Rock Maple Farm

with Eliot Cowan's Legacy and Blue Deer Center

A common question we hear is "Well, why can't hydroponic be organic?" Because growing crops in soil is written into the law:

"An organic plan shall contain provisions designed to foster soil fertility, primarily through the management of the organic content of the soil through proper tillage, crop rotation, and manuring."

- Organic Foods Production Act, 1990

Since the USDA has stopped enforcing this law, produce sections have been inundated with fauxganic hydroponic berries, tomatoes, herbs and greens, driving prices down and pushing Real Organic Farmers out of the market.

Countries around the world ship their hydroponic produce to the USA to be sold as organic in our markets, because they can. In their own countries, the laws are still enforced.