The Benefits of Crop Rotation in Organic Farming

For Jeff Klinge, making the transition to organic farming was relatively easy because he had always grown small grains without chemicals and was used to longer and more diverse crop rotations. An added incentive to “go organic” was that he had been burned by chemical herbicides once that left a bad memory. Klinge currently works with a three-crop, five-year cycle of crop rotation of soybeans / corn / soybeans / barley / alfalfa. The alfalfa is a cover crop grown at the end of the cycle to replenish the soil with nitrogen and other nutrients. Rye and oats are also grown as cover crops to control weeds and rebuild the soil. Next year he’ll reverse the corn and soybean crops, growing more corn because he feels it is better for the land.



The crop rotations and cover crops help to control the weeds, as well. As for pests, Klinge follows an Iowa State University research study that was funded in cooperation with the Practical Farmers of Iowa. He leaves an uncut strip about 25 feet wide by 100 feet long that acts as a trap for leafhoppers. The insects will feed on the uncut strip, leaving the crop virtually untouched. Crop rotation assures that no one insect population has a chance to establish itself and inflict damage to any one crop.