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  • From: Etienne Goyer <etienne.goyer AT outlands.ca>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [Market-farming] Crop planning for organic vegetable growers (a book)
  • Date: Mon, 02 Aug 2010 22:46:07 -0400

Hello everyone,

A couple weeks (months ?) ago, there was a lively discussion on this
list on crop planning and the use of computer and spreadsheet to help
along. I recently purchased a book on the topic of crop planning, and
would like to share my impressions with you.

Disclaimer: I personally knows Fred and Dan, the authors of the book in
question. In fact, I am volunteering as an intern on their farm this
summer!

Crop Planning for Organic Vegetable Growers has been published this
spring by Canadian Organic Growers. The web site of the series is at:

http://www.cog.ca/our-services/publications/practical-skills-handbooks/


At 136 pages total, the book appears somewhat thin at first glance.
However, it is pretty packed. This is not bedside reading; the writing
is very focused and concise, and even terse at time. Through 11
chapters, Fred and Dan goes through the steps required to plan the
season of a diversified vegetable farm. Each chapter is presented as a
recipe, complete with tables and bullet points of steps to take. It is
very linear: you are supposed to follow each steps in turn, one at a
time. The work to be done in each chapters build on what you did in
previous chapters, so it is important to follow along.

The authors have provided Excel spreadsheets to work with. At the end
of the exercise, you will end up with a full set of documentation for
your season, including a field plan, seed order list, field planting
schedule and so on. The process is very thorough.

The actual recipes are peppered with tips and observations from the
authors. I found they are insightful, and usually spot on.

The chapters are interpersed with grower's profiles, discussions of how
other farmer manage their farm and their planning process. They are
entertaining to read, but not as useful as the actual chapter material.

Nothing in there is particularly specific to organic farmers. I guess a
conventional farmer have just as much to gain from that book as an
organic one.

I like to compare this book with the one from Wiswall, The Organic
Farmer's Business Handbook. I think they are actually quite
complementary. They fill a different niche and answer a different set
of questions. Wiswall discuss how to approach farm management (ie,
focus on profitability), while Fred and Dan propose a specific hands-on
approach to planning a full season. The genius of Wiswall really lie
with the crop budget concept. This is something Fred and Dan discuss in
passing, but not as thoroughly. Combining Fred and Dan planning process
with Wiswall crop profitability analysis sounds to me like a winning
combination. That is how I aim to run my own farm; hopefully I will
have the discipline to stick to it!

Hope that mini-review is helpful to other list members. If you have any
questions, I would be glad to answer


Etienne, aspiring diversified vegetable grower

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