I have a hard time comparing now and then, too hard to remember, but i think you are right. We have been degrading soil for centuries and bringing it back takes time and dedication.
Look up the book: Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations by David Montgomery
For millenia civilizations have exhausted nutrients in soil and been forced to move on to new land to grow food. This has been happening since agriculture began about 15,000 years ago. We no longer have new land to move to, and a return to hunter/gatherer is not an option. We have to learn how to take care of the soil.
A small percentage of our farms have begun to do that. There have even been some government subsidies for farmers to transition to organic, but not nearly enough. I expect that will end under Trump. But it is hardly even a news story, ever. The issue got Congress' attention after a cloud of dust turned the air black in Washington D.C. during the Dust Bowl era, causing some reforms but not nearly enough. We are slowly starving ourselves of nutrients.
Organic standards aren't being upheld since the government took over policing them. Organizations like "Real Organic" are trying to fix that. Farms who sign up as members uphold the original organic standards. We can be consumer members for $100/year to support them and learn more about what they are doing and connect to suppliers. I haven't seen anything labelled as Real Organic in a grocery store yet, so I buy organic at the farmer's market as much as possible.
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