Appendix B Master Plan
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Appendix B The Master Plan from the Spring 2005 Student Farm Planning Class 17 This Section: Page Contributors 153 Logistics 154 Master Plan Format Organic Certifi cation Business Set-up Farm History & Current Situation 159 Student Farm History, the beginning Student Farm Spring 2005 Update Cropping History Soil Types & Analysis Field Size & Map Miscellaneous Q & A Mission, Vision & Plans 168 Guiding Principles & Mission Statement Education & Outreach Plan Website Components Potential Partner Organizations 176 Priorities in Forming Partnerships Summary of Potential Partnerships Agriculture and Food Sciences Academy Bell Museum Center for Integrated Natural Resources and Agricultural Management Ecological Gardens & Paula Westmoreland Gibbs Farm The Green Institute & GreenSpace Green Lands, Blue Waters Horticulture Display & Trial Gardens Minnesota Department of Agriculture 150 Appendix B: Master Plan Minnesota Food Association & Wilder Forest Minnesota Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association Presidential Iniative on the Environment & Renewable Energy Student Farms on Other Campuses Teaching Garden TRE Nursery Woodland Wisdoms Market Analysis 208 Summary of Preliminary Market Analysis Trial CSA Minneapolis Campus Farmer’s Market Falcon Heights Farmer’s Market Hopkins School District Roots and Fruits Cooperative Second Harvest Student’s Housing Co-op North Country Co-op Cropping Systems 226 Cropping System Summary Biodynamic Farming Permaculture Four Season Harvest The New Organic Grower System Components 240 Components Summary Companion Planting Composting Chickens Foliar Feeding Investigating Perennials 250 Apples Apricots Asparagus Blueberries Butternut Cherries Chestnut Student Farm Planning 151 Currants Gooseberries Grapes Hazelnuts Kiwi Maple- Syrup Maple- Woody Ornamental Mushrooms Peanuts Pear Plum Raspberry Rhubarb Sunchoke Farm Layout 312 Plot Layout Block Layout Monoculture Block Layout Keyhole Gardens Biointensive Polyculture Companion Plot Supplies 334 Jordan Seeds 152 Appendix B: Master Plan University of Minnesota Student Farm Master Plan Spring Semester 2005 Contributors: Jared Ashling Joel Bradley David Campbell Peter Gillitzer Michelle Grabowski Lisa Kissing Andy Kranz-McGuire Megan Kranz-McGuire Ben Jordan Any Montain Brian Noy Kelly Paulson Mike Petefish Jesse Sadowsky Courtney Tchida Charlie Wamstad Seth Zeigler Professors: Bud Markhart Paul Porter Logistics This Section Contains: Page Master Plan Format Organic Certification Business Set-up Logistics Master Plan Format (times new roman font, 14pt bold for the title) Contributor: Megan Kranz McGuire Co-Contributors: list alphabetically by last name (12pt font) Date Submitted: February 4, 2005 Revision Date: February 12, 2005 Keywords: format, master plan, submit, style Abstract: 250 words max. Fit the text box to fit your abstract size (drag on the corner). Body (erase the word “body” when you type your own): Flexible format, use MS office: word, excel, etc. Use 1.5 spacing for word documents. References: Use APA style as mentioned in the syllabus. Student Farm Planning 155 Logistics LOGISTICS Organic Certification Contributor: Charlie Wamstad Date Submitted: March 31, 2005 Keywords: Organic, certification, MCIA, Standards NOP Abstract: After meeting with the MCIA we have the information that is needed to begin to start are Farm plan that is needed for obtaining organic certification. There is a detailed list of the items that need to be incorporated into the farm plan. The process of organic certification will need to begin as soon as possible to ensure that we begin the records for our transition period prior to certification. To begin the process of transitioning to organic certification we must first come up with a Farm plan that will show our process for our farm operation and how those processes meet the requirements of the National Organic Program (NOP) and that of our Certifying agency Minnesota Crop Improvement Association MCIA. The Farm plan must consist of the type of crops we will be certifying and the fields that those crops will be in and the history of those fields. We will also need to show that we will be able to take detailed records of the crops that will be planted (ex) lot #, brand, variety, and date. There will also need to be a detailed plan for the application of fertilizers (Organic Material Review Institute (OMRI) approved) and other inputs, followed by the records of what was applied to the specific field. The sources of seedlings and perennials must also be documented, also if there is an organic variety that is of equal quality we must use the organic variety. The Farm Plan must also incorporate soil, crop and fertility management. To effectively do this we need to have a plan for crop rotation, weed and pest management, disease management, and a plan to minimize natural disturbance and water use. We must then also have the records to show that we followed our plans in our record keeping. The farm plan must also have a plan for maintaining organic integrity. This part of the plan must have the procedure of how the buffer strips are managed between conventional an organic, the processes of cleaning equipment that is used for conventional practices. The crops must also be documented from harvest and then maintained in proper storage that is not mixed with conventional crops throughout transportation and processing. After developing a farm plan we submit our application to the certifier and they review the records we have from the past 3 years of transition and then make a decision whether we meet the NOP standards as an organic operation. During our annual inspection we will need to have all records available to the inspector to review. The inspector report is reviewed by the certifying agency decides whether there is a minor- none compliance issue and we get certification granted or if we have a major-none compliance issue that put our certification in jeopardy. After certification is granted we can now label our product as USDA organic. References: MCIA meeting with Roger Wippler and Jim Boots 156 Appendix B: Master Plan Logistics Business Setup Contributor: Mike Petefish Date Submitted: April 11, 2005 Keywords: Organization, Student Business Enterprise, IRS, Tax ID # Abstract: Determining what is the best to have the farm set up as, either as a student organization or as a student farm enterprise. When deciding whether to be a student organization or a student enterprise I think the answer is definitely a student enterprise. This is because student organizations are limited to three days combined for fundraising and the selling of products. I see this as being a big bottleneck for us as we will be harvesting things throughout the summer and into the fall and surely not everything can be ready on the same three days. However if we still want to pursue this option there is an online process that can be completed where upon completion a meeting is scheduled with an adviser for the final say. Once we become an organization they will provide the letter to the bank to establish a checking account. Either way we must apply to the IRS for a tax ID number with form SS-4 which can take any where from six months to one year. A student business enterprise may also be applied for online, however we must present a business plan to be reviewed and cleared by the University of Minnesota board of regents which is a rather lengthy process. (As of today there are only two student business enterprises on campus) Reference: http://www.sao.umn.edu MSAO office Student Farm Planning 157 Farm History & Current Situation This Section Contains: Page Student Farm History, the beginning Student Farm Spring 2005 Update Cropping History Soil Types & Analysis Field Size & Map Miscellaneous Q & A Farm History & Current Situation Student Farm History, the beginning Contributor: Jared Ashling Date Submitted: February 21, 2005 Keywords: history, location, participants, partners, planning, publications, student farm Abstract: Description of the initial planning processes of the development of the student farm at the University of Minnesota. Includes information pertaining to the initial Summer Seminar series, up to the start of the Student Farm Planning course. Students at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus in the student group What’s Up in Sustainable Agriculture (WUSA) have been working to create the school’s first student run campus farm. This student supported initiative started last summer with a trial run student vegetable production garden, in which 8 students participated in a bi-monthly summer seminar series discussing various types of organic and sustainable gardening techniques such as composting, soil management, pest management and preservation of produce. During the past fall semester, students held planning and brainstorming meetings to come up with a solid mission and vision for the one acre of on campus land which would become the permanent student farm plot beginning the summer of 2005. Students are interested in combining research, education and outreach while experimenting with and learning about perennial woody plants and grasses, companion planting, soil management, and many other topics. The Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture (www.misa.umn.edu) provided the students with the initial 200 dollars needed for the first year. As winter approached, the field was planted with a cover crop of rye. While the rye is now dormant under the January snow, the planning process still continues. Students reached out to several professors for help in the planning process, resulting in the creation of the Student Sustainable Farm Planning course. The course, which was also formed entirely from student initiative and co-taught by professors Dr. Albert Markhart (Dept. of Horticulture) and Dr. Paul Porter (Dept. of Agronomy), uses the publication, Building a Sustainable Business: A Guide to Developing a Business Plan for Farms and Rural Businesses. This publication was created by a planning team in 1996 for the Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture. As students develop a business plan for their student farm, they are learning the steps to creating a sustainable farm or sustainable related business.