Farm management practices directly impact maintaining soil fertility and the ability to adapt to changing climatic factors, as well as, among other things, the economics of production. Changes in farming practices can reduce the risk of erosion and loss of organic matter in the soil, reducing the risk of water pollution, and improving the soil's physical, chemical, and biological properties. The types of farms and agricultural land use (fields, permanent grassland, permanent crops) determine the basic management methods. Further insight into the management practices of farms can be found through the implementation of crop rotation, intensity of inputs, the predominant crops in the crop rotation, the use of soil cover over the winter, and in the methods of soil cultivation.

The intensity of agricultural production is directly linked to the use of inputs, most notably synthetic nitrogen fertilizers, other mineral fertilizers, pesticides, purchased feed, and energy. The indicator shows that agricultural land in Slovenia is distributed fairly evenly among farms with low, medium, and high input use, with each intensity level accounting for approximately one-third of the land. Compared to the EU27, a larger proportion of land in Slovenia is farmed by farms with lower input use. Hungary has a similar structure, while Austria (48%) and France (39%) have larger proportions of land used by farms with high input use. Among the compared countries, farms with low input use have the largest share of land in Italy (39%).

Slovenian crop production is oriented toward feed and fodder production for livestock. In 2023, cereals dominated arable land (58%), followed by the cultivation of green fodder crops (31%), and industrial crops (6%). These proportions have been relatively stable over the past 15 years, despite seasonal fluctuations. The share of root and tuber crops, after decreasing in the last 10 years, has stabilized at around two percent of arable land. Notable differences in the structure of crops between the EU countries are observed, reflecting the variable environmental conditions, demand, and other measures for the cultivation of crops. According to the 2023 crop shares in EU-27, the share of cereals in Slovenia is slightly above the EU average (52%) and comparable to the shares in Hungary and Austria. Only Croatia, among neighboring countries, has a higher share of cereals (62%). The share of fodder crops in Slovenia is above the EU average (19%). Among neighboring countries, it is comparable to the share in Italy (37%) and higher than in Austria (16%), Croatia (12%), and Hungary (9%). Conversely, the share of industrial crops in Slovenia is below the EU average (12%) and lower than in all comparison countries except Italy (7%). This reflects the adaptation to environmental conditions, orientation, and production-economic specificities of Slovenia or comparable countries. From this point of view, the sowing structure of crops in Slovenia has both positive and negative impacts on the environment and the wider community.

Certain changes over a longer period can be observed in the representation of types of individual crops within crop groups. Among cereals, maize still dominates, accounting for 42% of cereals in 2023. The share has been stable in recent years. The share of winter wheat and rye has decreased to 16% in the same period, while areas with triticale, barley, and buckwheat have increased more noticeably. Among other crops, areas with soybeans, oil pumpkins, clover, and alfalfa are increasing. The ratio between maize and legumes has also improved in favor of legumes in the last 10 years. The increase in the share of legumes in crop rotations is attributed to agricultural policy measures that promote their cultivation.

Winter cowering of arable land reduces the soil degradation processes, leaching of nitrates, and increases the biodiversity of soil fauna and flora. Data on the percentage of arable land with winter cower plants is not collected regularly and is available for the years 2010 and 2016 for Slovenia and EU countries. In Slovenia, data for winter cower plants on arable land were collected for 86% of arable land in 2010 and 99.9% of arable land in 2016. In 2010, conventional winter crops cowered the most arable land (53%), followed by dedicated greening for improved soil fertility (20%) and arable land covered with crop residues (3%). A fifth of the fields (24%) were bare over the winter in 2010. In 2016, the total share of covered land decreased by 2% compared to 2010. In 2016, the share of arable land covered with standard winter crops (46%) and with crops for improved fertility (12%) decreased, while the shares of fields covered with harvest residues (6%) increased. A new category of perennial crops (12%) (introduced in 2016) and an increase in the available data on most of the arable land partly explain the decrease in soil cover of other categories. Also, the transition to a new program period of the Rural Development Program reduced the share of agricultural land included in the greening measures. Differences in the types of soil winter cover and proportions of covered arable land between EU countries reflect the specifics of EU member states. According to the EU-27 average for the year 2016 (77%), the soil cover of arable land over the winter in Slovenia was above average. Germany (86%), Austria (81%), Italy (84%), and France (93%) have more land cover than Slovenia, while Hungary (58%) and Croatia (45%) have less. In the EU-27 and comparison countries, the largest share of coverage over the winter represents conventional winter crops. Germany has the largest share of arable land covered by this category of crops (57%), while Croatia has the smallest (34%). Differences occur due to specifics in the crop rotation of the EU countries. For example, Germany dedicates a significantly larger share of fields to rapeseed cultivation than Slovenia, while the share of winter wheat is similar between the countries. In Slovenia, more than 75% of arable land is covered over the winter. Nevertheless, it is recommended to encourage the increase of this share and the reduction of bare land below 10%. The share of arable land with dedicated cover and intermediate crops in Slovenia (12%) is higher than the EU-27 average of 8%, higher than in Hungary (2%), Italy (2%), and Croatia (0%), comparable to the share in Germany (12%) and lower from shares in Austria (21%) and France (16%). The share of bare surface in Slovenia in 2016 (23%) is comparable to the EU-27 average of 23%. Among the comparison countries, France has the smallest share of bare land (7%), while Croatia (55%) and Hungary (42%) have the largest shares. The share of arable land without data in Slovenia decreased between 2010 and 2016 and is below the EU-27 average of 8% in 2016. Among the comparative countries, France, Hungary, Austria, and Croatia have similar shares of arable land without data as Slovenia, while Italy has the most areas without data (23%).

Soil cultivation methods have an important role in maintaining soil fertility and in the economics of crop production. Data on cultivation methods are not collected regularly; data for Slovenia and the EU are available for the years 2010 and 2016. The majority of arable land in Slovenia is plowed, followed by conservation tillage. The share of fields with direct seeding (no tillage) is negligible. In Slovenia, the share of arable land cultivated with plowing increased from 77% to 82% between 2010 and 2016. The share of fields under conservation tillage increased from 9% to 11% in the same period. The share of arable land under no-till cultivation decreased during this period from 1.5% to 0.5%. The share of uncultivated arable land and fields without data on cultivation decreased from 14% to 7% in the same period. The increase in the percentage of arable land cultivated with the plow is partly related to the higher reliability of the data obtained in 2016. Data collected in 2016 is therefore considered a more reliable indicator of the situation in Slovenia. According to the EU-27 average of 67% of plowed fields in 2016, the share in Slovenia is above average. Among the comparative countries, Germany (53%), Austria (54%), and France (48%) have smaller shares of plowed fields than Slovenia, while Hungary (85%) and Croatia (90%) have larger shares than Slovenia. The share of arable land under conservation tillage in Slovenia is similar to Hungary (9%) and higher than in Italy (4%) and Croatia (5%) but significantly lower than in Germany (40%), France (33%), and Austria (29%). The share of fields under no-till is generally minor in all EU countries. France has the largest share among comparative countries (5%). Significant differences in soil cultivation between EU countries reflect the differences in soil and climate conditions, average sizes of agricultural holdings, and socio-economic dimensions of farming systems. Additionally, each method has advantages and disadvantages, making general statements and recommendations difficult. Nevertheless, the share of fields cultivated with plowing should decrease in Slovenia.