U.S. District Court in San Francisco ruled this week that USDA was correct in certifying organic hydroponic operations as eligible for the National Organic Program (NOP). It was a victory for the Coalition for Sustainable Organics (CSO) and a defeat for the Center for Food Safety (CFS). It represented traditional organic producers who believe that without using soil, something cannot be organic.

Last month, Jane Hawley Stevens of Four Elements Organic Herbals gave a wonderful presentation at the Growing Stronger Collaborative Conference about gardening according to the phases of the moon. Stevens did a beautiful job of explaining how this concept works, and why you might want to experiment with it in your own garden.

On Thursday, January 21st, the United States District Court for the Northern District of California will hear arguments in Center for Food Safety’s (CFS) ongoing lawsuit challenging the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) “soil-less” loophole that permits the labeling of hydroponically-grown foods as USDA Certified Organic, even though the Organic statute and regulations clearly mandate all organic crop producers foster soil fertility in order to obtain organic certification. 

Our food system has taken hits from COVID-19. You’ve read about it, maybe felt it firsthand. Endless food pantry lines, scrambles to feed kids out of school, and supply chain disruptions for farms and food retail alike. A shuttered restaurant industry. Supermarkets facing food shortages, suppliers figuring out their pivots, farms forced to discard food.