Burdock, Curly Dock, Canada Thistle: controled by burning seedlings, hoeing. Quackgrass: controled by hoeing, weeding.
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. Aphids controlled with garlic spray. Also use soap based insectcides like Soap-Shield (Gardens Alive), Pyola (Gardens Alive), Neem Pest Soap Spray. Hornworm controled with Bt (different brands each year depending on cost)
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. NO disease problems to date.
Please list the water source you use for crop irrigation. If source is public river, pond or lake, please note the name: Water well, 136 ft deep, drilled summer, 2009. It has been tested: 0 nitrates, 0 nitrites
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? yes
If yes, please state the source (conventional farm field, golf course, etc.)and any details you can provide (type of pesticide, fertilizer, herbicide used, and/or what used for.) Convential orchard crop 1/8 mile to the south.
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. Nieghboring ag use: orchard to SW 1/8 mile. Trees/shrubs between my land and orchard plus a buffer of 600 ft of alfalfa hay crop. My crop land borders two roads: To north is a 2 lane road;to west is a 2 lane road. To east is a clover field.

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: