We have had several dairy businesses enquire about organic conversion in the last couple of months, looking at converting their farms to organic production.  With a milk price of around 40 ppl and conversion grants ranging from £45 – £175 per hectare this can seem an attractive option, especially if you already run a low input system.

I would urge caution though when considering conversion, it’s not just about the money.  Organic farming requires a complete change of mindset.  You can’t just nip out with the sprayer and kill off some weeds, spread a bag of nitrogen because the grass isn’t growing or routinely treat livestock with drugs.  Management of organic farms requires you to focus on crop rotations building fertility with legumes, (clover, lucerne, beans, etc.) and then using that fertility to grow high demanding crops.  It requires rotational grazing to control worms, not drugs, and the use of fallowing of fields to control weeds.

Obviously there are cost savings to be made in terms of lower drug, spray and fertiliser use, but these are often offset by increases in fuel costs through extra cultivations, higher seed prices and high concentrate prices.

Having said that if you have the right mindset to manage your farm organically then it can be a very profitable and rewarding method of running your business.

I have over 10 years’ experience of working with organic farming businesses and if you are considering conversion would be happy to come and discuss the options available to you and how you might implement them on your farm.

If you would like to discuss this further then please contact Phil Cooper on pcooper@fcgagric.com, or your local FCG office.