Organic ag still causes soil erosion.

Grocery shoppers who care that their food is grown in a responsible and environmentally friendly fashion enjoy plenty of opportunities to buy organic fruits and vegetables — and increasingly they are taking advantage of those opportunities.

The proof: Organic food sales in the United States reached $50.1 billion in 2019, up 4.6% from the previous year, according to the 2020 Organic Industry Survey conducted by the Organic Trade Association.

In comparison, the growth rate for total food sales was about 2 percent.

But consumers who feel that organic is the be-all and end-all for sustainability are missing a bigger picture, says Steve Groff (stevegroff.com), author of “The Future-Proof Farm” and founder of Cover Crop Coaching, which educates farmers and farm advisers about effective cover crop use.

“Any kind of growing method involves a degree of compromise, including organic agriculture,” Groff says. “Organic farmers use pesticides too. They are derived from natural sources, but that doesn’t necessarily make them safer. And most organic farmers still till the soil, which kills the life within it and subjects it to erosion. Organic farming generally is a good system, but it definitely is not the pinnacle of sustainability.” Unfortunately, Groff says, the agriculture community isn't always good at educating consumers about other forms of sustainability, such as the use of cover crops that he advocates.