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Organic Trade Association (OTA) is a membership-based business association that focuses on the organic business community in North America.
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Greenfield, MA 01302
413-774-7511
The decision will be, in part, an economic one: Do the numbers work for you? There are other factors you might consider to make your decision a balanced one. Deciding to farm organically might require you to think of things in a way less familiar to you. You might have to substitute careful observation and patience for quick mechanical and chemical fixes. You may develop a curiosity and a willingness to tolerate a few weeds, so long as they don't cut into yields. As an organic farmer, thinking several seasons into the future may yield better results. You’ll have to consider the kind of crop rotation you'll be looking at--both in season and over the winter.
To help you think this through carefully, we've collected an assortment of articles and essays that hint at some of the attitudes and approaches you'll need to increase your level of comfort so you’ll be on your way to being a successful and happy organic farmer.
| Previous page: Economics | Next page: Starting the Transition |
Resource Listing
 Deciding If It's For You |
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| Click the titles below to view specific resource details or -OR- view all | |
An Economic Modeling Tool for Farmers Thinking about Transition The FarmSelect online tool allows farmers to compare the economics of conventional vs. organic production. All you have to do is enter your zip... |  |
| 2005 Organic Consumer Trends Report from the Natural Marketing Institute This costly but professionally conducted report, published in 2005, provides a comprehensive compilation of marketing information across the entire... | |
| Case Study: Mountain Rose Herbs A history and description of Mountain Rose Herbs. Describes how the business began and the systems it has in place to support organic agriculture... | |
| Considering Organic Certification: Advice from Kentucky's Organic Program Coordinator This article from Jake Schmitz, Kentucky's Organic Program Coordinator, outlines the basics: what motivates farmers to transition to organic, what... | |
| Farming Without Chemicals in Ohio: A Case Study This report, based on in-depth interviews with several certified organic grain and soybean farmers in Ohio, hopes to provide conventional farmers... | |
| Crop Protection in Organic Farming Systems is Based on Wholistic Management Practices Growers face a myriad of production challenges and many would agree that the most common problems are pests, which include insects, disease, and... | |
| Factors to Consider Before Transitioning Converting to organic production is not a decision to take lightly. Organic farmers must learn how to work with nature to solve problems, such as... | |
| Introduction to Organic Transition Experiment from the Center for Environmental Farming Systems The overall goal of this research was to investigate various strategies, from a biological and economic systems perspective, for making the... | |
| National Ag Risk Education Library The National Ag Risk Education Library is a major component of USDA's Risk Management Education (RME) program. The Library organizes thousands of... | |
| Organic Farmers in the US: Opportunities, Realities and Barriers The objective of this article is to describe both the opportunities provided to farmers who adopt organic farming methods and the barriers farmers... | |
| Organic Farming: Is It For Me? This publication from North Dakota State University outlines the characteristics of a successful organic farmer. | |
| Transition to Organic Farming in Canada: Evaluating Your Assets This resource page takes a look at 10 assets you need to evaluate when considering the transition to organic. They include land ownership,... | |
| Beef: Natural and Organic Beef Production in Arkansas Covers the requirements of organic production, and the costs. From the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service. | |
| Dairy: Factors to Consider for Organic Dairy Farming in Arkansas Addresses costs of transition and includes budgets. From the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service. | |
| Economic Viability and Profitability in Sustainable Systems, From Michigan State University This web site provides information about and access to resources dealing with economic and environmental analysis of sustainable farming. It... | |
| Enterprise Budgets and Production Costs for Organic Production This fact sheet lists organic crop and livestock budgets available throughout the country. | |
| Grains: Organic Grain--Another Way This educational package of 3 video tapes, 2 200-page books, and assorted reprints can serve as a framework for study and discussion groups... | |
| Is Organic Crop Production for You? A Factsheet from the University of Kentucky It is a common misconception that organic production is merely a method of growing crops without synthetic pesticides. In fact, the use of natural... | |
| Organic Winter Wheat and Spelt Field Crop Budgets from Ontario | |
| Organic Barley and Oats Field Crop Budgets from Ontario | |
| Organic Farming and Marketing Questions The Economic Research Service of the USDA has compiled quick and easy answers to some basic questions about organic farm, marketing and... | |
| Organic Farming in North Dakota This web page from North Dakota State University Extension links you to articles, fact sheets and budgets of interest to organic farmers. It... | |
| Organic Grain Corn and Soybean Field Crop Budgets for 2006 from Ontario | |
| Poultry: Small-Scale Egg Production, Organic and Non-Organic This fact sheet from Penn State provides production information, livestock budgets and more. | |
| Using Enterprise Budgets to Make Decisions An enterprise budget is an estimate of the costs and returns to produce a product (enterprise). For example, an Iowa corn and soybean producer... | |
| Using Vegetable Budgets to Make Decisions An enterprise budget is an estimate of the costs and returns to produce a product (enterprise). For example, an Iowa corn and soybean producer... | |
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| Pathway to Organic: Producers // Processors | |
Regional Guide: United States | |
North American Directory | |
Key Resources |
Disclaimer: Organic Trade Association (OTA) is providing this information solely as a resource to the public. Although the information contained on this site is believed to be correct at the time of posting, OTA disclaims all responsibility for any damages or liability that may result from use or reliance on this web site or information contained herein
© 2010 the Organic Trade Association