Organic Farmers Need Longer Rotations

BOZEMAN - Feb 4/05 - SNS -- Organic rotations need to involve more crops over a longer period of time to control pest problems and maintain yields, say Montana State University researchers.

Instead of repeated grain-fallow sequences, they stressed that organic systems are at their best in decreasing pest problems and increasing yields when there are several crops rotated on a field over a course of years.

In the Gallatin Valley, Montana State University cropping systems researcher Perry Miller has used the following organic rotation, which provided the highest returns in 2000, 2002 and 2003: direct-seeded winter pea plowed under early, then winter wheat, then lentil, then barley. Miller uses narrow crop-row spacings to get a stand that is competitive with weeds. He says he also delays seeding in the spring for about two weeks longer than he would otherwise so he can control weeds one additional time.

"The design of the four-year organic rotation was arrived at in close communication with Bob Quinn, and he serves as a key advisor for the management aspects of this study," Miller said. Quinn is an organic producer near Big Sandy.

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