Produce Application

Blueridge Blueberry Farm

Owner: Richard and Debra King

Farm Address:
16274 Donald Rd.
Capac, MI 48014
St.Clair County
United States

daytime phone: 810-395-7983
evening phone: 810-395-7983
Web site: http://blueridgeblueberryfarm.com

Application Date: 2007-04-25

Applicant Details

Please briefly tell us why you are applying to be part of the Certified Naturally Grown program:	I don't like the price of being certified organic or the all the paperwork either.
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?	Another grower who was certified naturally grown that I met.

General Farm Information

Farmland Management and Practices

Primary Tillage System:	In our blueberries we just mow the grass and weeds. On our other fields we use a disc or rototiller
Do you use Cover Crops?	yes
If yes, please list:	rye and oats
Do you use Compost?	yes
If yes, please note general sources (on farm, purchased complete, local grass clippings, local dairy, etc.):	on our farm
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 inch deep
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.	liquid fish, seaweed, humic acid, compost tea, molasses
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.	In our blueberry field we have let the grass grow up to the blueberry bushes and we mow with a bump mower throughout the season. We go through and pull any raspberry bushes, thistles or goldenrod. In our vegetable patch we cultivate and hoe and hand weed.
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.	In the blueberries we have cranberry and cherry fruitworm which I apply about 2 applications 10 days apart of dipel or javelin. We also have blueberry maggot fly which I apply 1 application of Entrust and possibly 1 or 2 other applications of Pyganic if the problem is bad. I also set out sticky traps to catch in heavy infested areas. I expect the problem to decrease each year from the increasing number of nematodes in the soil from spraying compost tea consistently. I will use an occasional spray of Pyganic if we have bettle problems in our vegetable gardens.
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.	We have some mummyberry in the blueberries which I use Serenade at 1 pound per acre, usually 1-2 applications per season along with the spraying of compost tea.
Please list the water source you use for crop irrigation. If source is public river, pond or lake, please note the name:	We use the pond water on our 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?	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.	East a farm 200 yards away. South is a freeway. North and west is woods.

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: