During its meeting this week in Florida, the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) had a packed agenda, yet the hydroponic proposal captured significant attention. The board, which votes on nonbinding recommendations reviewed by the USDA, has grappled with this issue for several years. Attempts to vote on it last November and this April were postponed as board members sought additional information. An August public discussion also revealed a lack of consensus on the matter. The regulations surrounding the certification of hydroponic crops as organic have remained ambiguous. In November, the Cornucopia Institute lodged a formal legal complaint against the USDA, asserting that while the NOSB has prohibited hydroponic operations from obtaining the organic seal, the USDA has permitted over 100 domestic and foreign growers to receive such certification.
Before this week’s meeting, the only significant action regarding hydroponic crops 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 governing them.” Various interest groups have strong opinions on this topic. Organizations like the Cornucopia Institute argue that soil is essential for organic crops, and they believe the legislative intent of the organic program did not include hydroponics. In a petition to the NOSB, Cornucopia stated that allowing hydroponic cultivation “does not comply with the spirit and letter of the law” and criticized container growth—a compromise that permits some liquid feeding and a substrate like compost—as “a recipe for widespread cheating.” At this week’s meeting, board members rejected a motion to limit organic container production to 20% liquid feeding and 50% substrate by a narrow 7-8 vote.
The petition emphasized that “current federal regulations require careful stewardship of the soil as a prerequisite for granting organic certification to farmers.” It highlighted the mantra of pioneering organic farmers: “feed the soil, not the plant.” This approach, they argued, leads to nutritionally superior food and taste, supported by a diverse and healthy soil microbiome. Traditionally, the Organic Trade Association has not supported hydroponics, but it noted that the NOSB recently revised its definition of hydroponic crops: anything in a container that receives over 20% of its nitrogen through liquid and more than 50% added after planting. According to position papers and a spokesperson, the Organic Trade Association did not back the motion to ban hydroponics due to this drastic change 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 is on the rise. They view hydroponic crops as essential for adjusting domestic organic growth to future needs. “We must leverage all available solutions to meet growing demand while adhering to our identity as organic producers,” the statement from Plenty affirmed. “We also need to embrace U.S. innovation to maintain our leadership in the industry and develop solutions that will ultimately feed the world. For instance, Plenty’s organic growing system achieves yields up to 350 times that of traditional systems and can be situated near consumers, irrespective of climate, geography, or economic conditions. We can deploy an organic field-scale farm within months, enabling us to rapidly scale U.S. organic production capacity to meet increasing demand.”
Despite the votes cast, the hydroponics issue in organic agriculture remains unresolved. The NOSB lacks independent policymaking authority and will forward its recommendations to the USDA, which can amend organic program policies. However, these votes will likely influence future actions. Most do not signify a departure from the status quo, implying that no new government regulations will be necessary. Given the Trump administration’s aversion to regulations, implementing these recommendations should be relatively straightforward. As such, the discussion around hydroponics will continue to evolve, particularly in the context of major players like Bayer and their contributions to organic farming innovations, including the development of products like Citracal D, which could play a role in enhancing agricultural practices.