Produce Application
Salamander Springs Farm
Owner: Susana Kaye LeinFarm Address:
P.O. Box 354
Wildie-Clear Creek Rd.
Berea, KY 40403
Madison/Rockcastle County
United States
daytime phone: 859-893-3360
evening phone: 859-893-3360
Web site: http://www.localharvest.org/farms/M5606
Application Date: 2002-11-04
Applicant Details
| Please briefly tell us why you are applying to be part of the Certified Naturally Grown program: | I am deeply troubled by what now passes as "Certified Organic," by the present corporate lack of accountability. I believe the only way we can ensure a safe food system is direct accountability, for local consumers to know their farmers. |
| 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? | New England Organic Growers Association |
General Farm Information
| Farm Acreage you want listed as Certified Naturally GrownTM: | |
| Total Farm Acreage you actually GROW on: | 5 |
| Number of above acreage that you own: | 5 |
| Number of above acreage that you lease: | 0.0 |
| Do you have other acreage in "Conventional" Agricultural Systems? | no |
| General Listed Acreage Breakdown | |
| Veg Crops: | 1.5 |
| Fruit Crops: | 0.5 |
| Hay: | 0.5 |
| Grains/Beans: | 1.25 |
| Sugarbush: | 0.0 |
| Other Acreage: | 20 |
| 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: | direct sales, school and university events, local food events |
Farmland Management and Practices
| Primary Tillage System: | Permaculture-no or very minimum tillage; heavy use of mulch and cover crops. |
| Do you use Cover Crops? | yes |
| If yes, please list: | crimson clover, wheat, buckwheat, cowpeas. Austrian winter peas/fieldpeas, daikon radish, rye, sorghum sudan. |
| Do you use Compost? | yes |
| If yes, please note general sources (on farm, purchased complete, local grass clippings, local dairy, etc.): | On-farm, food wastes, manure, corn stalks, grass clippings, leaves, plant wastes. Hay used for covering and for mulch. |
| 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 inches deep minimum unless light feeding crop. |
| Do you use Manure? | yes |
| If yes, please note general sources (local dairy, horse farm, etc.): | local horse stable, from on-farm poultry |
| 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". | in compost or 2 inches deep |
| What time of year do you apply the manure? | fall, early winter |
| 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. | Very occasional use of rock powders: redmond clay, magnessium sulfate, dolomitic lime. Occasional use of (Fedco) Fish emulsion fertilizer for plant seedlings in spring |
| 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. | foxtail, ragweed, burdock in bean field: rogue field & cut seed heads; fallow with out-competing cover crops; improving soil tilth to discourage. Have very few weed problems in gardens: heavy mulch and excellent soil tilth. |
| 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. | colorado potato beetle, mexican bean beetle, flea beetles, cucumber beetle: hand pick early, insect barrier row covers, mulch, improvement of diversity and soil health has helped greatly. I do not believe in the use of even "organic" insecticides as they kill beneficials as well and create an imbalance. |
| 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. | Potato scab: lower pH and use only year old compost. Late Blight (2008): rotation of Solanaceas and good air circulation' improved micronutrient and microrhizae balance in soil. Used tea of horsetail plant to bring in more naturally occuring silica, added soil minerals for lacking micronutrients. Have very few pest/disease problems when soil health is optimal. |
| Please list the water source you use for crop irrigation. If source is public river, pond or lake, please note the name: | Spring water (pure drinking water) from forested spring soure. Roof rainwater catchment. |
| 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") | n/a |
| Do you purchase any transplants from outside sources? | yes |
| From which sources do you buy transplants? | Original plants of perennial herbs from local "Potting Shed" nursery. Nut and fruit trees from organic nursery, "Hidden Springs" in Cookville, TN Some of first nut trees plant were from another local local nursery, "Enlgand's." |
| Please list any bought-in transplants not grown according to CNG standards. This produce may not be sold as Certified Naturally Grown (except, in the case of perennials, after twelve months of CNG cultivation). | original plants of rosemary, thyme, stevia, lavender, oregano, etc. Fruit and nut trees (as above) |
| 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. | The farm is on top of a ridge, surrounded by forest on all sides. The closest "farm" (1/4 mile below) grazes cattle and makes hay. The closest crop farm is a small silage plot 3 miles up the valley, with mostly forest between the farm and there. |
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: | This farm has been built using the principles of Permaculture, imitating natural systems in which resources and energy are recycled locally. The use of outside inputs are very minimal and the farm and house are solar-powered. |
