I have been farming since 2010. I am the primary farmer, supported by my husband on occasion. We have 100 acres, 60 acres bush, about 30 acres pasture/hay fields and 1.5 acres. intercropping, crop rotation, cover crops, mulch, compost. we started by using compost and intercropping in the market garden, then addressed crop rotation as we settled on a set of fields for the market garden. since about 2013 we have been experimenting with cover crops (various timings, species, cutting methods) -- planning and having back up plans is key, as well as having the equipment to deal with the cover crop. there are setbacks, but its worth the effort of experimenting. we started using straw as mulch in the summer of 2012 and haven't looked back -- whether it's a wet or dry year the straw mulch helps with moisture management, is a very effective weed control method, as well as reducing disease pressure. we're going to start experimenting with the use of silage as a mulch for shorter duration crops. vegetable growing can be hard on the soil and the use of mulches is a way to massively reduce tillage and feed the soil, rather than beating it to death!