Produce & Flowers

Good Dog Farm

Owner: Joanna Winkler

Address:
4124 Black Rock Rd
Upperco, MD 21155
Baltimore County

Web site: http://gooddogfarmmd.com

Application Date: 2022-03-28

Applicant Details

Please briefly tell us why you are applying to be part of the Certified Naturally Grown program: *
We were previously certified USDA organic but have decided that the benefits of biodegradable mulch outweigh the value of the certification for our purposes. However, we still want to demonstrate our commitment to sustainable growing practices to our customers, and we like CNG's peer-to-peer model.
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: *
Certified organic through Maryland Department of Agriculture, 2018 - 2021
Have you ever been denied certification? *
no
How did you hear about Certified Naturally Grown? *
Farming conferences over the years, 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? *
We started Good Dog Farm in 2016. Bryan has been working on and managing farms since 2008, and Joanna has been working on farms on and off since 2004. We have taken numerous courses and continue to participate in several peer-to-peer education groups in the area.

General Farm Information

Farm Acreage you want listed as Certified Naturally GrownTM:
Total Farm Acreage you actually GROW on: *
18
Number of above acreage that you own: *
15
Number of above acreage that you lease: *
3
Do you have other acreage in "Conventional" Agricultural Systems? *
no
General Listed Acreage Breakdown
Veg Crops:
18
Fruit Crops:
Hay:
Grains/Beans:
3
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:
Online farmers market/home delivery through Chesapeake Farm to Table

Farmland Management and Practices

Primary Tillage System: *
We use a mix of implements as we determine is best suited for a given field at a given time, favoring the least disturbance where possible, including: moldboard for breaking new ground, inverting heavy grain stubble; articulating spader for most fields going into production; disk harrow for grain crops; rototiller if spader is unavailable or for a shallow pass to create a seed bed.
Do you use Cover Crops? *
yes
If yes, please list: *
Rye, vetch, oats, winter peas, forage radish, buckwheat, crimson clover, red clover, southern peas
Do you use Compost? *
yes
If yes, please note general sources (on farm, purchased complete, local grass clippings, local dairy, etc.): *
Purchased complete mushroom compost
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". *
two tons per acre once every 2-3 yrs
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. *
Naturesafe 13-0-0 (litter), applied at prep or under plastic at about 150#/ acre Fertoz Phosphorus 0-20-0 (mineral), applied to low-P fields at prep SOP Granular 0-0-50 (mineral), applied to low-K fields as needed, but mostly applied to potatoes at prep Biomin calcium 5% (mineral?), fertigated on fruiting nightshades weekly from fruit-set to first harvest Naturesafe 7-7-7 (corn byproduct), fertigated 2-12 times/ year depending on crop
Have any chemical fertilizers been applied to the fields you are seeking Certification for in the last three years (36 months)? *
yes
If yes, as per the Certification regulations, it is acceptable to apply chelated chemical fertilizers to correct specifical micronutrient imbalances as listed on a recent soil test. Does the application of this fertilizer meet those requirements? *
no
If Yes, please specify types, amounts and application dates: *
We purchased the farm in February 2020 so the last chemical fertilizer application was in April of 2019.
Have any non-acceptable pesticides and/or herbicides been applied to these fields in the last 3 years? *
yes
If yes, then please specify type and most recent application date: *
We purchased the farm in February 2020 so the last spray date glyphosate in June of 2019.
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. *
Most of our weeds are grasses (mostly mare's tail and foxtail) with minimal thistle and pigweed. Short term, we manage them through plastic mulches with cultivated or mowed walkways for transplanted crops and with a mix of stale seed bedding, tractor cultivation, and hand cultivation for direct seeded crops. Long term, we manage weeds through mowing before seed set for broadleaf weeds and cover crops, rotations, and seeding perennial ground covers.
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. *
We manage many pests like flea beetles, harlequins, and cucumber beetles with row cover, Surround, and timing. We manage squash bugs and potato beetles by rotating these crops between sites to interrupt life cycles; and perimeter trap crops and judicious pest scouting, followed by hand picking and/or targeted spraying (bT and spinosad for CPBs, nothing for squash bugs). We manage lepidoptera pests with a bT schedule sprayed at dusk.
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 first try to build healthy plants with adequate water and nutrients, we rotate crop families, and we plant disease resistant varieties where possible. We also use a preventative spray schedule of Serenade, Actinovate, and Regalia in nightshades to deal with fungal diseases, cucurbits for downy mildew and powdery mildew, and long-season brassicas for PM.
Please list the water source you use for crop irrigation. If source is public river, pond or lake, please note the name: *
We use a spring-fed cistern with a solar pump and holding tanks.
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 do our best to buy organic vegetable seeds as available from Johnny's, High Mowing Organic Seeds, Seed Savers Exchange, Fedco, Southern Exposure and Kitazawa. Sweet potato slips are always organic, sourced locally from Pine Hill Organics. We do not have a source for organic onion planting stock and have been purchasing conventional stock from Johnny's. We purchase seed potatoes locally through Martin's Produce Supplies, but no local suppliers carry organic 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. *
Vermont Compost Fort Vee, Lambert Organic
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 our west is a conventional corn/soy field across a major road. To our north are conventional grain fields with a ~50 foot buffer from our crop land. We have a good relationship with neighbors and they never spray on windy or other high-risk days. We've had our soil tested for fertilizer residue before and it has been negative.

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: