Produce Application

Allder School Berries

Owner: Warren Howell

Farm Address:
37825 Allder School Road
Purcellville, VA 20132
Loudoun County
United States

daytime phone: 540-338-6412

Application Date: 2006-12-12

Applicant Details

Please briefly tell us why you are applying to be part of the Certified Naturally Grown program:	1.I raise my berries organically but, as a small producer, I want to avoid high cost of organic certification. 2. USDA certification is for big companies wih expensive lawyers.
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?	From a new local grower who called me for advice about selling in our county's farmers markets.

General Farm Information

Farmland Management and Practices

Primary Tillage System:	Plow & tiller
Do you use Cover Crops?	no
Do you use Compost?	no
Do you use Manure?	yes
If yes, please note general sources (local dairy, horse farm, etc.):	Manure is OMRI listed Cock-a-Doodle 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".	2.7 t/A
What time of year do you apply the manure?	Nov, Feb. & May
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.	Sulfur (blueberries) Sawdust (as weed control mulch Corn gluten
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.	Sawdust, permeable woven black plastic, hand control.
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.	Dormant oil in winter; scouting in spring & summer and hand-picking of major pests (Japanese beetles)
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.	No disease problem has arisen in three years of production.
Please list the water source you use for crop irrigation. If source is public river, pond or lake, please note the name:	Intermittent stream starting inside covered spring on adjacent property, which has no animals, and feeding into pond on my property.
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?	no
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.	Buffer consists of heavy riparian grasses, tree cover on south side, road and woods on north side and no crop production on either east or west side.

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:	My berry plants are blueberry, red raspberry and blackberry. No rotation is possible. I use permeable woven black plastic for weed suppression when I start new bushes or canes. I gradually widen and lengthen the hole I made in this plastic to allow growth of new canes. Does this type of black plastic have to be removed every year? Can it be replaced after a certain time? The plants I use come from companies such as Nourse, Pense, Hartmann, etc.