Sometimes organic producers accept losses, gain experience, and salvage what is left of the crop for livestock feed or other uses. Prevention of pest outbreaks through managing your ecological system cannot be stressed enough. If a pest gains a major advantage in your system, there are going to be yield and quality losses, some of which can be substantial. Examples of this are getting a heavy grasshopper infestation in your organic flax when it is setting bolls, or getting a major wild mustard outbreak in your organic soybeans. While there are some solutions to these problems, they are not nearly as effective as conventional remedies and tend to be more expensive.
Marketing is one of the final challenges and turns some producers back to conventional production.
Much of the organic production in North Dakota is sold to organic grain companies or grain buyers. These entities tend to be smaller than the buyers in the conventional market and sometimes are not bonded. Many long term organic producers can relate stories of selling some of their grain to a company and never receiving payment for it. Know the buyers in the market and seek out those with a good reputation. Payment for your grain can be received on the spot or delayed for six months or longer.