Alternative methods of farming that reduce the application of purchased inputs such as fertilizer, pesticides, and herbicides. The goals of these alternative practices are to diminish environmental hazards while maintaining or increasing farm profits and productivity. Methods include crop rotations and mechanical cultivations to control weeds; integrated pest management strategies such as introducing harmless natural enemies; plating legumes that transform nitrogen from the air into a form plants can use; application of livestock manures, municipal sludge, and compost for fertilizer; and overseeding or legumes into maturing fields of grain crops, or as post-season cover crops to curtail soil erosion.