Hugh Kent : Allowing Hydroponic Berries into Organic is a Mandate

Real Organic Podcast

#017: Hydroponic blueberries, suspiciously sporting the USDA organic seal, are taking over the marketplace and jeopardizing the livelihood of real organic blueberry farmers like Hugh Kent. But with a focus on biodiversity and the microbial life in his soil, Hugh is able to grow a blueberry that has one thing the hydro growers can't match: flavor.
Hugh and Lisa Kent grow exceptional blueberries at King Grove Organic Farm in Florida, where they actively steward many acres of land and several species of wildlife. King Grove's blueberries are renowned for their truly exceptional flavor.
To watch a video version of this podcast please visit:
https://www.realorganicproject.org/hugh-kent-allowing-hydroponic-berries-into-organic-is-a-mandate-episode-seventeen
The Real Organic Podcast is hosted by Dave Chapman and Linley Dixon, engineered by Brandon StCyr, and edited and produced by Jenny Prince.
The Real Organic Project is a farmer-led movement working towards certifying 1,000 farms across the United States this year. Our add-on food label distinguishes soil-grown fruits and vegetables from hydroponically-raised produce. It also identifies pasture-raised meat, milk, and eggs as compared to products harvested from animals in horrific confinement (CAFOs - confined animal feeding operations).
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We believe that the organic standards, with their focus on soil health, biodiversity, and animal welfare were written as they should be. But the current lack of enforcement of those standards is jeopardizing small farms that follow the law. The lack of enforcement is also jeopardizing the overall health of the customers who support the organic movement; customers who are not getting what they pay for at market but are still paying a premium price. The lack of enforcement is jeopardizing the very cycles (water, air, nutrients) that Earth relies upon to provide us all with a place to live, by pushing extractive, chemical agriculture to the forefront.
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