Modern agriculture ignores the laws of crop rotation and applies excess mineral fertilizers and pesticides. This has degraded soil health and resilience-although the effects may be masked by high crop yields. Results from the long-term field experiment with different systems of fertilization in crop rotation on Typical chernozem at Selectia Research Institute for Field Crops at Bălţi, in Moldova, prove this assertion and offer a better way forward. The widening gap between farm-gate prices for agricultural commodities and the cost of mineral fertilizers means that the extra yields from application of fertilizer do not repay the cost. In crop rotation, the lion's share of yield formation comes from inherent soil fertility, and with the exception of sugar beet, the optimal system of soil fertilization is application of farmyard manure. Nitrogen-use efficiency from mineral fertilizers is low, even when applied together with farmyard manure, with known and unknown consequences for the environment. Improving soil health by better provision of fresh sources of energy for soil biota is the most reliable way to decrease dependency on mineral fertilizers