Some Vermont farmers to protest possible organic change
STOWE, Vt. (AP) Some Vermont farmers are going to be protesting at the meeting of the National Organics Standards Board over the possibility that...
Oct 26, 2015 — STOWE, Vt. (AP) Some Vermont farmers are going to be protesting at the meeting of the National Organics Standards Board over the possibility that crops raised by hydroponic systems could carry the organic label.
Organics Standards Board Chairman Jean Richardson says some Vermont farmers feel that crops should be raised in soil to be considered organic.
The protest is planned for Monday at the Stowe resort where the board is meeting. Hydroponics are not on the meeting agenda.
Hydroponic crops are not grown in traditional soil, but in an inert substance. Richardson says hydroponic crops typically require less water.
A new federal hydroponics task force is scheduled to have its first meeting in early November. It will study current hydroponic production methods and report back to the board a year from now.
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