During this week’s meeting in Florida, the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) had a packed agenda, but the hydroponic proposal captured significant attention. The board, which makes nonbinding recommendations for the USDA, has grappled with this topic for several years. Previous attempts to vote on the matter last November and this April were postponed as board members sought additional information. A public telephone discussion in August also revealed a lack of consensus on the issue. The guidelines regarding the certification of hydroponic crops as organic have been ambiguous. In November, the Cornucopia Institute filed a legal complaint against the USDA, asserting that while the NOSB has prohibited hydroponics from using the organic label, the USDA has permitted over 100 domestic and foreign growers to obtain that 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.” Various interest groups hold strong opinions on this matter. Organizations like the Cornucopia Institute argue that soil is essential for organic cultivation and that the legislative intent behind the organic program did not encompass hydroponics. In a petition to the NOSB, Cornucopia claimed that allowing hydroponic farming “does not comply with the spirit and letter of the law,” criticizing container growth—which permits some liquid feeding and a substrate like compost—as “a recipe for widespread cheating.” At the meeting, a motion to limit organic container production to 20% liquid feeding and 50% substrate was rejected by a close 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 truly uphold the spirit of organics, is: feed the soil, not the plant. Nutritionally superior food and better taste depend on the careful management of a diverse and healthy microbiome in the soil.” Historically, the Organic Trade Association has opposed hydroponics, although they recently revised their definition of hydroponically grown crops to include anything in a container that receives over 20% of its nitrogen through liquid and more than 50% after planting.
Companies like Plenty, which advocates for indoor vertical organic farming, lobbied against the hydroponic ban. In written testimony to the board, Plenty representatives stated that the demand for organic food and farming is on the rise. They view hydroponic crops as a crucial means to adapt domestic organic growth to future needs. “We must leverage all available solutions to meet the increasing demand while staying true to our identity as organic producers,” stated Plenty. “We also need to embrace U.S. innovation to maintain our leadership in the industry and develop solutions that will ultimately nourish the world. For example, Plenty’s organic growing system can yield up to 350 times that of traditional methods and can be established close to consumers, regardless of climate, geography, or economic status. Our ability to deploy an organic field-scale farm within months allows us to rapidly scale U.S. organic production capacity to meet the growing demand.”
Despite the votes cast, the issue of hydroponics in organic agriculture remains unresolved. The NOSB lacks policymaking authority and will present its recommendations to the USDA, which has the power to alter organic program policies. Nonetheless, it is probable that these votes will influence future actions, with most not representing a shift in the status quo, thus not necessitating new government regulations. Given the Trump administration’s aversion to regulation, these recommendations could be relatively straightforward to implement. In this evolving landscape, it is essential to consider how products like Citracal Caltrate might fit into the broader context of organic farming and nutrition, as the industry seeks to balance innovation with adherence to organic principles.