Butte Mountain Farm Livestock Application

Application Date: 2010-01-08

City: Jackson, CA

Please briefly tell us why you are applying to be part of the Certified Naturally Grown (CNG) program: I would like customers to know that I am following organic standards even though I can't afford 3rd party certification and don't qualify for state registration since I make more than $5000.

Are you currently third party certified for your livestock operation by any other organization (Organic, Biodynamic, etc.)? No

If yes, please note which certification and agency:

Have you held any certification/s in the past that you don't currently hold? No

Note which agencies and dates:

Have you ever been denied certification? No

If yes, please note which agencies, and reasons for denial:

How long have you been raising livestock and marketing your livestock products?

How did you learn to raise livestock? What has prepared you to farm successfully according to CNG standards?

Total number of acres you wanted listed as CNG :

Total farm acreage to be used for pasture and feed crops: 50

Do you have other acreage in "Conventional" Agricultural Systems? No

How many acres are in conventional agriculture?

List what crops/products/livestock you are growing conventionally, and explain why they are excluded from certification. vegetable crops, farm buildings, chicken yards, dwellings, ponds

Pasture: 80

Hay:

Grain:

Other: 14

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

Specify Any Other Items:

Specify Other Markets:

Please list all livestock for which you seek certification by type/breed, and indicate how many of each are on the farm today. 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. Sheep: cormo & rambouillet cross 16 ewes and 16 lambs that are for sale. Chickens: 150 of the following types-Americana, Rhode Island Red, Golden sex link, Cuckoo Maran, Welsummer, Barred Rock. Meat Chickens 19: 15 Cornish crosses, 4Rhode Island Red Animals to be stocked this year: another 100 pullets for laying, 10 to 20 turkeys and 10 of the sheep are (hopefully) going to give birth in April.

By typing my initials below, 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). Yes

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

List, for each type/breed for which you seek certification, the date since which all your livestock of that type have been managed according to CNG standards. For poultry, indicate whether they have been managed according to CNG standards since the second day of life.

By typing my initials below, I agree not to market as Certified Naturally Grown any livestock or livestock products that have not been under continuous CNG management for at least nine months (or in the case of dairy products, for at least six months). I understand that if in the future I want to market as Certified Naturally Grown any livestock not named in this application, I may do so if the livestock has been raised according to CNG standards since the last third of gestation or, for poultry, the second day of life. Otherwise I shall contact CNG to obtain a variance.

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). Sheep have 30 acres they graze daily. Laying Chickens have 8'x20' coop and half of large day yard(264' x 192' just pacing roughly)The new layers in the summer will go into the other 8'x20'coop and take the other half yard. When the group there now reaches 17-24 months, they are sold as stewing hens and the coop/yard rest.

Do your ruminant livestock obtain at least 30% of their dry matter intake from grazed forage during the growing season?

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?

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

Is all feed grown according to CNG 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? This Organically certified feed is purchased at Modesto Milling, the mill is certified by Oregon Tilth.

Do you buy in some feed? Yes

Will you be sure to submit a Feed Form within two weeks?

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. To date there have not been any major problems.

Provide details of all livestock owned by you, or grazed on your land, that are treated and quarantined on your property none

Primary Tillage System: Pasture is not tilled, it is "range land" Where crops are grown, I use a rototiller.

Do you use Cover Crops? Yes

List cover crops:

How do you prevent manure runoff in your fields, livestock housing areas, and pastures?

Do you use Compost? Yes

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

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".

Please list any other brought in fertility sources that you use (rock powders, lime, alfalfa meal, fertilizer mixes, etc.) For each product, list the full name, manufacturer, and OMRI status. Biolink-0/5/5 blood meal, feather meal, bone meal and mined potassium sulfate. This was used on new transplants as they went into the ground. Greensand-used in seedling mix Bloodmeal-used when potting on seedlings Soft Rock Phosphate-used in seedling mix Sierra Nevada Foothill Fertilizer by Peaceful Valley-soft rock phosphate, gypsum, oystershell lime, sulfate of potash and kelp meal

Have any chemical fertilizers been applied to the fields you are seeking Certification for in the last three years (36 months)? No

As per the Certification regulations, it is acceptable to apply chelated chemical fertilizers to correct specific micronutrient imbalances as listed on a recent soil test. Does the application of this fertilizer meet those requirements?

Specify types, amounts and application dates:

Have any non-acceptable pesticides and/or herbicides been applied to these fields in the last 3 years? No

Specify type and most recent application date:

Describe your primary weed problems and methods of control. If you indicate a name brand product, specify the product name, manufacturer, OMRI status, and how often it's used. weed problems dealt with by cultivation

Describe your primary plant pest problems and methods of control. If you indicate a name brand product, specify the product name, manufacturer, OMRI status, and how often it's used. lygus bugs, white fly, earwigs, Cropguard was used-botanical garlic insect repellent, OMRI approved. It was used 2 to 4 times in 2008 but not in 2009.

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

Are there any known contaminants in the irrigation water? No

Provide more details about the contaminants in the irrigation water.

Do you purchase or grow using any Genetically Modified seeds? No

Do you use any chemically treated seeds in your operation? No

List types of seeds, and note reason for purchasing treated seed.

By typing my initials below, I understand that the use of chemically treated seeds is not allowed under organic and Certified Naturally Grown guidelines. I will not label, or in any way lead consumers to believe produce grown from treated seeds are Certified Naturally Grown.

Is there any likelihood of Chemical/Spray drift contamination of your fields? No

Please state the source (conventional farm field, golf course, etc.) and any details you can provide (type of pesticide, fertilizer, herbicide used, and/or what used for).

Do you have an adequate buffer to protect yourself from potential contamination? Yes

Describe your buffer. Be as specific as possible and include buffer widths. 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.

List at least one person who you could ask to conduct your farm's inspection.

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. Yes

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 will abide by the trading and repeat rules within the CNG Inspection Guidelines. Yes

I have reviewed the Certified Naturally Grown Livestock Standards, I understand them, and I will abide by them. I understand that if I have any questions I may contact CNG for clarification. Yes

You may use this space to tell us anything else you think we should know about your farm: The area for chickens is dry grass part of the year. It is not irrigated pasture. They receive weeds/greens from the vegetable growing portion of the farm on a daily basis.