Produce Application
Kersten's Maple Hill Centennial Farm
Owner: Ronald KerstenFarm Address:
N3594 Oxyoke Rd
Tigerton, WI 54486
Shawano County
United States
Mailing Address:
N3594 Oxyoke Rd
Tigerton, WI 54486
United States
daytime phone: 715-535-2209
Web site: http://www.maplehill.locallygrown.net
Application Date: 2010-02-09
Applicant Details
| Please briefly tell us why you are applying to be part of the Certified Naturally Grown program: | We believe in the CNG Philosophy, and wish to give our costumers a product that they can trust to be healthy and of the highest quality. |
| 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? | Through "Growing for Market" magizine. |
General Farm Information
| Farm Acreage you want listed as Certified Naturally GrownTM: | |
| Total Farm Acreage you actually GROW on: | 36 |
| Number of above acreage that you own: | 36 |
| 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: | .5 |
| Hay: | 7 |
| Grains/Beans: | 0 |
| Sugarbush: | 12 |
| Other Acreage: | 15 |
| 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: | maple syrup, wild berries |
| 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: | Dragging and roto-tilling |
| 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.): | On farm and some local 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". | 3 whellbarrow loads per 1000 sq ft |
| Do you use Manure? | yes |
| If yes, please note general sources (local dairy, horse farm, etc.): | Our won horse and chicken manure |
| 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". | 15 wheelbarrow loads per 1000 sq ft |
| What time of year do you apply the manure? | late April |
| 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. | Cal Sul(gypsum sulphur) I use the following Zone products through CASI (Christian Agriculture Stewardship Institute)Kelp grow, N-Fix ( 13 beneficial arobic soil bacterias) MS (sugar crystals) Liquid Cal, Foliar Biological (A Select blend of Brown and red Seaweed kelps)and Soil Biological ( A balanced humate complex containing Fuvic Ulmate and humic acids) I also use brewers grain. |
| 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. | crab grass, lambs quarters, pigweed, purselane. Methods to control are hand weeding, rototilling, mulching, using brewers grain, removing weeds before they go to seed. |
| 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. | Potato beetles, cucumber beetles, flea beetles, cabbage moth. The products I use are through Gardens Alive... "Pyola"(pyrethins and Canola Oil) I may use other Gardens alice products as needed like "Bullseye" |
| 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. | Fungal diseases on tomatoes black spot, mildew and dampening off on greenhouse seedlings. I use Gardens Alive Soap shield copper fungicide as directed,when needed. |
| Please list the water source you use for crop irrigation. If source is public river, pond or lake, please note the name: | Our own 300 foot well. |
| Are there any known contaminants in the irrigation water? | no |
| Are you a maple producer who seeks to certify your sugarbush? | yes |
| Maple sap is considered a wild crop. CNG's Wild Crop Harvesting Standard states that “A wild crop must be harvested in a manner that ensures that such harvesting or gathering will not be destructive to the environment and will sustain the growth and production of the wild crop.” Please briefly describe any steps you take to protect and ensure the sustainability of your sugarbush. | We keep the woodlot clean and gather by hand with the help of the whoe family. We use a small tractor and drive on only designated trails. Diseased and damaged trees are removed each fall. No defoamer has been used. We do not put more than 2 taps in any tree even if it has a diameter of 25 inches or larger. |
| Do you use an organic de-foamer? | yes |
| In rural areas, woods have unfortunately been used as dumping grounds for all manner of garbage, including toxic waste. These dumps can contaminate the sap, and your syrup, if too close to your sugarbush. Will you refrain from tapping any trees that stand within 50 feet of old dumps (or recent ones!) in or near your sugar bush? | yes |
| Over-tapping trees can stunt their growth. Do you (or will you) adhere to the Cornell Sugar Maple Research & Extension Program guidelines which state "trees 10-17 inches in diameter (31-53 inch circumference) should have no more than one tap. A tree 18-24 inches in diameter (57-75 inch circumference) should have no more than two taps. A tree larger than 25 inches in diameter (79-inch circumference) should have no more than three taps." | yes |
| To maximize tree health and sap production, CNG supports Cornell's recommendation that all taps are 5/16" in diameter or smaller. Is this your practice, and if not, would you be willing to transition to 5/16" (or smaller) taps within the next three years? Please elaborate. | It is not our prctice right now,but we are willing to transition as funds are available. |
| Use this space if there's anything else you'd like to share about your maple operation. | It is a mature maple lot that has been in production since the early 1900's. We are still using the same method of cooking over a wood fire the same as my grandfather did. |
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") | They are. |
| 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. | To the north we have an average of 100 feet of pasture, shrubs, a rock fence lawn and our driveway between our garden and one neighbors house and a field. To the east it is all woods. To the south is is my daughter and son-in-laws farm that is chemical free and has been for the last 6 years. To the west is a township road and a large 6 ft wind rock fence. There is a field north of the maple lot with a rock fence barrier and between 15 and 40 ft of shrubs, grass and trees. |
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: | It has been in our family for the last 115 years, and it is our goal as a CSA, maple producer, and greenhouse operation, to be good stewards of this land intrusted to us and give our costumers the best quality product possible. |
