Produce Application

Native Offerings Farm

Owner: Stewart and Deb Ritchie

Farm Address:
8501 Maples Road
Little Valley, NY 14755
Cattaraugus County
United States

daytime phone: 716 257-3006
evening phone: same
Web site: http://www.NativeOfferings.com

Application Date: 2005-04-02

Applicant Details

Please briefly tell us why you are applying to be part of the Certified Naturally Grown program:	Most of our produce is marketed to our CSA members. Excess produce is sold at the Bidwell Farmers Market in Buffalo. A small percentage of our vegetables are sold to health food stores (The Lexington Coop, The General Store). We direct sell all of our crops so CNG is appropriate for our family farm. All of our customers know us.
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:	We were certified by NOFA-NY on Leased Land in East Aurora, NY. We were certified from 1997 until we left in 2002.
Have you ever been denied certification?	no
How did you hear about Certified Naturally Grown?

General Farm Information

Farmland Management and Practices

Primary Tillage System:	chisel, disk, perfecta II
Do you use Cover Crops?	yes
If yes, please list:	oats, rye, rye-vetch, red clover
Do you use Compost?	yes
If yes, please note general sources (on farm, purchased complete, local grass clippings, local dairy, etc.):	on farm -cattle and pig and vegetable matter
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".	will apply as recommended
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.	Kreher's chicken compost, soft rock phosphate, fish elmusion, seaweed concentrate,
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.	annual grasses and chickweed are the primary weeds. They are removed by tractor cultivation, by flame weeder, by hand and by hoe.
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 beatles - floating row covers. white fly - lacewings cucumber beatles - floating row covers
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.	blight in Tomatoes and Potatoes. Resistant varieties. Tomatoes are grown inside.
Please list the water source you use for crop irrigation. If source is public river, pond or lake, please note the name:	We irrigate from Mansfield Creek and use deep well water for the greenhouse plants.
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?	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.	we have a 50 foot buffer from the next field. We are on good terms with the farmer and he will notify us if he plans on spraying.

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 Grown^TM.
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: