Method for creating a verified food source

• US 20070000168A1
• Filed: 06/30/2005
• Published: 01/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nature's Farm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Innovative Agricultural Concepts, LLC (Vaccex, Inc.)
• Inventors: Knoll, Daniel, Kerkhoff, Daniel
• Granted Patent: US 7,533,490 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 47/58.10R
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 2/00 Vegetative propagation plant reproduction by tissue culture techniques A01H4/00

Abstract

A method for creating a verified food source comprises planting verified seed in accordance with planting protocols to create a crop, growing the crop in accordance with crop protocols, harvesting the crop in accordance with harvest protocols to obtain grain, storing the grain in accordance with storage protocols, inspecting the grain to identify grain that meets predetermined grain standards, verifying the grain that meets the predetermined grain standards, feeding the verified grain to a certified food source, fostering the food source in accordance with fostering protocols, inspecting the food source to identify food source that meets the fostering protocols, and verifying the food source that meets the fostering protocols.

Claims

1. A method for creating a verified food source, comprising:

planting verified seed in accordance with planting protocols to create a crop;

growing the crop in accordance with crop protocols;

harvesting the crop in accordance with harvest protocols to obtain grain;

storing the grain in accordance with storage protocols;

inspecting the grain to identify grain that meets predetermined grain standards;

verifying the grain that meets the predetermined grain standards;

feeding the verified grain to a certified food source;

fostering the food source in accordance with fostering protocols;

inspecting the food source to identify food source that meets the fostering protocols; and

verifying the food source that meets the fostering protocols.

2. The method as in claim 1, wherein the planting protocols include:

an acceptable crop rotation;

an acceptable number of buffer rows;

a predetermined distance between the crop and specified plants; and

contaminant regulations.

3. The method as in claim 2, wherein the crop protocols include:

insecticide regulations;

pesticide regulations;

herbicide regulations;

fuingicide regulations;

maintaining the buffer rows;

maintaining the predetermined distance between the crop and specified plants; and

maintaining the contaminant regulations.

4. The method as in claim 3, further comprising:

auditing adherence to the planting protocols;

auditing adherence to the crop protocols;

auditing adherence to the harvest protocols; and

auditing adherence to the storage protocols.

5. The method as in claim 2, wherein the contaminant regulations require all machinery used in planting the verified seed to be kernel clean.

6. The method as in claim 2, wherein:

the crop is a corn crop; and

the acceptable number of buffer rows is based on a minimum distance between the corn crop and corn outside the corn crop.

7. The method as in claim 2, wherein:

the crop is a corn crop; and

the acceptable number of buffer rows corresponds to the following table;

Minimum distance between the corncrop and corn outside the corn cropAcceptable number of buffer rows680 feet 

0 or more420 feet 

6 or more220 feet12 or more 

80 feet16 or more

8. The method as in claim 1, wherein the crop protocols include:

insecticide regulations;

pesticide regulations;

herbicide regulations; and

fungicide regulations.

9. The method as in claim 1, wherein the crop protocols include regulations regarding adding any substance to the crop.

10. The method as in claim 1, wherein the harvest protocols include contaminant regulations and require grain from the buffer rows to be permanently separated from the grain from the crop.

11. The method as in claim 10, wherein the contaminant regulations require all machinery used in harvesting the crop to be kernel clean.

12. The method as in claim 1, wherein the storage protocols include:

storage structure regulations; and

contaminant regulations.

13. The method as in claim 1, wherein the predetermined grain standards include:

a minimum test weight;

a maximum moisture content;

a maximum damage content; and

a maximum foreign material content.

14. The method as in claim 13, wherein the predetermined grain standards include a maximum mycotoxin content.

15. The method as in claim 13, wherein:

the crop is a corn crop;

the minimum test weight is 56 lbs/bushel;

the maximum moisture content is 15 percent;

the maximum damage content is 4 percent; and

the maximum foreign material content is 3 percent.

16. The method as in claim 1, wherein the fostering protocols include:

identification regulations;

vaccination regulations;

hormone regulations;

antibiotic regulations;

rations regulations;

separation regulations;

documentation regulations; and

genetic regulations.

17. The method as in claim 16, wherein the fostering protocols include humane treatment regulations.

18. The method as in claim 17, wherein the verified food source is bovine.

19. The method as in claim 1, further comprising:

auditing adherence to the planting protocols;

auditing adherence to the crop protocols;

auditing adherence to the harvest protocols; and

auditing adherence to the storage protocols.

20. The method as in claim 1, wherein:

the verified seed includes predetermined genetic properties;

the predetermined genetic properties are transferred from the verified seed to the crop;

the predetermined genetic properties are transferred from the crop to the grain; and

the predetermined genetic properties are transferred from the verified grain to the food source.

21. The method as in claim 20, wherein the predetermined genetic properties includes an abnormally-high level of omega-3 fatty acids.