Produce Application
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The Homestead
Owner: Jason JonesFarm Address:
8272 NE University Ave
Pleasant Hill, IA 50327
Polk County
United States
Mailing Address:
1625 Adventureland Dr. Ste B
Altoona, IA 50009
United States
daytime phone: 515 957-3361
evening phone: 515 202 8073
Web site: http://www.thehomestead.org
Application Date: 2007-01-31
Applicant Details
| Please briefly tell us why you are applying to be part of the Certified Naturally Grown program: | We have been using natural, sustainable farming practices for several years and would like to have a certification process that strengthens the marketablility of our products. |
| 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? | ISU conference |
General Farm Information
| Farm Acreage you want listed as Certified Naturally GrownTM: | |
| Total Farm Acreage you actually GROW on: | 7 |
| Number of above acreage that you own: | 81 |
| Number of above acreage that you lease: | 0 |
| Do you have other acreage in "Conventional" Agricultural Systems? | yes |
| If yes, how many acres are in conventional agriculture? | 40 |
| If yes, please list what you are growing conventionally: | A farmer leases 40 acres of our land and grows corn an soybeans. |
| General Listed Acreage Breakdown | |
| Veg Crops: | 6 |
| Fruit Crops: | 1 |
| Hay: | |
| Grains/Beans: | |
| Sugarbush: | |
| Other Acreage: | |
| 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: | |
Farmland Management and Practices
| Primary Tillage System: | --2 bottom moldboard plow for spring or fall soil preparation. Used for turning over cover crops and bringing previously fallow land into production. --6’ Disk used as needed to break large clods after using moldboard plow. Used to help create a more level seedbed. Will use in place of the rotary tiller if seed bed does not require as much attention (as with establishing fall cover of rye and vetch). --6’ Bush Hog rotary tiller used immediately prior to bed formation. Also used for tilling in cover crops prior to planting and for creating a good seedbed. Will also use to knock down weeds if they get out of control. |
| Do you use Cover Crops? | yes |
| If yes, please list: | --Winter Rye / Hairy Vetch – Planted in the fall to prevent erosion, build soil fertility and tilth. --White Clover – Planted in the spring as living mulch between beds of vegetable crops. --Winter Rye – Planted in the spring as living mulch between beds of vegetable crops. Fall planted as an over wintering soil holder and following spring biomass addition. --Spring Oats - Planted in the spring as living mulch between beds of vegetable crops. Planted in the fall as a winter killed mulch to prevent erosion. --Buckwheat – Planted throughout the season for quick ground cover replacing harvested vegetable crops and as a soil builder. |
| Do you use Compost? | yes |
| If yes, please note general sources (on farm, purchased complete, local grass clippings, local dairy, etc.): | Compost is made on farm from plant debris (pulled weeds and end of season clean-up)and fallen/culled fruit. |
| 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". | Applied 1-2 inches deep as needed and available. |
| 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. | Fertrell FeednGro 4-2-4. Applied to heavy feeder crops at 400-500 Lbs/Acre. |
| Have any chemical fertilizers been applied to the fields you are seeking Certification for in the last three years (36 months)? | yes |
| If yes, as per the Certification regulations, it is acceptable to apply chelated chemical fertilizers to correct specifical micronutrient imbalances as listed on a recent soil test. Does the application of this fertilizer meet those requirements? | no |
| If Yes, please specify types, amounts and application dates: | Most of our gardens have been free of chemical fertilizers and pesticides for more than 3 years. However,we are expanding our vegetable gardens. Spring of 2007 we reclaimed 2 acres of land back from the person who rents our land and farms it conventionally. This is the only part of our farm where unacceptable products have been used in the last 3 years.--Spring 2004, last week of April, Pre-plant 70 Lbs/Acre Anhydrous Ammonia. --Spring 2005, Mid July, Pre-plant 80-100 Lbs/Acre Potash. --Spring 2006, last week of April, Pre-plant 70 Lbs/Acre Anhydrous Ammonia. |
| Have any non-acceptable pesticides and/or herbicides been applied to these fields in the last 3 years? | yes |
| If yes, then please specify type and most recent application date: | Most of our gardens have been free of chemical fertilizers and pesticides for more than 3 years. However,we are expanding our vegetable gardens. Spring of 2007 we reclaimed 2 acres of land back from the person who rents our land and farms it conventionally. This is the only part of our farm where unacceptable products have been used in the last 3 years.----Spring 2004, last week of April, 3.3 Qts/Acre of FullTime(atrazine and "topnotch" pre-emergent). --Spring 2005, Mid July, 24 Oz/Acre Roundup. --Spring 2006, last week of April, 3.3 Qts/Acre of FullTime(atrazine and "topnotch" pre-emergent). |
| 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. | Major weed pests include Crabgrass, Giant Foxtail, Foxtail, Lambsquarter, Canadian Thistle, Bindweed, Velvetleaf, Purslane, Common Dock, and Venice Mallow. Weeds are managed using black plastic mulch, organic mulches (newsprint, straw), cover crops, hand weeding, mowing, weedeating, and flame weeding with a hand held flamer. |
| 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. | --Bean Leaf Beetle - For the 2007 season Pyganic (botanical) will be used to control BLB if needed. --Codling Moth - CydX, microbial, (codling moth granulosis virus) is used to control codling moth in apples. CydX is applied 1-3 times per season based on CM monitoring and degree day calculations. --Cabbage Worm / Cabbage Looper - DiPel, microbial, (Bacillus thuringiensus) applied as needed as larvae reach 1 per plant in a sample of 25. --Northern Corn Rootworm Beetle - no control previously attempted. --European Corn Borer - no control previously attempted. |
| 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. | Primary disease problem is with Powdery Mildew on Cucurbits. The major effects of this and other diseases are managed by removing diseased plants/material from the field and by using crop rotation. |
| Please list the water source you use for crop irrigation. If source is public river, pond or lake, please note the name: | Des Moines public water system. |
| 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. | Fields that are managed organically are separated on all sides by 30' wide buffer strips from fields that are managed conventionally. The conventionally managed fields are in a constant corn/bean rotation. |
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: | |
