I. Agriculture relies on soil resources like food, paper, and fibers that come from crops and livestock grazing. When crops are harvested, the exposed soil is vulnerable to erosion from weather. Soil loses nutrients as the protective topsoil is eroded away. II. In the 1800s on the Great Plains, plowing under native grasses and overfarming wheat and corn without crop rotation led to increased erosion as the drought-resistant root systems disappeared. The drought of 1931 caused dust storms as unprotected soil blew away, losing over 8cm of topsoil. Farmers went bankrupt and the government instituted new regulations around 1935 to restore soil fertility through crop rotation and other conservation practices.