When making the change from conventional to organic farming, the best crops to start the crop rotation are usually pasture, a hay crop or annual legume. Some of the options and other useful guidelines are given below.

¥ It is not a good idea to begin your first crop rotation with corn because it is too nutrient-demanding and delays soil improvement.

¥ When beginning the transition, apply compost to as many acres as possible, even if it is only a light application. Its value is in its capacity to stimulate biological activity, rather than in the nutrients it supplies.

¥ A good way to start a crop rotation is to plow down a hay field to a depth of about 4 inches, (summer or fall), and follow with a thorough seedbed preparation. Seeding the field with a green manure crop (rye or buckwheat) is recommended.

¥ If all the fields have been seeded with cash crops, underseed with red clover to improve the soil without taking land out of production. Over-winter the clover, and incorporate it into the soil in the spring and begin the rotation.

¥ For a cash crop rotation start with buckwheat; it provides good weed control.