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Subject: Market Farming
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- From: Road's End Farm <organic87 AT frontiernet.net>
- To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
- Subject: Re: [Market-farming] taking the plunge
- Date: Mon, 20 Feb 2012 11:01:43 -0500
Hi Kathryn, First, I would ask all of this of your specific certifier. They're the only ones who can say for sure how much detail is needed, whether they require a backup plan for hay, etc. Having said that, my guess based on my experience (though bear in mind I'm not a livestock farmer) is: 1) The information you're listing will probably be enough. 2) You probably need to provide approximate sizes of paddocks, and a farm map showing where each paddock is located. My guess is that they'll want some idea of what species are in the pasture, but most likely not an exhaustive list if it's mixed with more than a few; at least approximate stocking rates (so they can tell if you're likely to be overgrazing). If by rotation you mean crop rotation in the paddocks, in your first year of certification they may want the previous three years, and will probably want an overall rotation plan, but will most likely allow leeway if you need to change as long as it's still a reasonable rotation (I've switched fields in a wet year because the intended field was too wet to plant at the time, and NOFA-NY, at least, was OK with that.) If the paddocks are in permanent pasture, and you mean moving the stock from one paddock to another, my guess is that they'd want an overall idea but would allow for changes due to weather etc. affecting speed of growth; but again, talk to the certifier. 3) Will you be able to certify your hay fields this year, or will they still be transitional? (this depends, basically, on whether they've been managed organically for three years; and whether you have records sufficient to show this.) -- as to what the certifier considers "reliable", I think you'll just have to ask them. You may have a choice of certifying agencies in your area; if so, as they now all have to certify to the same standards, what you want to look for in choosing among them (besides price) is how responsive they are to questions, and how well their forms fit your particular operation. (In my area, while many of the larger field crop operations are certified with OCIA, many of the diversified vegetable farms find the NOFA forms easier to work with. NOFA-NY holds workshops for first year applicants; I don't know whether any agency working in your area does the same, but it may well be worth your time to find out.) -- Rivka; Finger Lakes NY, Zone 6A now I think Fresh-market organic produce, small scale On Feb 20, 2012, at 10:21 AM, KAKerby AT aol.com wrote:
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[Market-farming] taking the plunge,
KAKerby, 02/19/2012
- Re: [Market-farming] taking the plunge, Road's End Farm, 02/20/2012
- Re: [Market-farming] taking the plunge, maury sheets, 02/20/2012
- <Possible follow-up(s)>
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Re: [Market-farming] taking the plunge,
KAKerby, 02/20/2012
- Re: [Market-farming] taking the plunge, Road's End Farm, 02/20/2012
- Re: [Market-farming] taking the plunge, Richard Robinson, 02/20/2012
- Re: [Market-farming] taking the plunge, KAKerby, 02/20/2012
- Re: [Market-farming] taking the plunge, S Brocaar, 02/20/2012
- Re: [Market-farming] taking the plunge, david purpura, 02/20/2012
- Re: [Market-farming] taking the plunge, KAKerby, 02/20/2012
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