#167: Dave Chapman visits Real Organic blueberry farmer Hugh Kent at his biodiverse King Grove Farm in central Florida, to discuss the takeover of the US berry market by global brands that are rapidly encouraging the growth of plastic farms. By leveling soil, spraying the ground with chemicals, laying down plastic and popping up high tunnels, pedestals, plastic pots and a maze of tubing for feed and water, a new generation of disposable (and non-recyclable) "farming" is being popularized in berry production. Hugh now sees this marked transformation as a threat to all soil-based berry growers, and not just his organic peers. Will eaters be able to easily find soil-grown berries in stores in the near future?
Hugh Kent and his wife Lisa are longtime blueberry growers in Eustis, FL. They're proud to operate a biodiverse farm surrounded by intentional habitat for wildlife and pollinators, where they mow grasses and cover crops directly into their perennial berry rows to act as a fertile mulch. Hugh has been a vocal farmer-member of Real Organic Project to shed light on the changes in the industry that increasingly threaten the livelihood of berry growers like himself. He is now a member of Real Organic Project's Executive Board.
To watch a video version of this podcast with access to the full transcript and links relevant to our conversation, please visit:
https://www.realorganicproject.org/hugh-kent-how-usda-supports-bad-agriculture-episode-one-hundred-sixty-seven
The Real Organic Podcast is hosted by Dave Chapman and Linley Dixon, engineered by Brandon StCyr, and edited and produced by Jenny Prince.
The Real Organic Project is a farmer-led movement working towards certifying 1,000 farms across the United States this year. Our add-on food label distinguishes soil-grown fruits and vegetables from hydroponically-raised produce, and pasture-raised meat, milk, and eggs from products harvested from animals in horrific confinement (CAFOs - confined animal feeding operations).
To find a Real Organic farm near you, please visit:
https://www.realorganicproject.org/farms
We believe that the organic standards, with their focus on soil health, biodiversity, and animal welfare were written as they should be, but that the current lack of enforcement of those standards is jeopardizing the ability for small farms who adhere to the law to stay in business. The lack of enforcement is also jeopardizing the overall health of the customers who support the organic movement; customers who are not getting what they pay for at market but still paying a premium price. And the lack of enforcement is jeopardizing the very cycles (water, air, nutrients) that Earth relies upon to provide us all with a place to live, by pushing extractive, chemical agriculture to the forefront.
If you like what you hear and are feeling inspired, we would love for you to join our movement by becoming one of our 1,000 Real Friends:
https://www.realorganicproject.org/real-organic-friends/
To read our weekly newsletter (which might just be the most forwarded newsletter on the internet!) and get firsthand news about what's happening with organic food, farming and policy, please subscribe here:
https://www.realorganicproject.org/email/
Tim Bowles Part 1: Digging Into The Rhizosphere
Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin: The Need For A Real Regenerative Movement
Patrick Holden: Organic Needs Top Down, Bottom Up, And In-The-Middle Action
Francis Thicke: A Journey To Real Organic
Alan Lewis: Food System Betrayal
Ben Dobson: The Politics Of Farming For Climate
Dave Chapman and Eliot Coleman: We Did It Before, We Can Do It Again
Karl Hammer: Imagining A Photosynthetic Food System
Zephyr Teachout at Churchtown: Break'em Up
Kristin Kimball: The Small Farm Revolution Needs Activist Eaters
Linley Dixon: Saving Organic: The First Five Years of The Farmer-Led Real Organic Project
Iriel Edwards: Why Is Race In This? USDA Discrimination, Land Access, And Collective Liberation
Dan Barber: The Power Of Deliciousness
Hugh Kent | Breaking Their Own Laws: Hydroponics And The Farce Of USDA Organic integrity
Joan Gussow: Last 50 Years Brought More Foods And Less Choice
Glenn Elzinga: Why Cattle Are Ruining Our Public Lands In Spite Of A Better Way
Tom Willey Part 2: Working Towards A Permanent Agriculture
Tom Willey: Merging Chemical-Regenerative With Organic
Dennesse Willey: When Organic Was Easy To Sell
Bryan O'Hara: Organic No-Till Vegetable Farming
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