Organic row crops: true sustainable agricultureAgriculture has expanded in science and improved practices exponentially over the last century . This has virtually revolutionized the yields produced by row farming. These improvements brought with them sciences such as reduced-tillage planting and the use of herbicides and pesticides. This increase in chemical use has lightened farmers' workloads and enabled higher yields, but has also imposed possible health risks and long-standing repercussions. One practice that many farmers have adopted to combat the damage of these chemicals is organic row crop farming. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Large epidemics, such as the dead zone in the estuary in southern Louisiana where the Mississippi River flows into the Gulf of Mexico, demonstrate that current agricultural practices cannot be carried out without doing serious harm to the environment . This damage can cause damage to the land and water needed to produce bountiful crops. Organic row crop farms use farming practices before herbicide and pesticide treatment modernized the industry. This method is an alternative to conventional agriculture, where farmers use less tillage and more pesticides, herbicides and large amounts of chemical fertilizers. Organic farming, however, uses no chemicals for fertilizer or pest control, so it can eliminate chemical runoff entirely. In addition to being better for the environment, the crops produced by organic row crops are deemed to be of higher quality by society and have more value. University, after taking into account labor, land and production costs” (Organic Makes Economic Sense for Grain Farmers). This increase in profit can offset the typical effects of yield loss when converting from conventional row crops to organic, and thus create a very adequate substitute for conventional agriculture. However, with proper management, organic crops can produce results very similar to those of conventional row crops. The correct management of organic crops is much more diversified than conventional agricultural management. Without the use of chemical fertilizers, soil fertility is difficult to control and can pose a challenge to organic row farms. One of the ways organic farmers address this issue is through long-term practices that can sustain soil nutrients. An example would be the use of green manure, using a grass crop planted in the fall, after the wheat harvest, to conserve nutrients and then be processed in the spring (Between the Rows: Organic Corn Production – Maize). This practice helps in weed suppression and soil moisture management because leaving the soil bare after harvest and during the winter causes nutrient loss. There are also other ways to achieve proper soil management without planting an extra crop over the winter. An alternative practice for maintaining proper growing conditions for organic row crops is crop rotation. Crop rotations, as defined by the University of Minnesota, are predetermined sequences of cropping systems for a given field. A rotation of plants, such as soybeans or alfalfa, that put nitrogen into the soil through nitrogen-fixing bacteria,.