This chapter provides a step-by-step procedure for planning crop rotations on an individual farm. The procedure is based on methods used by the panel of expert farmers (chapter 2), supplemented with other sources. It distills what experienced growers do, based on experience, knowledge, and intuition, into a systematic method. For the sake of simplicity, the instructions are written as if the person doing the planning is the manager of the farm.
“The rewards of systematic crop rotation planning increase, however, with the number of crops and the complexity of the fields.”
The crop rotation planning procedure works through a series of steps. You will (1) organize your information, (2) develop a general rotation plan (optional), (3) construct a crop rotation planning map, (4) plan future crop sequences for each section of the farm, and (5) refine your crop sequence plan.
The procedure is easiest for a farm that produces only a few crops and has uniform field conditions, but it is most useful for farms with complex operations. Examples of farms with relatively simple rotation problems include most grain farms and some wholesale vegetable operations, where all of the crops can be grown on all of the fields. The procedure can be used to plan rotations with more crops and multiple soil types, but the process is time-consuming. The rewards of systematic crop rotation planning increase, however, with the number of crops and the complexity of the fields. On farms that grow only a few crops, reasonable rotations can be maintained using a few rules of thumb. With a complex operation, however, a long-term problem can develop without the farmer realizing that the rotation practices are suboptimal. Although the planning procedure described below is divided into many steps, it is not complicated. Simply proceed one step at a time, and you will end up with a plan. Besides helping you develop a plan, working through the procedure will likely give you new insights into your farm and how you manage it. It can also serve as a new baseline and record system for your farm.
“Expert growers simplify their planning by building their rotations around short sequences of two or three crops or cover crops.”
The crop rotation planning process becomes more complex if the crop mix is highly diverse, if you plant the same crop multiple times each season, if you double or triple crop fields, or if the fields vary in their ability to grow various crops. For farms that require a complex cropping plan, using Microsoft Excel spreadsheets instead of paper worktables is advised. These can be downloaded at the links below. The files contain a modified version of this chapter in which the instructions are adapted to worksheets rather than paper tables. For any farm, the computer worksheets will simplify data entry and sorting.
Supplements
Crop Rotation Planning Procedure[400K .pdf file] - Instructions for using the following spreadsheets instead of paper planning process.
The procedure described here is not a cookbook recipe. It will not tell you which crop should follow another— for example, to precede a crop with hairy vetch or follow it with potato. Rather, the procedure will help you organize diverse data on the management and biology of the crops you want to grow to define rotations that work for your particular farm. You need to know your fields and your crop mix to use this planner. Only you know the particular goals, problems, and opportunities of your farm operation. The procedure can help you recognize the critical decisions that need to be made, however, and prompt you to make them in a logical order. The worksheets (see instructions and downloads for tables 5.1, 5.2 and 5.3) will help you enter, compare, and sort the information you need to plan a good crop rotation, for each field and for the entire farm.
Crop rotation is the practice of planting different crops sequentially on the same plot of land to improve soil health, optimize nutrients in the soil, and combat pest and weed pressure.
The crop rotation planning procedure works through a series of steps. You will (1) organize your information, (2) develop a general rotation plan (optional), (3) construct a crop rotation planning map, (4) plan future crop sequences for each section of the farm, and (5) refine your crop sequence plan.
The method involves dividing a field into four sections and systematically rotating different crops in each section over a period of four years. This departure from mono-cropping had transformative effects on soil health and agricultural productivity.
Crop rotation ideally has a 3 year cycle, but if a small garden has you thinking a 3 year rotation is not for you, you can still plant different families in different places each year, or grow mixed plantings in your whole garden. Rotation is more important to some plant families than others.
Crop rotation is the practice of growing a series of dissimilar or different types of crops in the same area in sequenced seasons. It is done so that the soil of farms is not used for only one set of nutrients.
One approach to crop rotation is to divide your plants into these four basic groups: legumes, root crops, fruit crops, and leaf crops. Imagine your garden separated into four areas, as shown in the chart at the top of the page. Each successive year, you would move each group one spot clockwise.
A good example of a three-year rotation includes growing beans (year 1), followed by tomatoes (year 2), and sweet corn (year 3) before planting beans in the same spot again the following year. The best way to ensure proper rotation is by having multiple separated garden plots or beds.
The three-field system is a regime of crop rotation in which a field is planted with one set of crops one year, a different set in the second year, and left fallow in the third year. A set of crops is rotated from one field to another.
Crop rotation is an important aspect of healthy, sustainable farming. Cycling through different crops each growing season helps replenish nutrients in the soil, discourages pests and diseases, and cuts down on fertilizer use.
There are additional types of crop rotation systems based on the duration and the number of crops grown. Some examples are: One-year rotation: growing two crops in one year. Two-year rotation: growing four crops in two years.
In no-till farming, farmers do not till their fields before planting. Instead, they use specialized equipment to create a channel that is just spacious enough for seeds to be planted, minimizing soil disturbance.
The goal of crop rotation is to reduce the amount of the pest population present in the soil. Some pathogens that cause diseases survive in the soil from year to year in one form or the other, usually as sclerotia, spores, or hyphae. Rotating to non-host crops prevents the buildup of large populations of pathogens.
Some of the "detrimental" effects could be decreased yield and quality for one or more of the following reasons: excess or decreased fertility, increased pest pressure, herbicide residues and soil compaction.
It has long been a common practice for farmers to vary the crops grown in each field from year to year. This same practice of rotating crops can be applied to small-scale food gardens. Make a plan to grow certain plant families in one area of the garden this season and in a different area next season.
The goal of crop rotation is to reduce the amount of the pest population present in the soil. Some pathogens that cause diseases survive in the soil from year to year in one form or the other, usually as sclerotia, spores, or hyphae. Rotating to non-host crops prevents the buildup of large populations of pathogens.
Judiciously applied (i.e. selecting a suitable crop) crop rotation can improve soil structure and fertility by alternating deep-rooted and shallow-rooted plants. In turn this can reduce erosion and increase infiltration capacity, thereby reducing downstream flood risk.
Address: 55021 Usha Garden, North Larisa, DE 19209
Phone: +6812240846623
Job: Corporate Healthcare Strategist
Hobby: Singing, Listening to music, Rafting, LARPing, Gardening, Quilting, Rappelling
Introduction: My name is Foster Heidenreich CPA, I am a delightful, quaint, glorious, quaint, faithful, enchanting, fine person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
