Figure 1 shows the breakdown of acreage by crop. One interesting fact the project revealed was the number of farmers who use cover crops, Baker said. Soil management practices reported varied according to crop and local condition. Three main sources of basic fertility management available to organic farmers are compost, cover crops and manure. Figure 2 shows the frequency with which these practices were reported.
Many farms use more than one method.
An additional 270 used cover crops. There were 91 growers who used none of the three methods, many because they were in transition and had not yet developed a soil management program. Some relied on rock minerals, drip or foliar feeds. Sources of compost varied widely. About one-quarter of all CCOF growers made compost.