Guidelines for Planning Crop Rotations

• Identify rotation goals.
• Identify resources and constraints.
• Collect and analyze data about your land, farm and potential markets.
• Plan the rotation.
• write down your crop mix and identify acreage for high priority crops
• check for excess acreage or over-emphasis on one plant family
• identify crop couplets and short sequences that work well on the farm
• make a crop rotation planning map with: a copy that identifies conditions that affect what crops can be grown on each field, a copy that assigns crops to each field in the coming season, a copy that assigns crops to each field for the following season, and a separate copy that shows how cover crops fit into the rotation.
• take the plans to the field and imagine all the management practices involved in the rotations identified for each field and consider again if the proposed sequence makes sense for that location—and make any changes if necessary.
• develop contingency plans for unexpected circumstances related to saturated soil, extreme weather, poor germination, or severe pest problems.
• Implement the rotation.
• Evaluate the rotation.
• Adjust the plan where needed.