With the aim of identifying key factors for cereal yield and mineral nitrogen content, 87 fields of wheat, spelt, rye, triticale and barley on 31 organic farms were evaluated from 2009 to 2011. According to multiple linear regression analysis, factors leading to high cereal yields were high mineral nitrogen content, high soil water storage and high cereal coverage in spring; also deep soil, low weed pressure, high available phosphorous content and low growing frequency in previous years. Key factors for high mineral nitrogen content in spring included low cereal coverage in spring, vegetation cover in winters of previous years, high soil organic matter and silt content, low C/N ratio, low plough depth, legume intercropping before sowing and use of manure or slurry nitrogen. An additional survey year with additional parameters will be conducted before the project’s official end
