How to Start an Organic Farm
To farm organically, your focus is to work with nature rather than make nature work for you. Organic farming raises crops differently from conventional farming. To be organic, you cannot use any prohibited substance, such as pesticides, chemical fertilizers or synthetic seeds.
Besides being prohibited from using pesticides, chemicals and synthetic seeds in your organic farm, you cannot apply any such prohibited substance to the land you intend to use for farming for three years preceding planting your crop. If you plan to sell more than $5,000 worth of crop, you need to be certified by the United States Department of Agriculture to call yourself organic.
If your land is adjacent to conventional farmland, you need to create a buffer zone so that chemicals or pesticides the conventional farm may use don’t contaminate your produce. Identify any potential risks, such as a runoff threat to your crops.
Make a plan that allows you to enhance the quality of your soil on a continual basis and ensures the organic integrity. Keep a record of anything that goes in or out of the farm. Monitor your data to determine what works and what needs improvement.