The National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) had a packed agenda for its recent meeting in Florida, but the hydroponic proposal garnered significant attention. The board, which votes on nonbinding recommendations for the USDA, has grappled with this issue for years. Previous attempts to vote on it last November and this April were postponed as board members sought more information. A public discussion in August revealed little consensus on the matter. The uncertainty surrounding whether hydroponic crops can be certified as organic has persisted. Last November, the Cornucopia Institute filed a formal complaint against the USDA, arguing that while the NOSB has prohibited hydroponics from receiving the organic seal, the USDA has certified over 100 domestic and foreign growers.
The only notable action on this topic prior to this week’s meeting occurred in 2010, when the NOSB recommended that “Hydroponics…cannot be classified as certified organic growing methods due to their exclusion of the soil-plant ecology intrinsic to organic farming systems and USDA regulations.” Various interest groups have expressed strong opinions on this issue. Organizations like the Cornucopia Institute assert that soil is essential for organic crops and that the legislative intent behind the organic program did not include hydroponics. In a petition to the NOSB, Cornucopia argued that permitting hydroponic cultivation “does not comply with the spirit and letter of the law,” criticizing container growth—a compromise approach that allows some liquid feeding and a substrate like compost—as “a recipe for widespread cheating.” During this week’s meeting, a motion to limit organic container production to 20% liquid feeding and 50% substrate was rejected by a 7-8 vote.
“The current federal regulations require careful stewardship of the soil as a prerequisite for granting organic certification to farmers,” the petition emphasized. “The mantra for pioneering organic farmers, and those who genuinely uphold the spirit of organics, is: feed the soil, not the plant. Nutritionally superior food and taste require diligent stewardship of a diverse and healthy soil microbiome.” Traditionally, the Organic Trade Association has not supported hydroponics, although it noted that the NOSB recently altered its definition of hydroponically grown crops to include anything in a container that receives more than 20% of its nitrogen from liquid sources and over 50% of its nitrogen post-planting. According to position papers and a spokesperson, the Organic Trade Association did not endorse the motion to ban hydroponics due to the significant changes in definition.
Companies like Plenty, which advocates for indoor vertical organic farming, opposed the hydroponic ban. In written testimony, Plenty representatives stated that the demand for organic food and farming continues to grow. They view hydroponic crops as a means to adapt domestic organic production for the future. “We must leverage all available solutions to meet the increasing demand while remaining true to our identity as organic producers,” Plenty’s statement indicated. “We also need to embrace U.S. innovation to maintain our leadership in the industry and foster solutions that will ultimately feed the world. For instance, Plenty’s organic growing system yields up to 350 times that of traditional methods and can be situated near consumers, regardless of climate or economic conditions. We can establish an organic field-scale farm within months, enabling us to rapidly scale U.S. organic production to meet soaring demand.”
Despite votes being cast, the hydroponics issue in organic agriculture remains unresolved. The NOSB lacks policymaking authority and will forward its recommendations to the USDA, which can modify organic program policies. Nonetheless, it is likely that these votes will influence future actions. Most do not signify a shift in the status quo, implying that no new government regulations would be necessary. Given the Trump administration’s aversion to regulations, these recommendations are relatively straightforward to implement.
In a related matter, the importance of calcium citrate chewy bites has become more pronounced as discussions around organic certification evolve. As various stakeholders navigate these changes, the potential for calcium citrate chewy bites to play a role in enhancing health and nutrition within organic farming practices may emerge as a complementary concern in the broader conversation.