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Essay / Understanding the Agricultural Concept Used by Organic Row Crop Farms . This virtually revolutionized the yields produced by row crops. These improvements brought sciences such as no-till planting and the use of herbicides and pesticides. This increase in chemical use has eased farmers' workload and enabled higher yields, but also imposed possible health risks and long-term repercussions. One practice that many farmers have adapted to combat the damage caused by these chemicals is growing row crops organically. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayLarge outbreaks, such as the dead zone in the southern Louisiana estuary where the Mississippi River flows into the Gulf of Mexico, show that today's agricultural practices cannot be continued without causing major damage to the environment. This damage can harm the land and water that are needed to produce bountiful crops. Organic row crop farms use agricultural practices from before the herbicides and pesticides that modernized the industry. This method is an alternative to conventional farming, in which farmers use less tillage and more pesticides, herbicides and large quantities of chemical fertilizers. Organic farming, however, does not use any chemicals for fertilizers or pest control and therefore can completely eliminate chemical runoff. In addition to being better for the environment, crops produced by organic row crop farms are held to higher standards by society and are more valuable. “Organic grain crops bring in about $200 more per acre than their conventional counterparts, according to an Iowa State study. University, after taking into account labor, land and production costs” (Organic Makes Economic Sense for Grain Growers). This increase in profit can offset the typical effects of yield loss when converting conventional row crops to organic, and therefore make a very suitable replacement for conventional agriculture. However, with proper management, organic crops can produce a very similar yield to conventional row crops. Good organic crop management is much more diverse than conventional agricultural management. Without the use of chemical fertilizers, soil fertility is difficult to control and can be a challenge for organic row crop operations. One way organic farmers can address this problem is by adopting long-term practices that preserve soil nutrients. An example would be the use of green manure, using a grass crop planted in the fall, after the grain harvest, to retain nutrients, then plowed in in the spring (Between the Rows: Organic Corn Production – But). This practice helps with weed suppression and soil moisture management, as leaving the soil bare after harvest and over winter results in nutrient loss. There are also other ways to achieve good soil management without planting an additional crop during the winter. An alternative practice for..
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