Dealing with pests probably requires the biggest leap of faith for farmers new to organic management. When you're used to having an arsenal of chemical controls at your disposal, it's scary to think about what might happen when you give them up.
Fortunately, most farmers find that after an initial "balancing out" period, pest and disease pressures in field crops diminish under organic management. Just as in weed management, effective crop rotation is the primary method of organic insect pest and disease management. In the absence of pesticides, beneficial insect populations return, helping to stabilize pest populations. In organic farming, the early years may be challenging, but things get better over time. Compare this to non-organic farming, in which things can get tougher over time as pests develop resistance and input costs go up.
Eliminating synthetic pesticides is one way to reduce threats to the health of honeybees. (Photo: TRI)
