Crops
The raising of various crops on the farm has by nature to be a flexible enterprise. If markets are to be satisfied then quality produce must be grown, with such timing as to ensure sales throughout the year.
This has to be balanced though, with the need to convert all unsold produce into another form (compost, meat, dairy produce or seed) without suffering financially, to the extent that the viability of the holding is threatened. This means simply that production of a specific crop on its own must never be “make or break”, as is common of highly capitalised growing farms. Also on-farm consumption of produce should not endanger the economic viability of its production.
This is not to suggest either an ‘easy care’ approach is sensible or possible in reference to crop growing, or that the use of intensive techniques such as glass-house growing, are never to be considered, but that the overheads usually so integral to such systems are minimised, and their by-products profitably used elsewhere on the holding, just as those of other ventures should be profitably used within the growing area.
To ensure this is the case, all use of resources should be shown to cover itself either economically or in its potential rewards/ contributions to the system as a whole. In this way experimental use of new techniques or variety of plant are encouraged but never at the expense of the entire business. Many categories exist under the heading crop production, such as, indoor production (including early growing of transplants for the fields), outdoor field crops (encompassing row crops, ground covers and more extensive fodder crops), and outdoor fruits (soft and hard). Overall it is desirable to achieve a wide spread of differing produce throughout the year, both for the market and to satisfy the holdings needs for fodder and nutrients, to ensure optimum soil and plant health, enabling a sufficiently large output to be gained, from a biologically active soil, to sell from the holding a profitable surplus.
In specific areas where a high degree of nutrient rich surplus can be borrowed from the system ie. compost passing through greenhouses, before return to the land, then an intensification of production techniques is warranted , to improve the economic return on a product, or to extend the availability of produce throughout the year.
The complementary nature of many of the flows and cycles of energy found in the farm environment can thus be seen to contribute to universal fertility and health, on the larger scale, but remain just as important when applied to minute factors such as companion planting, use of particular mulches, successional planting etc.
It is an understanding and then familiarity with these multi-various relationships which constitutes an evolving knowledge of our agro-ecosystem and as such determines the suitability of subsequent management techniques.