Pleasant Grove Farms

Pleasant Grove Farms follows USDA National Organic Program Standards, prohibiting synthetic pesticides, herbicides, and fossil-fuel-derived fertilizers. The farm is certified organic by CCOF. Crop rotation and cover cropping form the foundation of its system. Each fall, vetch, a nitrogen-fixing legume, is planted on nearly every acre and then incorporated into the soil to fertilize following cash crops. Soils follow either a two-year rotation (rice and green fallow) or a three- to four-year rotation (corn or popcorn, beans, wheat, and sometimes rice). Poultry compost is applied where fields need extra nutrients. After harvest, remaining plant material is incorporated into the soil to build organic matter. Weed control uses GPS-guided cultivation and, in flooded rice fields, water management. The farm also runs on-farm research trials, including grazing sheep to manage crop residues and improve soil fertility.