Method For Creating A Verified Food Source

• US 20090188163A1
• Filed: 04/03/2009
• Published: 07/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nature's Farm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Innovative Agricultural Concepts, LLC (Vaccex, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kerkhoff, Daniel P., Knoll, Daniel B.
• Granted Patent: US 7,836,631 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 47/58.1SE
• 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 of verifying a food source, comprising only verifying a food source if all of the following have occurred:

verified seed has been planted in accordance with a planting protocol to create a crop, the planting protocol requiring sufficient buffer rows of plants and a sufficient distance between the crop and plants beyond the buffer rows to restrict the crop from cross-pollinating with other plants;

adherence to the planting protocol has been audited;

the crop has been grown in accordance with crop protocols;

the crop protocols including at least one insecticide regulation, at least one pesticide regulation, at least one herbicide regulation, at least one fungicide regulation, maintaining the buffer rows, and maintaining the distance between the crop and the plants beyond the buffer rows;

adherence to the crop protocols has been audited;

the crop has been harvested in accordance with harvest protocols to obtain grain, the harvest protocols requiring grain from the buffer rows to be permanently separated from the grain from the crop, the harvest protocols requiring all machinery directly used in harvesting the crop to meet an acceptable cleanliness standard;

adherence to the harvest protocols has been audited; and

at least a portion of the grain harvested from the crop has been fed to the food source.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising only verifying the food source if all of the following have occurred:

the grain has been stored in accordance with storage protocols, the storage protocols including at least one storage structure regulation and at least one contaminant regulation;

adherence to the storage protocols has been audited;

the grain has been inspected to identify grain that meets grain standards addressing test weight, moisture content, damage content, foreign material content, and mycotoxin content; and

the grain that meets the grain standards has been verified;

wherein the grain harvested from the crop that has been fed to the food source is at least a portion of the verified grain.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising only verifying the food source if all of the following have occurred:

the food source has been fostered in accordance with fostering protocols; and

the food source has been inspected and found to meet the fostering protocols;

wherein the fostering protocols include at least one identification regulation, at least one vaccination regulation, at least one hormone regulation, at least one antibiotic regulation, at least one ration regulation, at least one separation regulation, at least one documentation regulation, at least one genetic regulation, and at least one humane treatment regulation.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the food source is bovine.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the verified seed causes the resulting verified grain to be higher in omega-3 fatty acids than occurs naturally.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the crop is a corn crop.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the acceptable cleanliness standard for the harvest protocols is kernel clean.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein one party planted the seed and another party fed the grain to the food source.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising only verifying the food source if all of the following have occurred:

the food source has been fostered in accordance with fostering protocols; and

the food source has been inspected and found to meet the fostering protocols;

wherein the fostering protocols include at least one identification regulation, at least one vaccination regulation, at least one hormone regulation, at least one antibiotic regulation, at least one ration regulation, at least one separation regulation, at least one documentation regulation, at least one genetic regulation, and at least one humane treatment regulation.

10. A method of verifying a harvested crop, comprising only verifying a harvested crop if all of the following have occurred:

verified seed has been planted in accordance with a planting protocol to create a crop, the planting protocol requiring sufficient buffer rows of plants and a sufficient distance between the crop and plants beyond the buffer rows to restrict the crop from cross-pollinating with other plants;

adherence to the planting protocol has been audited;

the crop has been grown in accordance with crop protocols;

the crop protocols including at least one insecticide regulation, at least one pesticide regulation, at least one herbicide regulation, at least one fungicide regulation, maintaining the buffer rows, and maintaining the distance between the crop and the plants beyond the buffer rows;

adherence to the crop protocols has been audited;

the crop has been harvested in accordance with harvest protocols to obtain a harvested crop, the harvest protocols requiring the harvested crop from the buffer rows to be permanently separated from the remainder of the harvested crop, the harvest protocols requiring all machinery directly used in harvesting the crop to meet an acceptable cleanliness standard; and

adherence to the harvest protocols has been audited.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising only verifying the harvested crop if all of the following have occurred:

the harvested crop has been stored in accordance with storage protocols, the storage protocols including at least one storage structure regulation and at least one contaminant regulation; and

adherence to the storage protocols has been audited.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the verified seed causes the resulting harvested crop to be higher in omega-3 fatty acids than occurs naturally.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the crop is a corn crop.

14. A method of verifying grain, comprising only verifying grain if all of the following have occurred:

verified seed has been planted in accordance with a planting protocol to create a crop, the planting protocol requiring sufficient buffer rows of plants and a sufficient distance between the crop and plants beyond the buffer rows to restrict the crop from cross-pollinating with other plants;

adherence to the planting protocol has been audited;

the crop has been grown in accordance with crop protocols;

the crop protocols including at least one insecticide regulation, at least one pesticide regulation, at least one herbicide regulation, at least one fungicide regulation, maintaining the buffer rows, and maintaining the distance between the crop and the plants beyond the buffer rows;

adherence to the crop protocols has been audited;

the crop has been harvested in accordance with harvest protocols to obtain grain, the harvest protocols requiring grain from the buffer rows to be permanently separated from the crop, the harvest protocols requiring all machinery directly used in harvesting the crop to meet an acceptable cleanliness standard; and

adherence to the harvest protocols has been audited.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising only verifying the grain if all of the following have occurred:

the grain has been stored in accordance with storage protocols, the storage protocols including at least one storage structure regulation and at least one contaminant regulation; and

adherence to the storage protocols has been audited.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising only verifying the grain if all of the following have occurred:

the grain has been inspected to identify grain that meets grain standards addressing test weight, moisture content, damage content, foreign material content, and mycotoxin content; and

the grain that meets the grain standards has been verified.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the verified seed causes the resulting grain to be higher in omega-3 fatty acids than occurs naturally.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the crop is a corn crop.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the acceptable cleanliness standard for the harvest protocols is kernel clean.