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

So that potential customers will immediately recognize the high standards of production we strive for

Are you currently third party Certified for your livestock 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?

Alice Varon told me about it at GA Organics conference

Your application will be reviewed AFTER we receive a valid Feed Declaration for your farm. We ask you to submit the Feed Declaration within ONE MONTH to ensure your application isn't denied. Check this box to indicate you understand this.

I agree

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

Total farm acreage to be used for pasture and feed crops

100

Number of above acres that you own:

350

Number of above acres that you lease:

0

Do you have other acreage in "conventional" agricultural systems?

no

General Listed Acreage Breakdown

Pasture:

90

Hay:

0

Grains:

0

Other (please specify below):

2

If indicated, please specify how 'other' acres are used

Fruits & vegetables

Please check all items you grow and would like to market as Certified Naturally Grown^TM (to certify produce, please complete the separate produce application)

Dairy Cattle Beef Cattle Goats (meat and/or milk) Sheep (meat and/or milk) Bison Geese (meat) Geese (eggs) Chicken (meat) Chicken (eggs) Ducks (meat) Ducks (eggs) Turkey (meat) Turkey (eggs) Pigs Rabbits Hay Grains Animals for fiber (specify below) 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:

Rotary

Do you use Cover Crops?

yes

If yes, please list:

Cereal rye, clovers, cow peas, buckwheat

Do you use Compost?

yes

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

On farm production from horse barn & kitchen/garden waste mostly. Also, commercial food waste combined with yard debris. These two system maintained separately.

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".

Generally less than 2

Do you use Manure?

yes

Please note general sources of manure:

Horses. Only applied to pastures on rotating years. We produce about 40 cubic yards per year and spread over 14 acres.

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".

10 cubic yards per acre per year

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.

This year we used 20# of Nature Safe. It's a pelletized 8-5-5 and is OMRI listed. Used mostly in germination process. We will probably use some Hi-cal lime next year. Have used a little Phostrell for P in the past.

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

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.

Common Bermuda is our worst weed. We use chickens, solarization, hand-pulling and mowing. No chemical weed control. Have used torches before but propane too expensive.

Describe your primary plant pest 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 haven't used anything on food crops for a long time. We use ultra-fine oil on ornamentals nearby. We used safer soap on food crops about 6 years ago. Mostly we try to grow crops when pests aren't a problem, or exclude the pests with row covers. Deer were devastating a few years back, but we installed electric fencing. Birds were rough on the blueberries last year so we just shared more. Leaf-footed bugs may require greater control next year. They have been increasingly problematic on tomatoes.

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

Private lake on property (14 acres) provides majority of irrigation. City utility may be required if the drought continues

Are there any known contaminants in the irrigation water?

no

Please list all livestock for which you seek certification by type/breed, and indicate how many of each are on the farm today (for example: belted galloways - 20, nubian goats - 5, orpington chickens - 7, frizzle chickens - 3) For animals that have not yet been stocked for the season (e.g. poultry or piglets) please estimate how many you expect to have on farm during the upcoming season. Only list livestock that are (or will be) managed according to CNG standards.

Chickens (meat) Freedom Rangers, Moyer's k22, Cornish cross. Today we have 100 Freedom Rangers. We never have more than 300 at a time. Chickens (layers) Production Reds (50), Black Giant (5) Barred Rock (1) Silkies, mixes (4). We have 60 today. Never more than 100. Turkeys (meat) Bronze Breasted. 20 or less each year

I affirm that all livestock listed on this application are raised according to Certified Naturally Grown standards. I further affirm that I will not represent ANY livestock products as Certified Naturally Grown if they have not been raised according to the standards required by Certified Naturally Grown. Any livestock treated with antibiotics or other prohibited substances will be quarantined and sold separately. All livestock are fed feed grown according to CNG standards - without synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides, and free of any genetically modified grains (GMOs).

I agree

Have all the livestock been raised according to CNG standards since the last third of gestation or since hatching?

yes

Give brief details of your rotation practice for each type and/or group of livestock. (E.g. heifers strip grazing behind electric fence moved daily, 28 day rotation, poultry rotated weekly - 3 pens.)

All poultry is moved on new pasture every 1-3 days, to manage stress on pasture and provide forage for birds. Turkeys stay in brooder 4-6 weeks before moving to pasture. Chickens move out on pasture at 2 weeks old

Do the animals listed above include cows, goats, sheep or other ruminants?

no

Do the animals listed above include poultry?

yes

Do your poultry either (a) have a minimum of five square feet per bird of natural, grassy outdoor space or (b) do they have at least two square feet per bird and get moved at least one time per day to fresh new pasture?

yes

Do your livestock spend most of their time on pasture during the growing season?

yes

Is all feed grown according to Certified Naturally Grown standards (without synthetic fertilizers, pesticides or post-harvest fungal treatments)?

yes

For all livestock you seek to certify, please provide more information about the feed. Is it grown locally for you? Purchased in bulk at a mill? Bagged at the feed store? Is it Certified Organic? What brand, if any?

USDA certified organic, Reedy Fork Farm (NC)

Do you buy in some feed?

yes

Will you be sure to submit a Feed Supplier Declaration within two weeks? (download it at naturallygrown.org/feed) Please note: when the big name brand companies say their feed is "Natural" that does not mean that they are grown according to CNG standards. It probably means they do not add antibiotics, which is a good start, but very likely the feed was grown with synthetic fertilizers and using genetically modified seeds.

yes

Describe your primary livestock pest problems 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.

We had a rat snake in the brooder once, but haven't had anything else, fortunately. Hawks and owls have been an issue at times, too, but not in a few years. As for mites, we haven't had had any but, as you point out, they do occur around here and other birds (crows mainly) pay ours a visit from time to time. we try to keep the coops clean and, of course, the meat birds are moving to fresh pasture all the time anyway. Our coops move all the time, too, actually. Our older hens enjoy the mobile retirement home in the blueberry patch where they wile away the hours weeding our berries and eating bugs.

Describe your primary livestock disease problems 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... Knock on wood! There was a spell earlier this summer when heat exhaustion was a serious concern. We added apple cider vinegar to the water (like 2 tbsp per 5 gallon bucket) on the advice of another farmer. We also fed the birds hundreds of pounds of reject tomatoes for the electrolytes.

Provide details of all livestock owned by you, or grazed on your land, that are treated and quarantined on your property

None

Do you purchase or grow using any Genetically Modified seeds?

no

Do you use any chemically treated seeds in your operation?

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 specific. On all sides, how far is it from your livestock pasture to the next closest use (i.e. road, conventional crop, residential yard)? Specify what is grown on neighboring land 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 a blueberry farm, and to the west about 60 feet separates our crops from a field where conventional corn and soybeans are grown.

There are no farmers around us. There is a road to the south of our production area about 500' through trees and undergrowth. To the west, north and east is open woodland and rough pasture.

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 livestock 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 ranch or farm in my area each year, and that the inspection will NOT be of the same rancher or farmer that inspected me.

I agree

I have reviewed the Certified Naturally Grown livestock 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:

This farm has been in our family for 73 years. My kids are the fifth generation of my family to live here. We don't plan on going anywhere.