Phasing Out Chemicals

Transitioning to organic can also be done slowly, gradually weaning your farm off of chemicals and building up your soils and the health of your livestock. By phasing out the use of chemicals you can experiment with using organic methods before making a complete commitment.  It can help you identify how your fields and animals are reacting, understand the fit with your resources, tools and lifestyle and potentially reduce input costs. A gradual transition however is a longer process, as the 3 year transition period, free of prohibited substances will still be required before certification. 

Tactics for a gradual transition can include:

• Develop a crop rotation that will help you to control weeds, break pest cycles and increase levels of soil organic matter.
• Start using non-chemical methods, such as cultivation, overseeding, mulching and green manures, to control weeds.
• Add compost and incorporate more green manures into the crop rotation to reduce dependency on synthetic fertilizers.
• If you feel the need to use herbicides, band them, rather than broadcast.
• Adopt IPM (Integrated Pest Management) practices to reduce pesticide use.
• Try non-chemical approaches to pest control.
• Build up the health of your livestock by not pushing them to be overly productive in terms of weight gain or milk production. Often better health can be achieved by cutting back on the grain (particularly corn) given to the animals. Ensure ruminants have high-quality forage.
• Stop using feed with antibiotics in it.
• Avoid using antibiotics for prevention.
• Ensure livestock have access to fresh air, sunshine and exercise.

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