Method for creating a verified food source

• US 7,836,631 B2
• Filed: 04/03/2009
• Issued: 11/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nature's Farm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Innovative Agricultural Concepts, LLC (Vaccex, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kerkhoff, Daniel P., Knoll, Daniel B.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TRINH T
• Application Number:
  US12/418,300
• Publication Number:
  US 20090188163A1
• Time in Patent Office: 599 Days
• Field of Search: 47/581.SE, 47/581.R, 47/581.FV, 47/10.1 R, 47D/IG.9, 119/51.01
• 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:

(A) determining from at least one audit that 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;

(B) determining from at least one audit that 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;

(C) determining from at least one audit that 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;

(D) determining from at least one audit that at least a portion of the grain harvested from the crop has been fed to the food source; and

(E) only verifying the food source if steps (A) through (D) have occurred.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(F) determining from at least one audit that 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;

(G) determining from at least one audit that the portion of the grain in step (D) meets grain standards addressing test weight, moisture content, damage content, foreign material content, and mycotoxin content; and

wherein the food source is only verified in step (E) if steps (A) through (D) and steps (F) and (G) have occurred.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

(H) determining from at least one audit that the food source has been fostered in accordance with 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; and

wherein the food source is only verified in step (E) if steps (A) through (D) and steps (F) through (H) have occurred.

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:

(F) determining from at least one audit that the food source has been fostered in accordance with fostering protocols; and

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; and

wherein the food source is only verified in step (E) if steps (A) through (D) and step (F) have occurred.

10. A method of verifying a harvested crop, comprising:

(A) determining from at least one audit that 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;

(B) determining from at least one audit that 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;

(C) determining from at least one audit that 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

(D) only verifying the harvested crop if steps (A) through (C) have occurred.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

(E) determining from at least one audit that 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

wherein the harvested crop is only verified in step (D) if steps (A) through (C) and step (E) have occurred.

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:

(A) determining from at least audit that 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;

(B) determining from at least one audit that 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;

(C) determining from at least one audit that 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

(D) only verifying the grain if steps (A) through (C) have occurred.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

(E) determining from at least one audit that 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

wherein the grain is only verified in step (D) if steps (A) through (C) and step (E) have occurred.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

(F) determining from at least one audit that the grain meets grain standards addressing test weight, moisture content, damage content, foreign material content, and mycotoxin content; and

wherein the grain is only verified in step (D) if steps (A) through (C) and steps (E) and (F) have occurred.

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.