You don’t have to be a Berkeley prof in Birkenstocks to wonder whether we could grow food here in a way that places less stress on the environment, puts fewer pounds on our bodies and doesn’t consume so much of our federal budget.

Growing so many grains to feed cattle, pigs and poultry in feedlots affect water supplies and air quality. Producing ample supplies of fatty meats adds to our waistlines. Subsidizing crops like corn takes a big bite out of the federal budget.

“Sustainable agriculture” is how reformers describe new farming and ranching techniques that don’t stress the environment, our bodies or the federal budget. Time magazine’s Bryan Walsh wrote a controversial cover story on the subject last week, “The Real Cost of Cheap Food.” It sparked criticism for buying too much into to the “good food” movement that is driving sustainable agriculture.

We don’t agree with everything he writes, but he does raise a fundamental point: Is there not a better way to grow our food?

First, let us be upfront: Organic farming and backyard gardens won’t replace the efficiencies of America’s breadbasket, which supplies meat, grains and vegetables to millions of Americans and millions more around the world. Radical changes in the way we grow that food will increase our costs at the grocery store. Given everyone’s current economic straits, we don’t see the wisdom in that.

But North Texas shoppers, West Texas farmers and ranchers, and policymakers in Austin and Washington could help create a more sustainable agricultural system. Here are a few ways:

•When permitting dairy farms, which are fast expanding across the Texas Panhandle, the state should examine what impact a farm would have on the Ogallala Aquifer, the Panhandle’s ability to grow more grain to feed those dairy cows, and how to get rid of more animal waste. Texas AgriLife Extension Service researchers are studying the impact of dairy farms, so their work should give groundwater district officials and others information to make an informed decision.

•The state needs more experiments like the one state Sen. Robert Duncan and the Texas Water Development Board have helped launch in Lockney in Floyd County; ranchers and farmers there are working on raising cattle and crops using less water, including more efficient irrigation techniques.

•The federal government should look for opportunities to buy produce from local farmers who use techniques that don’t damage soils or the environment. The feds purchase huge quantities of food, including for school lunches and the military, so even targeted purchases could boost the cause of sustainable agriculture.

•The next time you shop for produce or meat, look for a locally grown product that hasn’t required so much diesel fuel to market. Or look for meats that have been raised with less corn or antibiotics pumped into them.

We’re encouraged that some organizations, like the Chipotle fast-food chain and the W.W. Kellogg Foundation, already support the move toward a more sustainable agriculture. This movement won’t supply all of our food needs, but there is certainly room for better ways to produce what we eat.