Organic handbook out now (From Western Telegraph)

Organic handbook out now

11:30am Tuesday 27th January 2009 in Farming News

The 2009 edition of the Organic Farm Management Handbook has been published by Aberystwyth University and Organic Research Centre Elm Farm.

The handbook, now in its eighth edition, contains business information for farmers, advisers and everyone concerned with the management of organic farms.

It includes gross margins for a wide range of crop and livestock enterprises and chapters on marketing, certification, organic conversion, whole farm performance and environmental management, plus other useful information.

With the organic market changing rapidly in response to rising food and fuel prices and recession, each gross margin is based on conservative estimates and contains sensitivity analysis for a range of prices illustrating the impact of possible change.

“This latest edition of the Organic Farm Management Handbook comes out at a challenging time,” said Dr Nic Lampkin, senior lecturer at Aberystwyth University.

“It is very difficult to predict how the organic market will respond to rising food and fuel prices and the recession, which are putting pressure on household budgets and levels of disposal income.

“Despite this, there are some areas of the organic market that are continuing to grow despite the economic problems.

“The organic market has come through previous recessions and there is no reason to expect that it will be different this time.”