Crop Rotation on Organic Farms: A Planning Manual
This book provides an indepth review of crop rotation and its many applications, such as improving soil quality and health, and managing pests, diseases, and weeds. The authors consulted with expert organic farmers to develop crop rotation guidelines and strategies that can be applied under various field conditions and with a wide range of crops. In addition, the book includes instructions for making crop rotation planning maps using Microsoft Excel and discusses intercropping and crop rotation during the transition to organic farming.
The manual will be a valuable resource for organic farmers, educators, students, and professional advisors interested in the do’s, don’ts, how’s, and why’s of organic crop rotation. Crop Rotation on Organic Farms will be most applicable for the Northeastern United States and Eastern Canada, but will also be useful in other parts of the U.S., Canada, and even Europe.
Financial support from SARE (Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education) resulted in a 30% reduction in the price of this book.
Order | Features | Contents | Authors | Outcomes
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Features
-Problems and opportunities for 500+ crop sequences
-Characteristics of 60+ crops and 70+ weeds
-Crop diseases hosted by 80 weed species
-Modes of transmission for 250+ diseases of 24 crops
-Real Fields on Real Farms color plates: 13 sample four- and five-year vegetable and grain crop rotations
-Managing Crop Rotation Chart with key tasks & steps
-Step-by-step procedure for determining crop rotation plans
-Sample worksheets and calculations
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: How Expert Organic Farmers Manage Crop Rotations
- Why Rotate Crops?
- Basics of Crop Rotation
- Crop Rotation and Farm Management
- The NEON “Managing a Crop Rotation System” Chart
Chapter 3: Physical and Biological Processes in Crop Rotation
- Crop Rotation and Soil Tilth
- Crop Rotation Effects on Soil Fertility and Plant Nutrition
- Managing Plant Diseases with Crop Rotation
- Management of Insect Pests with Crop Rotation and Field Layout
- The Role of Crop Rotation in Weed Management
Chapter 4: Crop Sequences from Expert Farmers’ Fields
- Reading the “Real Fields on Real Farms” Tables
- Observation on the Sample Sequences
Chapter 5: A Crop Rotation Planning Procedure
- Tips for Sequencing Crops
- A Complete, Step-by-Step Rotation Planning Guide
- A More Complex Example: Summer Acres Vegetable Farm
Chapter 6: Crop Rotation during the Transition from Conventional to Organic Agriculture
- Transition from Old Sod to Vegetable Production
- Transition from Conventional Cropping on a Farm with Forages
- Transition to Cash Grain or Vegetables on a Farm without Forages
Chapter 7: Guidelines for Intercropping
Appendices
Appendix 1: Characteristics of Crops Commonly Grown in the Northeastern United States
Appendix 2: Crop Sequence Problems and Opportunities
Appendix 3: Sources of Inoculum for Crop Diseases in the Northeastern United States
Appendix 4: Characteristics of Common Agricultural Weeds Relevant to Crop Rotation
Appendix 5: Crop Disease Pathogens Hosted by Common Agricultural Weeds
Appendix 6: Linking a Field Map and Spreadsheet in Microsoft Excel
Authors
Charles L. Mohler, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Cornell University
Sue Ellen Johnson , Crop Science Department, North Carolina State University. (formerly with the New England Small Farm Institute)
Eric Toensmeier, New England Small Farm Institute
Margaret Tuttle McGrath, Dept. of Plant Pathology, Long Island Horticultural Laboratory, Cornell University
Anusuya Rangarajan, Dept. of Horticulture, Cornell University
Kimberly A. Stoner, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station
Harold vanEs, Dept. of Crop and Soil Sciences, Cornell University
Jody Bolluyt, Roxbury Farm, Kinderhook, NY
Peter Lowy, Roxbury Farm, Kinderhook, NY
- A knowledge of how experienced organic farmers plan their crop rotations
- Understanding of the principles and strategies behind planning good crop rotations
- Ability to assess individual farms and plan appropriate rotations for specific field conditions, histories, and crops
- Know-how about the variety of tools and strategies that can prevent crop rotation problems
- Access to resources to guide decision-making and work processes
