Daisyfish Farm Produce & Flowers Application

Application Date:

City: Danielsville, GA

Please briefly tell us why you are applying to be part of the Certified Naturally Grown (CNG) program:
We are part of a growing collective of local farms that combine our produce at a co-op table at our farmers market. We need a way to communicate to our customers that we farm according to ecological principles and differentiate ourselves from conventional growers selling at the same market. We feel that the CNG program is aligned with our values and we would benefit from joining.

Are you currently third-party-certified for your produce 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 growing and selling your products?
We started the farm in 2021 and are beginning our third season
How did you learn to farm? What has prepared you to farm successfully according to CNG standards?
I apprenticed with a farmer in Golden, Colorado for three years from 2015 - 2018. Tim and his family were using a bio-intensive, no-till, permanent bed system on 1/3 acre with minimal inputs. I learned every aspect of his production methods, harvest techniques, and post-harvest handling. It was a highly productive farm with a successful Sunday farmers market. I learned that ecological farming can produce high yields of high quality produce and that a loyal customer base can and will grow around that. I then moved to Georgia and worked for a CNG farm in Barrow county for two years that operated on a much larger scale of 2.5 acres with a tractor/tillage based approach. They also had high standards and grew high quality produce. I worked mainly as a harvester and in the wash/pack, as well as some field work like weeding and transplanting. I learned valuable information about growing techniques in the Southeast. In the meantime I completed Neversink Farm's Market course on no-till, permanent bed farming techniques. I started my own farm with a partner in 2022 with the same bio-intensive, no-till, permanent bed system that I learned in Colorado (and from Neversink's course). We have successfully farmed this way for two years. We sell at a local farmers market and to Chefs in the Atlanta area.
Total number of acres you want listed as CNG: 0.5
Do you have other acreage in "Conventional" Agricultural Systems? No
How many acres are in conventional agriculture?
List what you are growing conventionally and explain why these crops are excluded from certification.

General Listed Acreage Breakdown

Of the acreage that you want listed as CNG, list the number of acres you have in each crop category.

Vegetables: 0.25
Fruit:
Cut Flowers:
Hay:
Grains:
Dry Beans:
Sugarbush:
Other Acreage: 0.25

Specify other items:

Specify other primary crop:
Specify any other items you'd like listed as CNG: In the future we'd like to list grapes and tree fruits
List any crops you grow that will not be listed as CNG, and explain why you’re not seeking to certify them.
None

Specify other markets:

Farmland Management & Practices

Describe how you prepare your ground for planting.
We terminate a crop by mowing low, then broadfork and hand weed the bed if necessary. Whenever possible we leave root systems in the soil. If the subsequent crop will be transplanted we leave the previous crop residue in the bed as a mulch. If needed, we apply compost by wheelbarrow and rake it out (or depending on the subsequent crop). If the crop is a small seed such as carrot, lettuce or mustards we remove crop residue to the compost pile or to the pathways and use a tilther to work the top two inches of the bed into a fine soil structure. Depending on the crop we may broadcast dry fertilizer.
Do you use Cover Crops? Yes
List the cover crop species you use:
Winter Rye Austrian Field Peas Sunn Hemp Buckwheat Annual Ryegrass Hairy Vetch Cowpeas Soybeans
Do you use Compost? Yes

Describe your on-farm composting process.

Describe how you verify with your supplier that their compost is properly composted and does not contain prohibited ingredients like biosolids. We called the supplier to verify that their compost meets NOP standards and is OMRI listed.
Describe your "other" source of compost.
List your compost application rates. Give a specific amount or range. .5 to 3 inches deep per 125 sq ft bed
Do you use Manure? No
List your general manure sources:
Please list application rates. Give a specific amount or range.
What time of year do you apply the manure?
Do you apply any manure within 120 days of edible crop harvesting?
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. Harmony Ag Organic Fertilizer, Biosystems LLC, OMRI Listed Living Stone Organics products, Terra Biotics, Conforms to NOP Rule (7CFR205) --Premium Seed Treatment, Complete, Bloom Plus, K-35 Plus, Fish Alive Micro-Plenty PHYTO-PLUS, Baicor, OMRI Listed Brown's Fish Fertilizer, C.R. Brown Enterprises, OMRI Listed
How do you decide which inputs (fertilizers, pest/disease control products, etc.) to use on your farm? How will you determine if an input is allowed for use in CNG production? We use inputs that feed or encourage the microbiology and fungi in our soil. We base our decisions on both soil test results and recommendations from Crop Services International and our own observations of plant and soil health. In the beginning years on our farm we have chosen to use foliar sprays from Living Stone Organics to support plants while the soil life establishes itself. We use application rates based on soil test recommendations. We only use products that are OMRI listed and/or meet NOP standards.
Have any chemical fertilizers been applied to the fields you are seeking Certification for in the last three years (36 months)? No
According to CNG guidelines, it is acceptable to apply OMRI-listed, chelated synthetic fertilizers to correct specific micronutrient imbalances only if micronutrient deficiency is documented in a recent soil or tissue 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 three years?No
If yes, then please specify type and most recent application date:
Do you use Professional Soil Testing services? Yes
In detail, describe your primary weed problems AND methods of control. Do not answer "none". You MUST indicate either actual weed 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.
Our primary weed problems are from our living pathways or from inattentiveness to weeds as we get busy. Our best weed management comes from shallow cultivation with tools like a wire weeder when weeds are at the thread stage, mulching beds and mowing and edging our living pathways once per week. When we get behind on this and beds become weedy we may hand weed if it seems doable or we may mow and then sheet mulch with cardboard and compost to smother when we flip the bed. This year we'll be trialing silage tarps. Our most challenging weeds are nut sedge and some aggressive rhizomal grasses
In detail, describe your primary insect challenges 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.
Our primary insect challenges are: Japanese Beatles Squash bugs Pickle Worms Army worms Cut worms Tomato hornworms Flea Beatles Grasshoppers We use insect netting for some crops to prevent flea beatles and grasshoppers (who eat new brassica transplants). We hand pick tomato horn worms, army worms and cutworms off tomatoes (this year we are trying companion planting sweet alyssum to attract predatory wasps). We knock squash bugs (and their eggs) and Japanese beatles into a bucket of soapy water by hand. We have occasionally sprayed BT and Spinosad but only as a last resort. We are committed to Elliot Coleman's "plant positive" approach and seek to encourage ecological diversity, habitat for predators and soil health to support a plant's natural defenses.
In detail, describe your primary disease challenges AND methods of control. Do not answer "none". You MUST indicate either actual disease 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.
We have had some fungal issues and some blight. We've struggled with blossom end rot. Most of our issues are pest related. We have used baking soda as a foliar spray followed by inoculation of the plant with beneficial fungi and microbes to address serious fungal issues in our first year. We address all disease issues with the same "plant positive" approach -- this typically involves a foliar spray that supports beneficial microbes and fungi if the plant is really struggling, otherwise we take the long-term view of building our soil health through keeping living, photosynthesizing plants growing as much as possible, building the soil with compost and non-disturbance/no-till techniques.
Please list any weed, pest, or disease products that you use (insecticidal soap, horticultural vinegar, copper, etc.). For each product, list the full name, manufacturer, and OMRI status. Monterey B.t., Brandt Consolidated, OMRI listed Monterey Garden Insect Spray, Brandt Consolidated, OMRI listed
Please list the water source you use for crop irrigation. If source is public river, pond or lake, please note the name: Well water
Are there any known contaminants in the irrigation water? No
If yes, please explain:

Microgreens & Sprouts

Please fill this out for your indoor operation only.

Provide a brief description of your operation. (square footage? in a greenhouse or other indoor setting? etc.)

Are any of your crops sprouted and/or grown without soil or substrate? Use the link below to view our guidance on sprouts vs. microgreens.
For sprouts, we require that all seeds are organic or CNG. If you grow or decide to grow sprouts, will you purchase only organic and/or CNG seed for your sprout crop?
What media are you using to grow your microgreens and/or sprouts? 

If you purchase potting mix or soilless media, list the product name, manufacturer, and OMRI status. If you make your own, list the ingredients.

Describe the mats or other substrate you are using. Provide product names.

What type of trays are you using in your operation?
What is your general irrigation set-up? Does water recirculate? What is the source of the water?

Although pests and disease are certainly less common for microgreens operations, there are still issues such as fungal gnats and damping off. What measures do you use to prevent pest and disease pressures?

How do you dispose of spent soil? Do you compost?

Is your operation fully indoors?
Are you growing any crops outside in the soil?

Maple

Are you a maple producer who seeks to certify your sugarbush?
Maple sap is considered a wild crop. CNG's Wild Crop Harvesting Standard states that wild crop must be harvested in a manner that ensures that such harvesting or gathering will not be destructive to the environment and will sustain the growth and production of the wild crop. Please briefly describe any steps you take to protect and ensure the sustainability of your sugarbush.

Do you use an organic de-foamer? custom_field:pf_dump_nearby$$
Over-tapping trees can stunt their growth. Do you (or will you) adhere to the Cornell Sugar Maple Research & Extension Program guidelines which state "trees 10-17 inches in diameter (31-53 inch circumference) should have no more than one tap. A tree 18-24 inches in diameter (57-75 inch circumference) should have no more than two taps. A tree larger than 25 inches in diameter (79-inch circumference) should have no more than three taps."
To maximize tree health and sap production, CNG supports Cornell's recommendation that all taps are 5/16" in diameter or smaller. Is this your practice, and if not, would you be willing to transition to 5/16" (or smaller) taps within the next three years? Please elaborate.

Seeds & Transplants

CNG certification requires the use of certified organic or CNG seeds whenever available. Please indicate the suppliers from which you source (or will source) your seeds. The CNG seed standard also applies to sweet potato slips, seed potatoes, day-neutral strawberry slips, and flower bulbs, corms, and tubers.
Johnny's Selected Seeds Southern Exposure Seed Exchange Territorial Seed Company Seed Savers Exchange Ison's Nursery
Please indicate, by typing your initials, that you will as a general rule purchase organically grown seeds, AND that you will only purchase conventional seed when the variety you wish to grow is not available in certified organic or CNG form. For each variety purchased in conventional form, you will identify (and keep records of) at least three commercial organic seed suppliers who do not carry that variety. CW
Do you purchase or grow using any Genetically Modified seeds? No
Do you use any chemically treated seeds in your operation? No
If yes, please list types:
Please note reason for purchasing treated seed:

Do you grow your own transplants? Yes
Do you purchase potting soil, or do you mix your own on the farm? Purchase
What ingredients does your potting mix contain? If you purchase a mix, please also indicate which product.
We use Dirtcraft Levitation Seedling Mix made by Dirtcraft Living Soils Ingredients: Coconut Coir, Organic Compost, Aged Bark Fines, Rice Hulls, Diatomite, Blood Meal, Fish Bone Meal, Gypsum, Kelp Meal, Mycorrhiza.
Are all of your transplants grown according to CNG standards, without synthetic fertilizers or wetting agents? Yes
If any transplants are not grown according to CNG standards, please list them here. These products may not be marketed as CNG.

Do you source any transplants from off your farm? No
From which suppliers do you source transplants?

How have you confirmed with your supplier that the transplants are grown without synthetic fertilizers or wetting agents?
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).

Chemical/Spray Drift and Buffers:

Is there any likelihood of Chemical/Spray drift contamination of your fields? No
If yes, please state the source (conventional farm field, golf course, neighbor's lawn, 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
Please refer to the CNG Buffer FAQ below and explain why your buffers are not adequate.
Please 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. 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 located in the middle of 12.5 acres of forest at the end of a dead end/private road. We are separated by forest on the north, west and south borders from residential neighbors by a minimum of 500 feet (to the north -- much farther on the west and south border). We are separated by a substantial distance of forest as well as a creek from our neighbor grazing cattle to the east.

Agreements