Produce & Flowers

Southern Seed Garlic

Owner: Matthew and Sarah Singer

Address:
PO Box 422
Vilonia, AR 72173
Faulkner County

daytime phone: (501) 514-4348
Web site: http://Southernseedgarlic.com

Application Date: 2020-06-18

Applicant Details

Please briefly tell us why you are applying to be part of the Certified Naturally Grown program: *
To help demonstrate the value to our seed garlic and other crops
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? *
Friends
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? *
Our farm is 4th generation and has never been run like a commercial operation or treated chemically.

General Farm Information

Farm Acreage you want listed as Certified Naturally GrownTM:
Total Farm Acreage you actually GROW on: *
.25
Number of above acreage that you own: *
All
Number of above acreage that you lease: *
0
Do you have other acreage in "Conventional" Agricultural Systems? *
yes
If yes, how many acres are in conventional agriculture? *
.1
If yes, please list what you are growing conventionally: *
Some tomatoes for personal consumption. Under all CNG practices, but the purchased starts were conventional.
General Listed Acreage Breakdown
Veg Crops:
.2
Fruit Crops:
.05
Hay:
Grains/Beans:
Sugarbush:
Other Acreage:
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:
Website

Farmland Management and Practices

Primary Tillage System: *
Occultation, mulching, occasional tilling for certain crops
Do you use Cover Crops? *
yes
If yes, please list: *
Buckwheat occasionally
Do you use Compost? *
yes
If yes, please note general sources (on farm, purchased complete, local grass clippings, local dairy, etc.): *
Purchased complete
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" deeo
Do you use Manure? *
yes
If yes, please note general sources (local dairy, horse farm, etc.): *
Our cows and chickens
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" deep
What time of year do you apply the manure? *
Varies
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. *
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. *
Runner grass is our most invasive weed, although we have many others. Weed control is sought through tarping and mulching. We use DeWitt Sunbelt landscape fabric extensively between rows.
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. *
For our primary cash crop, garlic, we have little insect trouble. Squash bugs and cucumber beetles do damage annually to other crops. We combat these by covering the squashes and cucumber plants with floating row covers until pollination time, and by prompt removal of and burning the plants after harvest.
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. *
Our production is small. By crop rotation, healthy soil, monitoring, and quick removal of plants after harvesting, we have not had any significant disease problem. Again, our main crop, garlic is fairly disease free. We did have one or two bulbs show signs last year of penicillin mold. It had been the wettest year in our state's history and it was difficult to cure the crop. These bulbs were discovered in one of several inspections we do of the entire crop, and promptly destroyed and our equipment sanitized. There have been no signs this year of the mold, and our weather conditions are much more favorable. My experience has been that seeking a healthy growing environment for the plants, culling plants that are weakening, and rotating yearly goes a long to way to stopping problems before they start.
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
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. *
From companies with a reputation for being committed to promoting heirloom and nkn-Gmo seeds. Johnny's, Bakera Creek and Seed Savers Exchange were our primary suppliers, besides our own seed stock.
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. *
Alfalfa meal, kelp meal, yucca, coir, earthworm castings, bone meal. The soil I used this year was Nature's Care organic potting mix.
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. *
300 ft of thick woods between our garden and neighbors property. Our fruit trees are closer to a field from which there was possible spray contamination, but that neighbor is deceased now and we have not observed anyone spraying it since. Also, we do not market our fruit.

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:
Our primary cash crop is garlic, and it has been raised in strict compliance with the VNG guidelines from our start with it 4 years ago. I studied your guidelines and have raised it completely in accordance from the beginning. We are seeking certification for this crop for certain. We would like to have our other crops certified when possible. Our farm is 4th generation and has never been run like a commercial operation or treated chemically. That being said, for some of our crops, you will see we used potting soil with wetting agents (organic), or used non-Gmo seed that was not organic, etc. I feel that we are very much in compliance with the heart of CNG in our entire operation, but realize we may need to go thru a transition period in our other crops before these can be certified. We are seeking yearly to bring the whole operation into CNG guidelines and increase our production to where we have other crops to market besides the garlic. Again, the garlic has been raised in complete compliance from the start. Thank you and we look forward to working with you. CNG Staff Edit 7/7/22: Added transitional status because of SuperSoil use. From Sarah: Regarding the SuperSoil, yes, I did contact the company this year and was told that while it was not certified organic, it was comprised of natural ingredients. We used it only minimally to top-dress the planted-rows. I prefer not bringing in amendments from off the farm and had already made the decision not to use it this coming year now that we have a better source of on-farm compost. So yes, absolutely we would be happy to move away from the SuperSoil and did not realize it contained prohibited components.