One step closer to Certified Naturally Grown
I got notified that the Troublesome Creek Farm application to become Certified Naturally Grown was accepted!
I still have to schedule a site visit and double-check all the rules and regulations and make sure that all the documentation is in place — but it’s one step closer to certification!
Why does this matter?
Certified Naturally Grown is a peer-review organization that offers a transparent way for farmers to document organic growing practices. Consumers can read applications and decide where they’d like to spend their money based on those growing practices.
There are markets and consumers I’ll be able to reach with this certification that I couldn't reach otherwise.
Why not become organic?
Becoming certified organic is a multiple years process that can get expensive and Certified Naturally Grown is a way for smaller farms to show outside accountability quickly.
Maybe one day I’ll shoot for certified organic, but it’d have to be a farm larger than 1/4 acre. I don’t think I could pay for organic certification on what I’m currently cultivating. Hell, I can’t pay for anything just yet!
Just in case you’re interested, here’s my application:
Farm Name: Troublesome Creek Farm
Contact : Erin France
Applicant Details
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Please briefly tell us why you are applying to be part of the Certified Naturally Grown program:
I’d like to have the outside accountability of the Certified Naturally Grown program so that customers and clients
can have additional confidence in the quality of the produce. I’d like to keep the application on my website to be transparent with people about how I grow things and why.
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Are you currently third party Certified for your produce operation by any other organization (Organic, Biodynamic, etc)?
no
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Have you ever been certified in the past?
no
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Have you ever been denied certification?
no
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How did you hear about Certified Naturally Grown?
From other farmers and farmer’s market managers.
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How did you learn to farm, and for how long have you been farming for market? What has prepared you to farm successfully according to CNG standards?
I attended and completed the Master Gardener program after years of interest in small-scale gardening. Looking for a career switch, I started working part-time on a non-certified organic farm six years ago. I worked for them for a year and a half and experienced a business implementing good growing practices, but without certifications they were limited in where they could sell their produce. I attended a training session in handling on-farm produce from the Produce Safety Alliance during a farming conference in Chattanooga in 2018. I moved to a full-time grower position at a non-organic commercial greenhouse operation. I was responsible for an acre large greenhouse. Though it was not organic, I did learn how to grow plants. Nearly two years later, I moved to a certified organic farm as their Produce Manager. I worked there for six months before leaving to start my own farm. Though this is not the typical experience of many growers, I think it shows my drive and determination to become a successful CNG farm.
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General Farm Information
Total Farm Acreage you actually GROW on:
1/2 acre
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Number of above acreage that you own:
1/2 acre
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Number of above acreage that you lease:
0
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Do you have other acreage in "Conventional" Agricultural Systems?
no
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General Listed Acreage Breakdown
Veg Crops:
1/4 acre
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Fruit Crops:
1/4 acre
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Hay:
0
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Grains/Beans:
0
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Sugarbush:
0
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Other Acreage:
0
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| Please check all items you grow and will | Vegetables, Herbs, |
| market as Certified Naturally | Berries, Tree Fruits, |
| Grown<sup>TM</sup> | Grapes, Beans, |
| | Greenhouse Plants, |
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| Please check all markets you grow for | Farmer's Market, Local |
| (this will be displayed on your farm | Restaurants, CSA's, |
| profile to help potential buyers find | |
| you). | |
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Farmland Management and Practices
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| Primary Tillage System: | No till system |
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| Do you use Cover Crops? | yes |
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| <em>If yes</em>, please list: | Vetch, white clover, |
| | buckwheat |
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| Do you use Compost? | yes |
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| <em>If yes</em>, please note general | Purchased -- food |
| sources (on farm, purchased complete, | waste compost from |
| local grass clippings, local dairy, | Athens-Clarke County |
| etc.): | composting
On farm |
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| Please list application rates. Give a | 2 - 4 inches deep per |
| specific amount or range (for example: | row |
| one to two tons per acre, ten wheelbarrow | |
| loads per 1,000 square feet, or 1-2 | |
| inches deep). Do not answer "varies". | |
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| Do you use Manure? | yes |
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| <em>If yes</em>, please note general | On farm goats and |
| sources (local dairy, horse farm, etc.): | chickens |
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| Please list application rates. Give a | Roughly 20 percent of |
| specific amount or range (for example: | compost. Then that |
| one to two tons per acre, ten wheelbarrow | compost is used 2-4 |
| loads per 1,000 square feet, or 1-2 | inches per row. |
| inches deep). Do not answer "varies". | |
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| What time of year do you apply the | I add manure to the |
| manure? | compost year-round |
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| Do you apply any non-composted Manure | no |
| within 120 days of veg-crop harvesting? | |
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| Please list any other brought in | Alaska Fish Fertilizer |
| fertility sources that you use (specific | - 5 percent nitrogen - |
| rock powders, lime, soybean / alfalfa | 1 percent phosphorus - |
| meal, specific purchased pre-mixes, | 1 percent potassium |
| etc)and how often it's used. If you | and other trace amount |
| indicate a name brand product, please | of minerals. Made of |
| also specify the ingredient/s. | fish |
| | emulsion.
Neptune&apos |
| | ;s Harvest - 2 percent |
| | nitro gram - 3 percent |
| | phosphorus - 1 percent |
| | potassium and other |
| | trace amount of |
| | minerals. Made of fish |
| | emulsion and seaweed. |
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| Have any chemical fertilizers been | no |
| applied to the fields you are seeking | |
| Certification for in the last three years | |
| (36 months)? | |
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| Have any non-acceptable pesticides and/or | no |
| herbicides been applied to these fields | |
| in the last 3 years? | |
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| Do you use Professional Soil Testing | yes |
| services? | |
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| Describe your primary weed problems AND | Common weeds include: |
| methods of control. Do not answer | Bermuda grass, |
| "none". You MUST indicate either actual | Dandelions, Dock, |
| weed challenges and/or LIKELY challenges, | Annual Bluegrass, |
| and you must ALSO indicate how you manage | Spurge, Chickweed, |
| (or would manage) them. If you indicate a | Crabgrass and Wild |
| product, also specify how often it's | violets - to name a |
| used. | few. When I started |
| | the garden I placed |
| | cardboard on top of |
| | the soil and then |
| | place compost on top |
| | of the cardboard. That |
| | gave me a head start |
| | on the weeds. Now, I |
| | use a combination of |
| | cardboard |
| | (specifically around |
| | edges and in some of |
| | the more persistent |
| | Bermuda grass areas) |
| | and pine mulch that I |
| | mulch myself from |
| | trees I cut myself on |
| | the property. I try to |
| | keep the rows cut with |
| | a weed eater. Complete |
| | hand-weeding and |
| | stirrup hoeing in the |
| | growing areas. |
| | I'm also |
| | experimenting with |
| | planting large |
| | ornamental and |
| | beneficial plants |
| | around the perimeter |
| | of the garden to keep |
| | Bermuda grass from |
| | coming in from the |
| | yard. It's worked |
| | well so far and I plan |
| | to expland my |
| | plantings in the fall. |
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| Describe your primary insect challenges | Common insect |
| AND methods of control. Do not answer | challenges include: |
| "none". You MUST indicate either actual | Whiteflies, flea |
| pest challenges and/or LIKELY challenges, | beetles, Hornworms, |
| and you must ALSO indicate how you manage | cutworms, general |
| (or would manage) them. If you indicate a | caterpillars, cabbage |
| product, also specify how often it's | moths and fire ants. |
| used. | The whiteflies use the |
| | invasive privet as |
| | their main base at the |
| | farm. I cut down a lot |
| | of privet in the |
| | winter and have |
| | noticed a real |
| | reduction in the |
| | number of whiteflies |
| | this spring. I plant |
| | on continuing that. I |
| | use trap crops for the |
| | flea beetles, mostly |
| | old boy choy varieties |
| | that bolt too quickly |
| | in the summer heat. |
| | This makes a great |
| | trap crop because I |
| | can keep the flea |
| | beetles contained, |
| | harvest the ugly, |
| | holey box choy and |
| | then feed the whole |
| | thing to the chickens, |
| | who eat leaves and |
| | beetles. I hand pick |
| | off hornworms every |
| | day or every other day |
| | off tomatoes and |
| | pepper plants. Those |
| | also go to the |
| | chickens. I planted a |
| | wild flower garden and |
| | leave self-seeded |
| | cilantro plants around |
| | the borders of the |
| | garden to attract |
| | beneficial insects. I |
| | put up bluebird boxes |
| | and other bird boxes |
| | near the garden and |
| | plant on putting |
| | another bird bath |
| | closer to the garden |
| | this year. The birds |
| | have done a great job |
| | picking bugs out of |
| | freshly weeded garden |
| | soil. I see plenty of |
| | lady bugs and lady |
| | beetles in my garden |
| | and whenever |
| | there's an aphid |
| | outbreak I can nearly |
| | always find land bugs |
| | or beetles near by |
| | controlling the |
| | population. I have |
| | used diatomaceous |
| | earth in the past on |
| | particularly stubborn |
| | fire ant hills, and |
| | might have to use it |
| | again in the future |
| | for hard to move |
| | hills. I have found |
| | that constantly |
| | disturbing the mound, |
| | shoveling or letting |
| | water hose run on it - |
| | especially when the |
| | ants have eggs about |
| | to hatch usually sets |
| | them off on finding a |
| | new home elsewhere |
| | than the garden. I use |
| | the diatomaceous earth |
| | on a dry, non-windy |
| | non-wet afternoon, |
| | shoveling the ants |
| | around and the pouring |
| | it on the most |
| | affected spots. |
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| Describe your primary disease challenges | Diseases I've |
| AND methods of control. Do not answer | encountered include |
| "none". You MUST indicate either actual | mildew, tomato leaf |
| disease challenges and/or LIKELY | curl, and sooty rust. |
| challenges, and you must ALSO indicate | I use drip irrigation |
| how you manage (or would manage) them. If | on my rows, so some |
| you indicate a product, also specify how | diseases are prevented |
| often it's used. | through that form of |
| | irrigation. I also |
| | keep my plants trimmed |
| | where necessary to |
| | keep continuous air |
| | flow and prevent rot |
| | and mildew. I also |
| | plan to rotate crops |
| | to keep potential |
| | diseases from coming |
| | back year after year. |
| | I clip leaves with the |
| | leaf curl. The leaf |
| | rust comes from a |
| | fungus that sets up |
| | shop after the |
| | whiteflies leave their |
| | honeydew. Better |
| | control of the |
| | whiteflies will help |
| | curtail the sooty |
| | rust. |
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| Please list the water source you use for | Well water |
| crop irrigation. If source is public | |
| river, pond or lake, please note the | |
| name: | |
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| Are there any known contaminants in the | no |
| irrigation water? | |
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| Are you a maple producer who seeks to | no |
| certify your sugarbush? | |
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Seeds, Transplants and Buffers
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| How do you select your seeds? CNG | I search through five |
| standards call for growers to make a good | or six various |
| faith effort to locate organically | catalogues to find the |
| grown seeds by contacting at least 3 | most interesting |
| major suppliers. | varieties. I purchase |
| | organic when I can, |
| | but always make sure |
| | to avoid genetically |
| | modified seeds, or |
| | chemically treated |
| | seeds. |
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| Do you purchase or grow using any | no |
| Genetically Modified seeds? | |
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| Do you use any chemically treated seeds | no |
| in your operation? | |
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| Do you grow your own transplants? | yes |
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| Do you purchase potting soil, or do | Purchase |
| you mix your own on the farm? | |
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| What ingredients does your potting mix | I use food scraps |
| contain? If you purchase a mix, please | compost from the |
| also indicate which product. | Athens-Clarke County |
| | composter mix with |
| | garden soil. I also |
| | use Miracle Grow |
| | Performance Organics. |
| | I used four bags this |
| | year to help start the |
| | most delicate of |
| | seeds. |
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| Are all of your transplants grown | yes |
| according to CNG standards, without | |
| synthetic fertilizers or wetting agents? | |
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| If any transplants are not grown | N/A |
| according to CNG standards, please list | |
| them here. (If they all are, put "N/A".) | |
| This produce may not be marketed as | |
| Certified Naturally Grown. | |
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| Do you purchase any transplants from | no |
| outside sources? | |
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| Chemical/Spray Drift and Buffers: |
|========================================================================|
| Is there any likelihood of Chemical/Spray | no |
| drift contamination of your fields? | |
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| Do you have an adequate buffer to protect | yes |
| yourself from potential contamination? | |
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| Please describe your buffer. Be as | To the South, there is |
| specific as possible. On all sides, how | a highway about 50 |
| far is it from your crops to the next | yards away. There are |
| closest use (road, conventional crop, | some pine trees and I |
| residential yard)? Be sure to specify | planted a hedge row |
| what is grown on neighboring land that is | this year to help with |
| in agricultural use. For example: To the | the noise and |
| north and east, a wooded area of at least | pollution from the |
| 100 yards separates us from the | highway. On the other |
| neighbor's corn fields, to the south is a | side of the highway is |
| fallow field at least 100 yards deep | 350 acres of hunting |
| separating us from the road, and to the | land. To the North, |
| west about 60 feet separates our crops | there's more than |
| from a field where conventional corn and | 30 acres of hunting |
| soybeans are grown. | land. To the West, |
| | there's a |
| | residence more than |
| | 100 yards away, but |
| | there are pine trees, |
| | a small copse, and |
| | electrical power lines |
| | between the farm and |
| | the next house. To the |
| | east, more than 100 |
| | yards away, is a |
| | neighbor who is |
| | currently tilling a |
| | field, it appears for |
| | small scale |
| | agricultural use. |
| | There is no large |
| | scale conventional |
| | farming closely the |
| | property -- that I |
| | know of. |
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