Produce & Flowers

Cherokee Creek Farm

Owner: Wayne and Alicia Conger

Address:
Madison, FL

daytime phone: (850) 228-5042
evening phone: (850) 228-5042

Application Date: 2021-09-28

Applicant Details

Please briefly tell us why you are applying to be part of the Certified Naturally Grown program: *
We were CNG certified for produce from 2013-2019. We are no longer growing produce for sale but we are growing bedding plants for a large local nursery and would like to obtain certification for our greenhouse plants.
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? *
yes
If yes, please note which agencies and dates: *
CNG 2013-2019
Have you ever been denied certification? *
no
How did you hear about Certified Naturally Grown? *
We were previously CNG
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? *
We learned our farming practices from other local organic farmers, extensive reading and research, and lots of practice following these methods! We grew produce for the Red Hills Online Market in Tallahassee from 2013-2018 and for several restaurants during those years. We currently grow vegetable, herb, and flower bedding plants for Tallahassee Nurseries.

General Farm Information

Farm Acreage you want listed as Certified Naturally GrownTM:
Total Farm Acreage you actually GROW on: *
None
Number of above acreage that you own: *
We own all of our land
Number of above acreage that you lease: *
None
Do you have other acreage in "Conventional" Agricultural Systems? *
no
General Listed Acreage Breakdown
Veg Crops:
Fruit Crops:
Hay:
Grains/Beans:
Sugarbush:
Other Acreage:
Please check all items you grow and will market as Certified Naturally GrownTM *











Please Specify Any Other Items:
We are only applying for certification for our greenhouse plants. We still grow produce for family and friends but we do not sell any produce.
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:
Tallahassee Nurseries garden center. We are not actually growing for Local Harvest but this form required us to check one of the other options in addition to "other".

Farmland Management and Practices

Primary Tillage System: *
Beds are broadforked initially. No till method after the beds are broadforked.
Do you use Cover Crops? *
no
Do you use Compost? *
yes
If yes, please note general sources (on farm, purchased complete, local grass clippings, local dairy, etc.): *
Mushroom compost purchased complete from a local mushroom farm
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". *
4" deep
Do you use Manure? *
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. *
None
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. *
We are seeking certification for greenhouse plants; we have no weed problems in the greenhouse. In the garden we have all variety of weeds growing in north Florida. We remove them by hand or weeing implement. We also cover our beds with landscape fabric.
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. *
Army worms, stink bugs. We use Bt for army worms, keep the garden free of weeds as much as possible, landscape fabric significantly reduces stink bugs. Avoid using straw in the beds because it attracts stink bugs. We have no insect problems in the greenhouse.
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. *
Fungus in the heat and humidity. We use Revitalize in the garden. No disease problems in the greenhouse.
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
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. *
We have been buying seeds from heirloom, organic companies we trust for several years. Baker Creek, Eden Brothers, Annie's Heirloom Seeds, Tomato Fest, and Southern Exposure Seed Exchange.
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? *
Purchase
What ingredients does your potting mix contain? If you purchase a mix, please also indicate which product. *
We use all natural or organic potting soils including Dr. Earth and Black Gold. For seed starters, we use Espoma and Coast of Maine.
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. *
N/A
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. *
To the north and east a wooded land of several hundred acres each separates us from our neighbors. That land is not in agricultural use. To the west a quarter mile separates us from our neighbors who have cattle another quarter mile away and no farmland. To the south a half mile separates us from neighboring corn fields.

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: