Hole in the Woods Farm Livestock Application

Application Date: 2016-12-27

City: Culver, IN

Please briefly tell us why you are applying to be part of the Certified Naturally Grown (CNG) program: Have been a long time CNG produce farm, now certifying livestock as well.

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: 11.5

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. We rotationaly graze on our produce fields as well. This allows "harvesting" of green manure/cover crops, in-site composting of crop residues, and quality feed for our critters, as well as control of some of our most severe insect pests (notably Colorado Potato Beetle)

Pasture: 7

Hay: 2

Grain:

Other: 2.5

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 - 4 Geese - 5 Occasionally do 1-3 batches of 40 broilers each (number of batches depends on how feed is holding out) Alpaca - 2 (not certified)

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). Ducks and geese rotated at least weekly except in winter. Geese as weed pressure and/or pasture quality dictate, ducks mostly as insect pressure and/or pasture quality dictate. (Not certified: Alpacas moved between over-large summer pasture and a winter pasture. Planned to subdivide summer pasture for rotational grazing this spring.)

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? ducks and geese - graze and forage in rotational pens (using poultrynet portable fencing). Some grain & hay raised on farm to suplement in winter. (Not certified: Alpacas - graze in summer, own hay in winter, plus limited grain (oats, rye, corn, sunflower seed, raised on farm, plus molasses (from grocery store)) supplement )

Do you buy in some feed? No

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. Main pest problems are intestinal parasites in alpacas. See below. Geese and ducks have had no pest challenges so far, but we try to prevent them by rotational grazing. Predators have been an issue for birds. Hawks, eagles, owls, and falcons are quite common on our farm. We have also had one incident of a mink getting through the electric netting and killing our entire flock of ducks in one evening. Dogs/coyotes/raccoons are effectively deterred by the electric netting. Keeping the geese and ducks together prevents may problems from the predators, as the geese are quite intimidating. However, when geese are sitting on eggs or have goslings, the ganders are too violent with the ducks and we must separate them. During these periods, as well as when ducks need to be separated for controlling vegetable pest insects, we try to keep the ducks away from surface water where the minks come from, move them daily to prevent drawing attention, and keep runs long and narrow to deter arial predators.

Provide details of all livestock owned by you, or grazed on your land, that are treated and quarantined on your property currently, no livestock are quarantined. (Parasite treatment - ivermectin safeguard - above for alpacas. Per veterinarian recommendation, it is important not to quarantine animals being treated for resistant parasites.)

Primary Tillage System: rototiller, combined with geese. Because we use the same plots in rotation, very little primary tillage is used, instead use a shallow roto-tilling, soil tilther, and/or cultivator, sometimes a tarp or flame weeder to create a stale seedbed.

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. Fertrell soil mineralizer annually, rates as recommended per soil test, on pasture. wood ash from home heating/cooking mixed with vermicompost (described above) before spreading until a pH of 7 or we run out of wood ash.

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. crabgrass, lambs quarter, ragweed. Controlled mechanically (hand-pulling, hoeing, cultivator)

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. colorado potato beetle. Will rotate ducks through potato plot if far enough in advance of harvest. They don't eat the potatoes, but decimate the CPB. Also hand-pick and squish egg clusters until no longer practical. If necessary, use Colorado Potato Beetle Beater, an omri-listed spinosad procuct. Usually one or two applications is sufficient.

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

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: