Please briefly tell us why you are applying to be part of the Certified Naturally Grown program:

To give my customers confidence that my products are produced using safe and healthy standards.

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?

Fellow farmers in TN who are CNG.

Farm Acreage you want listed as Certified Naturally Grown^TM:

Total Farm Acreage you actually GROW on:

4

Number of above acreage that you own:

42

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:

0.5

Hay:

Grains/Beans:

Sugarbush:

Other Acreage:

Please check all items you grow and will market as Certified Naturally Grown^TM

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:

Primary Tillage System:

Mulch-till

Do you use Cover Crops?

yes

If yes, please list:

Clover Winter wheat Buckwheat Vetch Peas Ryegrass Rye

Do you use Compost?

yes

If yes, please note general sources (on farm, purchased complete, local grass clippings, local dairy, etc.):

On farm Purchased complete

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 inches deep

Do you use Manure?

yes

If yes, please note general sources (local dairy, horse farm, etc.):

On farm Local ranches

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".

1-3 inches deep

What time of year do you apply the manure?

Late summer

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.

Rock phosphate Muriate of Potash Zinc Gypsum Sulfur Soybean meal Alfalfa pellets Corn gluten meal Blood meal Alfalfa Hay Perelite Peat moss Lime Azomite (Hydrated Sodium Calcium Aluminosilicate) Above list are all applied annually Liquid fish fertilizer kelp meal These two applied 2-4 times each spring as foliar feed

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. Do not answer "none". You MUST indicate either actual weed challenges and/or LIKELY challenges, and you must ALSO indicate how you manage (or would manage) them. If you indicate a product, also specify how often it's used.

In our dry climate, unless it is watered, it doesn't grow well at all, so weed problems are few and easily controlled by mulching, hand-cultivation and selective irrigation (drip).

Describe your primary insect challenges AND methods of control. Do not answer "none". You MUST indicate either actual pest challenges and/or LIKELY challenges, and you must ALSO indicate how you manage (or would manage) them. If you indicate a product, also specify how often it's used.

None to speak of yet, but what we could anticipate, and how we would handle it: Aphids- Grow marigolds in vicinity of affected plants. Grow a lure crop. Use a quick water spray of affected plants to knock aphids off. Import lady bugs. Use Safer Insecticidal Soap. Colorado Potato Beetles- Good mulching. Manually pic them off and destroy. Floating row covers. Companion plant potatoes with either sage, dill, fennel etc. Basalt dust application to dry the beetles out. Stem and Bulb Nemotode- Careful crop rotation. Bolster organic matter. Dig, remove from field, and burn infected plants. Use brassicas as a green manure. Amend soil with corn meal, or corn gluten meal.

Describe your primary disease challenges AND methods of control. Do not answer "none". You MUST indicate either actual disease challenges and/or LIKELY challenges, and you must ALSO indicate how you manage (or would manage) them. If you indicate a product, also specify how often it's used.

None yet. Best approach is building soil for healthy plants, but here are some possible challenges and likely solutions: Blight- Use drip irrigation to minimize leaf wetness. Destroy culls. Consider infected plant removal and destruction. Foliar spray of compost tea-- May boost plant vitality. Last resort would consider using a organic product like Regalia. Tomato Blossom end rot- Proper calcium level in soil. Keeping soil plants at optimal wetness. Basal Rot (garlic)- Prevent by not planting infested stock. Crop rotation. Sanitation. Penicillium Molds- Careful selection of planting stock. Treatment of planting stock in a liquid kelp rinse. Use brassicas as green manure in crop rotation. In our climate (semi-arid), may be able to control with heavy irrigation. Consider amending soil with corn gluten meal application.

Please list the water source you use for crop irrigation. If source is public river, pond or lake, please note the name:

Well water

Are there any known contaminants in the irrigation water?

no

Are you a maple producer who seeks to certify your sugarbush?

no

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")

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.

On the south our land extends about an 1/8th mile as buffer. To the east, the highway is 200+ yards away, buffered by our woods. To the North and West are tracts of US Forest Service land an 1/8th - 1/4 mile deep before you reach neighbors with a garden. The neighbor across the highway also has a garden.

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 agree

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 agree

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.

I agree

You may use this space to tell us anything else you think we should know about your farm:

small family farm focusing on raising gourmet garlic.