Produce Application
Hernandez Larsen Family Farm
Owner: Andres Hernandez and Lindaflor LarsenFarm Address:
285 Almond Dr
Paso Robles, CA 93446
San Luis Obispo County
United States
daytime phone: 805-610-4516
evening phone: 805-239-7347
Application Date: 2010-07-17
Applicant Details
| Please briefly tell us why you are applying to be part of the Certified Naturally Grown program: | We believe that health starts with our food and we must take care of our soils. Growing up in a small town in Spain where all was natural until pesticides and herbicides were introduced. We feel we have no need to use any synthetics to farm, we know and understand the importance of growing naturally for our future and the future of those to come. We are highly against GMO's or anything that affects/changes our crops. After reading your website we identify with your mission statement. |
| 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? | Internet |
General Farm Information
| Farm Acreage you want listed as Certified Naturally GrownTM: | |
| Total Farm Acreage you actually GROW on: | 5 |
| Number of above acreage that you own: | 8 |
| Number of above acreage that you lease: | 0 |
| Do you have other acreage in "Conventional" Agricultural Systems? | no |
| General Listed Acreage Breakdown | |
| Veg Crops: | 4 |
| Fruit Crops: | 1 |
| Hay: | 0 |
| Grains/Beans: | .5 |
| 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: | Country Farm and Craft Farmer's Market Saturdays from 9am to 1pm Corner of Spring and 11th st at the Park in Paso Robles SLO California Certified Farmer's Market Sundays from 10am to 1pm Corner of Tank Farm and Long st in the Kennedy Club Fitness Parking Lot in San Luis Obispo |
Farmland Management and Practices
| Primary Tillage System: | We have just started at a larger scale for market. For years we had grown for ourselves and to share. In fall my husband mixes manure/compost in soil to prep the soil for spring crops, in early spring when evaporation is low land is preped to keep moisture and avoid compactation. Most of our land had not been used for at least 10 yrs and we had animals pasturing. We planted cover crops around our orchard and rotated what we planted for ourselves. We plan to do the same for all that is worked and planted now. We have not used insecticedes nor herbicedes in all this time. We have not used synthetic fertilizers either. |
| Do you use Cover Crops? | yes |
| If yes, please list: | We plan on using different legumes as vetch and clover, spring field peas, we have also used oats. We plan around our snap peas. We still have more to learn |
| Do you use Compost? | yes |
| If yes, please note general sources (on farm, purchased complete, local grass clippings, local dairy, etc.): | Due to have recently started planting for market we have had to purchase compost, in doing so we have only used organic, next year we plan on having our own |
| 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". | 1-2 in |
| Do you use Manure? | yes |
| If yes, please note general sources (local dairy, horse farm, etc.): | Our own farm animals(no antibiotics, hormones, deworming goes in our pile) and neighboors horses |
| 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". | 1 wheelbarrow per 30 sq ft |
| What time of year do you apply the manure? | fall |
| 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. | At this time we haven't had to use. When used we will update. |
| 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. | We pull our weeds by hand, use how, mulch, rototill. We also leave some weeds for our bugs |
| 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. | So far we have never had a terrible plague. Lady bugs, praying mantis, other good bugs, toads and birds help with the bad bugs. People understand that we use no insecticides and some veggies are holly. Alot of bugs are picked by hand as we are in the garden. Earwigs seem to be a nusence, but only last for a while. We also use other plants arround our crops, for example basil and borrage around tomatoes, pepers, eggplants and green onions in between the carrots. |
| 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. | explained on livestock application |
| Please list the water source you use for crop irrigation. If source is public river, pond or lake, please note the name: | community well |
| 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") | I have bought organic potting mix |
| Do you purchase any transplants from outside sources? | yes |
| From which sources do you buy transplants? | some local nurseries certified organic 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). | table grapes, rasberry, blue berry and black berry plants not sure if organically grown but will not produce enough to sell for a year or two |
| 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. | There are no other crops planted near our property. East is a horse rescue who does not spray, north a property not used for years, we have trees seperating from and south is the crossroad to our house with nothing to be planted within 50 feet of the st |
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: | I answered most questions in the livestock application thinking both were together. Using internet for applications doesn't come naturally to me. Please contact me if any concerns or questions, I know we have to be more modern, but we still like person to person contact better than internet. Times are changing and I guess we must too. Thank you for having this organization. We very much look forward to being a part of it. |
