The National Organic Program offers guidance for insect and disease management that reinforces an ecosystem-based approach to farming, with a particular focus on promoting and maintaining soil health. Like weed management, the regulations require farmers to use preventive practices first (§205.206(a)), with application of biological or botanical substances only when soil health practices prove insufficient to control insects and diseases (§205.206(e)).

Crop Rotation for Insect and Disease Management

One of the foundational and most effective tools an organic farmer has in their toolbelt for insect and disease management is a targeted and diversified crop rotation plan. The USDA organic regulations require that a crop rotation must achieve four specific outcomes (§205.205):

• Maintain or improve soil organic matter content
  Healthy soils support beneficial microorganisms that can suppress disease pathogens and enhance plant immune responses.
• Provide pest management in annual and perennial crops
  Rotation disrupts pest life cycles by removing host plants and breaking reproduction patterns.
• Manage deficient or excess plant nutrients
  Proper nutrition enhances plant resistance to both insect damage and disease infection.
• Provide erosion control
  Soil conservation maintains the biological activity necessary for natural pest suppression.

The regulation's emphasis on crop rotation as achieving pest management goals reflects the understanding that diverse rotations disrupt pest life cycles and provide sanitation measures to remove disease vectors. This becomes particularly important in the Southwest where extended growing seasons can allow pest populations to build without the natural breaks provided by harsh winters in other regions.

Pest Management Strategies in the Regulations

In addition to crop rotation, the USDA organic regulations lay out a number of cultural and ecological approaches available to manage crop insects and diseases. These practices round out the toolkit of preventive practices that farmers are required to use before turning to the use of a biological, botanical, or approved synthetic substance is allowed (§205.206(b) and §205.206(d)).

• Cultural practices that enhance crop health and pest resistance
  Includes variety selection, planting timing, irrigation management, and soil health building
• Augmentation or introduction of predators or parasites
  Beneficial insect releases and habitat creation for natural enemies
• Development of habitat for natural enemies
  Maintaining diverse plantings and avoiding broad-spectrum treatments that harm beneficials
• Physical controls such as lures, traps, and repellents
  Mechanical and attractant-based pest management tools
• Application of non-synthetic biological, botanical, or mineral inputs
  Last resort treatments using National List substances with documented necessity

This regulatory approach aligns with ecological principles and requires advisors to think systematically about building crop resilience rather than simply responding to pest outbreaks. In the event that preventative ecological practices fail to sufficiently control insects and disease, crop protection inputs such as biologicals, botanicals, and synthetic substances may be used only if they are in accordance with the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances (§205.601 and §205.602). All substances used for insect and disease management must be documented in the farm's organic system plan (§205.201).