This might apply more here in Europe than in the USA, considering you have such an abundance of land available. But our cheaper vegetables are notoriously grown

This might apply more here in Europe than in the USA, considering you have such an abundance of land available. But our cheaper vegetables are notoriously grown in glasshouses in the Netherlands and Spain over here and they do not touch any real soil; and it is ultimately cheaper and allows for better use of the space since they can grow on several levels and harvesting is much easier than having to dig something in and later out in the field. The worse part still remains: chemicals, pesticides and lots and lots of genetically altered vegetables and fruits. You cannot even use their seeds to grow new ones; you have to buy seeds from e.g. Monsanto each year along with all the chemicals you need to grow that stuff. You have to watch "We Feed the World"!