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U.S. NEWS Thursday 16 November 2017

Organic-food purists assail the designation

for hydroponics

By LISA RATHKE and why wouldn’t anyone
Associated Press want that included,” she
MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — said. “They’re excellent on
Can a tomato grown in a water reduction. They’re
nutrient solution instead of excellent on space use.
dirt be called “organic”? They’re excellent on inten-
Some purists don’t think so. sive production, so we’re
The National Organic Stan- using less resources and
dards Board, which advises creating more food. That
the U.S. Department of Ag- just seems smart.”
riculture, voted this month Many such farms are inter-
against a proposal to ex- ested in becoming certi-
clude hydroponics and fied organic because it’s a
aquaponics — the raising growing market, she said.
of plants without soil and “And it essentially puts this
fish using the same water style of farming at a premi-
— from the USDA’s organic um as well,” she said.
certification program. That leaves traditional or-
Many traditional organic Red lettuce grows at an aquaponic farm, a form of hydroponic cultivation, in Hilliard, Fla. The ganic farmers really con-
farmers and their support- National Organic Standards Board, which advises the U.S. Department of Agriculture, voted in early cerned about the com-
ers say allowing hydro- November 2017 to allow produce raised hydroponically without soil to be certified as organic. petition they’ll face in the
ponic farms to be certified Following the vote, some traditional organic farmers say they are working on an alternative to the marketplace, Natsoulas
organic erodes the integ- USDA certification. said. Diane Nancekivell, of
rity of the $16 billion U.S. or- (Recirculating Farms Coalition via AP) Middlebury, Vermont, typi-
ganic produce industry. drianna Natsoulas, execu- tion said it did not support organic to expand. She cally pays that premium
To them, organic farming tive director of Northeast the proposal to prohibit hy- said she was shocked that to get organic produce.
is about far more than not Organic Farming Associa- droponics because of the so many people opposed While shopping at Healthy
using toxic pesticides; it’s tion of New York. “They feel way it was written. hydroponic and aquaporin Living Market & Cafe in
rooted in enhancing the that organic now is a com- Marianne Cufone, execu- farming from being labeled South Burlington, Vermont,
fertility of soils, a concept plete joke and it means ab- tive director of the Recir- as such. she said she was excited to
developed in the early solutely nothing, and their culating Farms Coalition, “I thought it was an ab- get hydroponic fruits and
20th century by pioneering years of working and their which represents hydro- solute no-brainer that hy- vegetables in the winter
organic farmers. Organic dedication and their com- ponic and aquaponic droponics and aquapo- and has no problem with
farmers worked hard to mitment is for naught.” farmers, said the law left rin, when done well, can them not being grown in
create the National Or- The Organic Trade Associa- room for the meaning of meet organic standard soil. q
ganic Program in 2000, an
achievement they say is
now being watered down
by allowing hydroponic Who owns Maine’s seaweed?
farms to be part of it.
“Unfortunately those very
things that it was created Top court will have to decide
to do, which I think in the
beginning it did do, is now
really damaging because
they’re certifying things PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — 10 million pounds of sea- court judge ruled in favor of
that none of us believe are A fight over who owns the weed per year in Maine. the property owners, block-
organic,” said Dave Chap- seaweed that can be har- But harvesters and some ing a Nova Scotia com-
man, of Long Wind Farm in vested along the coast of shorefront property own- pany from harvesting in in-
East Thetford, Vermont. Maine is going all the way ers are locked in a dispute tertidal zones in downeast
Traditional organic farmers to the state’s highest court. over whether it’s being tak- Maine. The Maine Supreme
“feel like this is a complete Commercial harvesters en from private property. Court will now decide if
slap in the face,” said An- typically collect more than WCSH-TV reports a superior that ruling should stand. q