Along the Road to Organic

Growers have heard about organic production and the potential for good financial returns. You also have probably heard of some horror stories. Every grower owes it to themselves to do some investigating to determine if there are opportunities for organic in their operation. Do some research. How do you grow it? Where do you sell it? There may be some ideas that you would want to adopt. Don’t be afraid to change.

Organic Farm Tours

There are often summer tours of organic farms where you can see what is being done. Some of these tours will be listed at Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario website.. You could also visit some organic farms on your own. Some farms may have weeds or other issues, but make sure you see the whole picture. Looks can be deceiving! I remember 20 years ago when no-till was becoming more popular. No-till did not look very good to most of the experienced farmers, just because it was different!

Organic Neighbours

If you have an organic farmer in your neighbourhood get to know them and their practices. Work with your organic neighbours on cropping practices. Don’t allow pesticide spray to drift onto your neighbours. They will likely be “certified organic”, which means that they applied for certification last spring. This included a very detailed application form on their production practices, and they will be inspected this summer.

The inspector will make sure that there is at least 8 metres of buffer zone between the organic crops and non-organic crops. There must be 18 metres between organic soybeans and Roundup Ready soybeans. The distance between GMO and organic corn is required to be 600 metres. The organic sector feels this dramatically larger buffer is necessary because of the large distance that corn pollen can potentially travel. This is similar for canola. The organic manufacturing industry has very low tolerances for adventitious GMO content in organic products. GMO corn has a huge impact on the potential to grow organic corn.

Transition Crops

Most organic farms start with a good rotation. They need 36 months as a “transition period” before the harvest of the first organic crop. During that period, only permitted organic inputs can be used. A hay crop that has not had any pesticide or fertilizer can be a good transition crop. Winter wheat can be a good transition crop, but you may need nitrogen from a previous legume or from manure before planting. Spring cereals underseeded with red clover can also be good transition crops. The best crop rotation rules are:

• a crop should never be repeated, and
• keep the ground covered with cover crops as much as possible.

Manure Use

It is recommended manure be composted. Manure cannot be used within 120 days of harvest of a food crop, or 90 days if the edible plants parts do not touch the soil. Manure can be brought onto the farm from non-organic sources, with the approval of the certification body. Manure from caged layer operations or “landless” livestock operations are not allowed. Non-organic manure must be composted 6 months to reduce any residuals of non-organic feeds or other products in the manure.

Weeds, Insects & Disease

The issues and challenges of each crop are different. Weeds are a common problem, but good early management is key. Timely, shallow, mechanical weed control works in most crops. Early vigorous growth and healthy crops will help the crop to compete. Don’t let the weeds get the upper hand.

Insects and diseases are not serious problems for most field crops. You cannot use treated seed or GMO traits, but good quality seed planted into warm soil conditions usually get the crop off to a good start. Good crop rotations break pest cycles that result from continuous crops. Crops yield more with crop rotation.

As you drive down the road and see an organic farm look at the opportunities and wonder “what if”!

Related Links:

• Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario Website

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