Organic Path microsite

This project was funded through the New Opportunities and Business Development Investment Initiative (NOBDI) under the Renewal Chapter of the Canada-Nova Scotia Agricultural Policy Framework Agreement.

Canada

Nova Scotia

Picking a New Crop

We’re going shotgun, seeing what grows and what we can sell. The challenge is that we’re trying to sell small volumes. We need to focus our effort on fewer varieties and seek out potential markets. ”

• Grain farmer

Sometimes transitional farmers decide to phase out their conventional crops and start growing different organic ones. This approach involves a whole new learning curve – you’ll need to learn how to farm organically and how to grow and market the new crop. You might also need to get new equipment.

However, there are advantages. If the new crops are unrelated to the old ones, you probably won’t have problems with a build-up of pest problems. Weed control varies between crops, and simply changing your crop rotation might substantially reduce weed problems. Also, you avoid many of the complications involved with maintaining organic integrity if your organic crops are very different from your conventional ones.