Physical

In all types of farming, it makes sense to choose crops and/or livestock that will perform well under your specific growing conditions. This is even more critical with organic farming because chemical ‘band-aids’ cannot be used; prevention is much more important. For example, if you decide to raise sheep on land that doesn’t drain well, your flock might end up with footrot. This would cause a bit of extra work and expense for a conventional farmer who would need to pass the sheep through footbaths. For an organic farmer who can’t use the same veterinary treatments, this situation would either require much more work to treat, or possibly result in the loss of organic certification (if chemical treatments are the only solution). Fortunately, most of these problems can be avoided through careful management.

Land

Sketch out your land, just roughly, and mark out its characteristics. Identify what acres are cultivated, used as pasture, or unused. Map out different types of land and describe it (e.g. scrubby pasture, sandy soil, low-lying areas, full of couchgrass, fertile field, last field to be hit by fall frosts, etc.).

Identify where and when prohibited substances were last used. These substances include synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and genetically modified organisms. Refer to the certification standards to learn about other prohibited substances. This can give you a good idea about which fields can be most quickly converted for organic. For example, a hayfield where no prohibited substance has been used for three years could be used for organic production right away whereas it might take three years for other fields to be converted.

List other possible sources of land. Is there land that you could rent, or even buy? If so, describe its characteristics and when prohibited substances were last used on it.

Microclimate

Describe your growing conditions. Is there a long frost-free period? Do you have high heat units or cool summers? Even though you already know this information, it could be helpful to put it into words. For example, you might realize that even though there is a marketing opportunity for heirloom tomatoes, it might make much more sense, given your microclimate, to grow cool-weather crops such as salad greens and brassicas.

Breeding stock

What livestock do you have? How suitable are these for organic production? Some breeds and breeding stock are more suitable organic production than others. For example, Jerseys, Dexters and Brown Swiss cows often work better in organic systems than high-producing Holsteins. Also, breeding stock from low-input and organic farms have often been selected to perform well under those conditions.

Infrastructure

Describe the buildings, storage bins and equipment you have. Also, write down what other equipment is available to you (to buy, rent, contract out or borrow). Specify which equipment and buildings are being used will be used for conventional products. The cleaning and purging procedures required to use equipment that has been used on conventional farms may prove cumbersome.

Crop rotation

Consider how the crops and livestock fit together in a well-rounded crop rotation. Think of the farm as a whole. In a successful crop rotation, a crop which cannot compete well with weeds, such as carrots, might be grown after a crop which is highly competitive (e.g. potatoes) and followed by a fast-growing green manure which will smother weeds. Plan your crop rotation when considering what crops to grow. For details on how to design a crop rotation for field crops, market gardens and mixed farms, see the Organic Field Crop Handbook (edited by Janet Wallace and published by COG); for market gardens, see Eliot Coleman’s The New Organic Grower.