Organic farmers work their systems around three basic principles to ensure that their farm functions with the central goal in mind. The organic farmer views the farm as an ecosystem, realizing that a change to one part of the system may disrupt the interrelationships on the farm. An example of this is the way in which organic farmers will address the problem with high nitrogen levels in the soil which may stimulate weed growth. They will plant a crop which will utilize the nitrogen, thereby creating a normal balance of soil nutrients. The second organic farming principle is diversity.
Organic farmers use complex crop rotations to maintain as natural a habitat as possible.
Most organic farmers will limit their livestock, thereby keeping a balance be-tween crops and livestock. The diversity of crops and livestock gives the farmer both flexibility and a diverse income, and also creates an ecosystem that helps to prevent one insect, weed or disease from becoming a problem. That is just as important as not using spray. The final principle in organic farming is recycling. A central organic farming concept is that the productivity of the farm starts with the soil, and many organic farmers believe that soil building is one of the most important aspects of farming.