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  • River Friendly Farm Certification Criteria

  • River Friendly Farm Certification evaluates agricultural practices based on five categories: Soil Health, Nutrient Management, Pest Management, Farmstead Management, and Waterway Protection.

    Within each category, there are criteria that, if applicable to the product growth/production, must be met for the farm to quality as River-Friendly Certified. 

    • For each criterion, applicants must select either:
      • “N/A” if the criteria are not relevant to the operation. Farms will not be evaluated based on those criteria. See below for more information. For examples, a farm that does not have livestock can mark N/A and skip all questions pertaining to livestock exclusions and manure handling.
      • “No,” if the agricultural practices do not meet the criteria, and
      • “Yes” if the agricultural practices do meet the criteria.

    To qualify for the River Friendly Farm Certification, applicants must meet every relevant criterion.

    In most cases, applicants will be prompted to select one or more techniques or practices they employ related to the criteria. These are designed to guide the subsequent narrative description. There is no minimum number needed to qualify for any given criteria.

    In the “Description” area, applicants must record a detailed description of the best management practices they employ to achieve the criteria. If the applicant is claiming an exemption, please describe why your farm qualifies for an exemption.

    Responses will be verified by an approved by an independent River Friendly Farm certifying agent during an on-site visit.

  • Basic Farm Information

  • CONTACT INFORMATION

  • FARM AND EXPERIENCE INFORMATION

  • Operation Size

    Enter number of acres for each category of land on your farm

  • Soil Health

    Protecting the soil and promoting soil health

  • CROPLAND EROSION CONTROL

    Sheet erosion is the uniform removal of soil in thin layers, and it occurs when soil particles are carried evenly over the soil surface by rainwater that does not infiltrate into the ground.

  • Please indicate which of the following erosion management and mitigation practices are used on your farm. Check all that apply.

  • CROPLAND CONCENTRATED FLOW EROSION

    Concentrated flow erosion, caused by runoff from rainfall, snow-melt, or irrigation water, can cause gullies. Ephemeral gullies usually appear on cultivated fields during the planting or growing season, but are temporarily removed by cultivation. Classic gully erosion generally occurs in well-defined drainage ways and generally is not obliterated by tillage.

  • PASTURE EROSION CONTROL

  • SOIL ORGANIC MATTER

  • AVOIDING COMPACTION

  • Nutrient Management

  • NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT: RIGHT RATE

  • NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT: RIGHT PLACEMENT

  • NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT: RIGHT TIMING

  • NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT PLAN

  • Pest Management

  • NON-PESTICIDE MEASURES

  • Please indicate which of the following non-pesticide measures are used on the farm. Check all that apply.

  • PESTICIDE MONITORING

  • PESTICIDE APPLICATION RECORD KEEPING, CALIBRATION, STORAGE AND MIXING, AND SELECTION

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  • PESTICIDE USE REDUCTION

  • FARMSTEAD MANAGEMENT

  • STORMWATER CONTROL

  • ANIMAL CONCENTRATION AREAS (ACAS)

    ACAS specifically include barnyards, feedlots, loafing areas, exercise lots, or other similar animal confinement areas. Heavy use such as cattle access ways, feeding areas, watering areas, and shared areas are also considered animal concentration areas.

  • MANURE MANAGEMENT

  • CONTAMINATED WATER DISCHARGE

  • WATERWAY PROTECTION

  • BUFFERS ON PERMANENT WATERWAYS

  • STREAM ACCESS

  • SEASONAL AND EPHEMERAL WATERWAYS

  • IRRIGATION WATER MANAGEMENT

  • Should be Empty: