USDA has said the soil fertility provision applies only if crops are grown in soil. The courts agreed. Sylvia Wu, CFS’s senior and managing attorney, said the group is exploring its le- gal options. She said CFS disagrees with USDA’s position “that hydroponic crop productions are exempt from the soil fer- tility requirements simply because they do not use soil.” Durst said he takes issue with how “the spirit of the law was being rewritten to ac- commodate businesses that came late” to organic, which he said reflects specific farming practices “that we spent many years trying to write into this law.” He stressed that he’s not against hydropon- ics and other alternative farming systems, but “call it what it is.” Referring to soil-less farming systems as organic, he said, com- promises the “integrity of the word.” Karen Archipley, who farms hydroponic vegetables in San Diego County, said she has followed the USDA National Organic Program since the day she and her hus- band Colin established their farm Archi’s Acres 17 years ago. The farm teaches sus- tainable organic agriculture to active-duty military, veterans and civilians, some of Hydroponics Continued from Page 1
whom have built their own certified organ- ic hydroponic farms. With the scarcity and high cost of water in her region, Archipley said the hydropon- ic method of growing food allows her to use one-tenth of the water that soil farmers use while producing three to five times the crop without the use of chemicals. “We follow the soil food web like every- body else,” she said. “Organic is growing with integrity. We are truly sustainable organic farmers.” She called the controversy about wheth- er hydroponic can be organic “childish” and “poor sportsmanship,” and said she thinks it’s just “a few people that are wor- ried about their market share.” Alameda County farmer Ron Mitchell has been growing hydroponically for 40 years. Before he retired from production farming, he operated Berkeley-based Local Greens, a hydroponic farm that grew microgreens in jute, a fiber used to make burlap, and water enriched with worm castings. He said his system created “a per- fect environment” for crops with “no bugs ever.” He never needed to use pesticides and herbicides. Mitchell now works for Chicago-based Clayco, which builds vertical farms and
greenhouses. He said he thinks those who claim his method of farming does not deserve organic certification just don’t want competition. “That’s the real argument,” he said. “Well, sorry, but that’s a reality in life, is that somebody’s going to grow some- thing quicker and cleaner and tastier in an organic way.” But Damewood of CCOF said she doesn’t think people who want to remove hydroponic from organic are solely wor- ried about competition. “In my experience, they’re really stead- fast defenders of organic principles, and they’re courageously standing up for what they believe in,” she said. Debate about hydroponics—and more broadly container and other novel pro- duction systems—has percolated with- in the organic community for decades, Damewood said. She noted CCOF has cer- tified these systems for decades because there had never been express prohibition from USDA. With proliferation of these farms in more recent years, people took notice, she said, and wondered why they’re allowed to be certified. What CCOF struggled with, she said, was “the idea of kicking out members of our community, folks who we had been cer- tifying, who we knew believed and strived to uphold the organic standards.” At the same time, she said the organization also
“completely understood the concerns and frustrations of folks who didn’t want hy- droponic systems in organic.” One of the key challenges in the debate, she said, is that people have different opin- ions about what hydroponic means. While most people may think of hydroponic as an indoor system with roots in water and plants grown under artificial light, she said water-based methods remain “pretty rare” in organic production. Hydroponic en- compasses “a whole spectrum of produc- tion,” she said, with farms using different kinds of substrate. Mushrooms, sprouts and transplants, for example, are all widely accepted forms of production, she noted. CCOF has advocated for labeling of crops produced using these systems, she said, as that would allow the certifier to “still be inclusive but support the transparency that consumers deserve.” But she said farmers on both sides of the issue have mixed feel- ings about it. Some already label their prod- ucts “hydro-organic.” Pro-soil farmers feel such a label is an oxymoron. Others don’t want another label requirement. “At the end of the day, we’re working to- wards a world where organic is the norm and want to welcome a lot of different types and scales and increase the diversity of folks who are able to grow and sell organi- cally,” Damewood said. “We believe there’s room for them in the movement.” (Ching Lee is an assistant editor of Ag Alert. She may be contacted at clee@cfbf.com.)
The Produce Safety Rule is Here; ARE YOU READY?
Farm Employers Labor Service (FELS), an a liated company of the California Farm Bureau (CAFB), has partnered with the Safe Food Alliance through a California Department of Food and Agriculture grant contract, as their designated training provider for Central and Southern California, to conduct the required Produce Safety training for growers. ALL TRAININGS BEGIN AT 8 AM September 7, 15 and 21:
California Farm Bureau Harvest Room 2600 River Plaza Drive, Sacramento October 5: Glenn County Farm Bureau 831 5th Street, Orland November 15: Yolo County Farm Bureau 69 West Kentucky Ave., Woodland
You’ve worked tirelessly to maximize the potential of your operation. Here’s one more thing that will help. For a limited time, New Holland Deal Days gives you THREE ways to save BIG on select haytools and mid-range tractors. Get cash back 1 or low-rate financing 2 on existing inventory. Or, pre-order now for even bigger cash incentives on model year 2023 dairy and livestock equipment now through the end of the year. Stop in today or visit nhoffers.com.
Most farms are required to have at least one designated supervisor who has been trained in accordance with the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety rule. Upon completion of the course, attendees will receive an o cial certi cate from the Association of Food & Drug O cials.
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1 C nancing purchase with CNH Industrial Capital America LLC or CNH Industrial Capital Canada Ltd. fi ash back amounts vary and are applied at time of sale. Cash back offers are only available when
2 F or Commercial use only. Customer participation subject to credit quali cation and approval by CNH Industrial Capital America LLC or CNH Industrial Capital Canada Ltd. See your participating fi N ew Holland dealer for details and eligibility requirements. Down payment may be required. Not all customers or applicants may qualify for this rate or term. CNH Industrial Capital America LLC and C NH Industrial Capital Canada Ltd. standard terms and conditions apply. Canada Example: The interest rate will be 0% for 12 months. Total contract term is 12 months. Based on a retail contract date of October 1, 2022, with a s fi uggested retail price on a new T5.100 STG5 DC, ROPS of C$109,472 customer provides down payment of C$21,894.80 and nances the balance of C$87,577.20 at 0% per annum for 12 months. There will be 12 equal monthly p ayments of C$7,298.10. The total amount payable will be C$87,577.20, which includes nance charges of C$0. Taxes, freight, setup, delivery, additional options or attachments not included in suggested retail price. Offer is fi n ontransferable. Offers end December 31, 2022; subject to change or cancellation without notice. © 2022 CNH Industrial America LLC. All rights reserved. CNH Industrial Capital and New Holland are trademarks registered in the U fi nited States and many other countries, owned by or licensed to CNH Industrial N.V., its subsidiaries or af liates. 2 F or Commercial use only. Customer participation subject to credit quali cation and approval by CNH Industrial Capital America LLC or CNH Industrial Capital Canada Ltd. See your participating fi N ew Holland dealer for details and eligibility requirements. Down payment may be required. Not all customers or applicants may qualify for this rate or term. CNH Industrial Capital America LLC and C NH Industrial Capital Canada Ltd. standard terms and conditions apply. Canada Example: The interest rate will be 0% for 12 months. Total contract term is 12 months. Based on a retail contract date of October 1, 2022, with a s fi uggested retail price on a new T5.100 STG5 DC, ROPS of C$109,472 customer provides down payment of C$21,894.80 and nances the balance of C$87,577.20 at 0% per annum for 12 months. There will be 12 equal monthly p ayments of C$7,298.10. The total amount payable will be C$87,577.20, which includes nance charges of C$0. Taxes, freight, setup, delivery, additional options or attachments not included in suggested retail price. Offer is fi n ontransferable. Offers end December 31, 2022; subject to change or cancellation without notice. © 2022 CNH Industrial America LLC. All rights reserved. CNH Industrial Capital and New Holland are trademarks registered in the U fi nited States and many other countries, owned by or licensed to CNH Industrial N.V., its subsidiaries or af liates. 1 C nancing purchase with CNH Industrial Capital America LLC or CNH Industrial Capital Canada Ltd. fi ash back amounts vary and are applied at time of sale. Cash back offers are only available when 2 F or Commercial use only. Customer participation subject to credit quali cation and approval by CNH Industrial Capital America LLC or CNH Industrial Capital Canada Ltd. See your participating fi N ew Holland dealer for details and eligibility requirements. Down payment may be required. Not all customers or applicants may qualify for this rate or term. CNH Industrial Capital America LLC and C NH Industrial Capital Canada Ltd. standard terms and conditions apply. Canada Example: The interest rate will be 0% for 12 months. Total contract term is 12 months. Based on a retail contract date of October 1, 2022, with a s fi uggested retail price on a new T5.100 STG5 DC, ROPS of C$109,472 customer provides down payment of C$21,894.80 and nances the balance of C$87,577.20 at 0% per annum for 12 months. There will be 12 equal monthly p ayments of C$7,298.10. The total amount payable will be C$87,577.20, which includes nance charges of C$0. Taxes, freight, setup, delivery, additional options or attachments not included in suggested retail price. Offer is fi n ontransferable. Offers end December 31, 2022; subject to change or cancellation without notice. © 2022 CNH Industrial America LLC. All rights reserved. CNH Industrial Capital and New Holland are trademarks registered in the U fi nited States and many other countries, owned by or licensed to CNH Industrial N.V., its subsidiaries or af liates. 1 C nancing purchase with CNH Industrial Capital America LLC or CNH Industrial Capital Canada Ltd. fi ash back amounts vary and are applied at time of sale. Cash back offers are only available when
The Food Safety Training Partnership is offering these training courses throughout California. You can find more information and register at foodsafetytrainingpartnership.com, or call 916-561-5672. Supported by California Department of Food and Agriculture
12 Ag Alert October 19, 2022
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