Produce & Flowers

Possum Tail Farm

Owner: Brian and Jennifer Kahly

Address:
1771 Oak Grove Rd
Terra Alta, WV 26764
Preston County

daytime phone: (304) 789-5556
Web site: http://www.possumtailfarm.com

Application Date: 2021-05-18

Applicant Details

Please briefly tell us why you are applying to be part of the Certified Naturally Grown program: *
We are already certified for Livestock and have begun growing some green things.
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? *
We are already certified for Livestock and have begun growing some green things.
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? *

General Farm Information

Farm Acreage you want listed as Certified Naturally GrownTM:
Total Farm Acreage you actually GROW on: *
3.5
Number of above acreage that you own: *
148
Number of above acreage that you lease: *
0
Do you have other acreage in "Conventional" Agricultural Systems? *
no
General Listed Acreage Breakdown
Veg Crops:
.5
Fruit Crops:
.25
Hay:
Grains/Beans:
Sugarbush:
Other Acreage:
2
Please check all items you grow and will market as Certified Naturally GrownTM *











Please Specify Any Other Items:
Please check all markets you grow for (this will be displayed on your farm profile to help potential buyers find you). *











Please Specify Other Markets:

Farmland Management and Practices

Primary Tillage System: *
Vertical tiller to create permanant beds.
Do you use Cover Crops? *
yes
If yes, please list: *
Buckwheat, oats and cereal rye
Do you use Compost? *
yes
If yes, please note general sources (on farm, purchased complete, local grass clippings, local dairy, etc.): *
Our own hot compost. Mushroom compost steralized with steam.
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 ton per acre
Do you use Manure? *
yes
If yes, please note general sources (local dairy, horse farm, etc.): *
Poultry manure.
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 ton per acre
What time of year do you apply the manure? *
at least 6 months before harvest
Do you apply any non-composted Manure within 120 days of veg-crop harvesting? *
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. *
Ohio earth potting soil (all seedlings), ag lime (according to soil samples), fertrell fertilizers (as neded according to soil tests)
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. 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. *
Yes we have all kinds of weeds but we manually remove them.
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. *
None. But, diatomacous earth would be our go to product and manual removal. They way we grow things eliminates most pests. Ocassionally japanese bettles are around but the elderberries are much more attractive than our other plants. We also just sacrific a planting to the weeds or bugs, not fight them.
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 not identified any diseases. I would use the sacrifice method above unless through my research it indicated we would need to pull and detroy plants to control spead. Then if I anticipated the problem again in the future we would impliment whatever methods our research indicated or not raise that crop in the future.
Please list the water source you use for crop irrigation. If source is public river, pond or lake, please note the name: *
Rarely irrigate. We get crazy rainfall here. We have a Spring for all our water needs.
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

How do you select your seeds? CNG standards call for growers to make a good faith effort to locate organically grown seeds by contacting at least 3 major suppliers. *
Strictly Medicinal, Johnny's, Companion Plants and Fedco
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
Do you purchase potting soil, or do you mix your own on the farm? *
Ohio Earth Organic
What ingredients does your potting mix contain? If you purchase a mix, please also indicate which product. *
I have no idea. I just buy the organic product from Ohio Earth by the pallet through another local farm.
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. (If they all are, put "N/A".) This produce may not be marketed as Certified Naturally Grown. *
none
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. *
Only one side of our farm borders a sprayed hay field and that has at least 60 ft buffer and the wind generally does not blow from that direction.

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 GrownTM. *
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:
I am really frustrated with our dealings with CNG. I even tried to save all of our documents and mail them together this year to minimize confusion and we are still having issues. I was asked to submit this application last year, I did so. No one followed up to tell me it wasn't done properlly. At least this time someone followed up. I'm really trying to make this process easier on us and it feels like that isn't possible.