Grocery shoppers who feel that buying organic is the be-all and end-all for sustainability are missing a bigger picture, according to guest blogger Steve Groff. Any kind of growing method involves a degree of compromise, including organic agriculture. To produce food at a price that people can afford, farmers often must decide what will do the least harm as they await better innovations.

In this episode of the “No-Till Farmer Influencers & Innovators” podcast, brought to you by Martin Industries, No-Till Farmer Editor Frank Lessiter talks with soil health specialist and rhizosphere ecologist Jill Clapperton about the importance of no-till in building healthy soil structure.

Using no-till on weather-damaged crops will improve soil health and reduce volunteer corn for next year, says NRCS.

Farmers want to see a profit. They want to see it every year and with every crop. There’s nothing wrong with that exactly, but I want to consider long term potential benefits and compounding profits as much as short-term gain when weighing management strategies.