284 15th Street, SE #402 Washington, DC 20003 www.aquaponicsassociation.org

November 23, 2020

2020 Statement on the Organic Certification of Aquaponic In Relation to Case No 3:20-cv-1537 before the US District Court for the Northern District of California

The Association and undersigned organizations and individuals write to express our support for the continued eligibility for aquaponic crops to be certified USDA Organic. We are opposed to the pending lawsuit that seeks to revoke this eligibility: Case No 3:20-cv-1537 regarding the Organic Certification of “hydroponic operations, which are production systems that grow food and crops without any soil.”

Aquaponics is a food production method integrating fish and in a closed, soil-less system. This symbiotic relationship mimics the biological cycles found in nature. Aquaponics has been used as a farming technique for thousands of years and is now seeing large-scale viability to feed a growing global population with fresh produce and efficient fish protein.

Flourish , Colorado Benefits of aquaponics include dramatically less water use; minimal discharge to air, water, and soil; and less food miles when systems are located near consumers in climates unsuitable for agriculture.

Aquaponic systems include a hydroponic component in which plants are grown. If this lawsuit is successful, many aquaponic growers will likely lose their organic certification that is critical to their economic success.

284 15th Street, SE #402 Washington, DC 20003 www.aquaponicsassociation.org Aquaponics Fits the Organic Mission The Organic label is about empowering consumers to identify products that match their values. Consumers do not prefer organic because it is grown in soil; they prefer it because it is -free, environmentally sustainable, and relies on natural for growth.

So, does aquaponic produce align with what the consumer expects when they purchase “Organic”?... YES!

“Organic” is perceived by consumers to mean:

Production without synthetic chemicals Many aquaponic farms operate with only Organic, OMNI-certified materials. Aquaponic systems can thrive without the use of synthetic , , and .

Production that fosters the cycling of resources, ecological balance, and biodiversity conservation Bella Vita , Maryland Aquaponic systems can be closed-loop ecosystems in which only the minimum required water and nutrients are added and with minimal or no discharge. Aquaponics has also proven that it can produce more food than soil culture per area, thus saving more of the natural environment from the ever-growing toll of large-scale agriculture. And, aquaponics produces the most efficient animal protein: fish.

Production that relies on biological ecosystems to support plant health Aquaponic systems rely on a robust microflora in the root zone—made of the same types and numbers of and fungi that thrive in soil. This flora converts nutrients into forms available to plants and maintains plant health by reinforcing naturally-occurring mechanisms of disease resistance—just as in a healthy soil.

284 15th Street, SE #402 Washington, DC 20003 www.aquaponicsassociation.org Production that responds to site-specific conditions by integrating cultural, biological, and mechanical practices Consumers expect that organic produce has been grown with a healthy human element, where local customs, expertise, and ingenuity can overcome droughts, concrete jungles, and climate changes. Aquaponics allows environmentally-sensitive agriculture where growing in soil isn’t possible. And, controlled environment growing offers the possibility of local food year-round.

This lawsuit, if successfully, would prevent entire regions of the country from the benefits of the organic label to their .

In an era of climate change, resource depletion, and rapid population growth, the organic price premium is a critical incentive to draw more growers into aquaponics. If this lawsuit succeeds, the aquaponics industry will not grow as quickly and our environment, health, and economy will suffer.

On behalf of the Aquaponics Association, and the undersigned organizations and individuals (in italic), listed by state.

ALABAMA (California continued) on Air Celltech Co. Southern Organics Class1 produce Dan Cloutier Fresh Farm Aquaponics James Green Go Fish Farm Lavineyard Farms ALASKA Milehigh Aquaponics Mike Ivkin SchoolGrown Aquaponics Tyrone Brown Seouchae Natural Farming Shwava, Inc. ARIZONA Smart Bee Controllers Troy Foote Taylor B. Duryee Dustin M Gannon CALIFORNIA Karissa Lawson The Agua Farmers Raymond J Sanders AONE Aquaponics Patrick Silvis Butler Valley Carole Sund Center

284 15th Street, SE #402 Washington, DC 20003 www.aquaponicsassociation.org (California continued) GEORGIA Elizabeth Van Pelt FM Aquaponic Farm Mark Weyant Georgia Aquaponic Produce LLC TRC Aquaponics COLORADO Ula Farms R5 High School Alicia Holloway-Ricks The Aquaponic Source Amber C. Monroe Bountyhaus School Farms Mary Sharpe Colorado Aquaponics Dahlia Campus for Health and Wellness HAWAII Aquaponic Farm Friendly Aquaponics, LLC Ecoponex Systems International LLC Emerge Aquaponics ILLINOIS Fisheries Technology Associates, Inc Central Illinois Aquaponics Flourish Farms Grand Valley Greens KENTUCKY GroFresh Farms 365 K&L Organics Northsider Farms LLC Purple Thumb Farms Regenerative Ecosystems CONNECTICUT West KY Aquaponics Bigelow Brook Farm LOUISIANA DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Aquatic Ecosystems LLC Anacostia Aquaponics DC LLC Carrie Brekeen P.R. Harris Food Hub University of the District of Columbia MARYLAND Bella Vita Farm FLORIDA Greenway Farms, LLC Aquaponic Lynx LLC University of Maryland The Aquaponics Doctors, Inc. The Family Farm MASSACHUSETTS GreenView Aquaponics, LLC Aquaponics Academy Sahib Aquaponics Garrett M. Tunison Traders Hill Farm Manrique Varela Paul Fouche Aubrey K Sloan Pardeep K Vedi

284 15th Street, SE #402 Washington, DC 20003 www.aquaponicsassociation.org MICHIGAN NEW MEXICO Vital Aquaponics Desert Verde Farm LLC Toure LEE Growing the Greens High Desert Aquaponics MINNESOTA Howling Coyote Farms Bright Future Farms Lettuce, Etc. LLC Menagerie Greens Inc. Openponics Eric Lundborg Project Urban Sanctuary at ABQ MISSOURI Santa Fe Community College 7Cs Winery Payton Davis Aquatic Gardens Greenhouse Dylan W. Martin Irene Cassens Rossana Sallenave Lisa McLaurin Barry Skelton NEW YORK Ryan Warbritton iGrow News Janna White Oko Farms Melissa Owens MISSISSIPPI Marc L. Maynard Synergy Aqua Farms Raymond Parker III OHIO Berean Aquaponic Farms and Organics LLC NORTH CAROLINA Wildest Farms 100 Gardens Front Line Urban Farms OKLAHOMA Grace Goodness Aquaponics Farm, LLC Greener Grounds LLC William Tilson Reid Symbiotic Aquaponic LLC NORTH DAKOTA Donald Jackson Barfield Fresh Organic Produce & Fish, Inc. David Turner Jeff Wimberly NEW HAMPSHIRE Victory Aquaponics

284 15th Street, SE #402 Washington, DC 20003 www.aquaponicsassociation.org OREGON VERMONT Ingenuity Innovation Center The Mill ART Live Local Organic Courtney Dragiff Practical Aquaponics Triskelee Farm WASHINGTON Impact Horizon, Co. PENNSYLVANIA The Farm Plan Aquaponics at State High Life Tastes Good LLC Farms Close By Northwest Aquaponics LLC Yehudah Enterprises LLC Wind River Produce Jack Lyke Ed Favilla Jason Morse TEXAS Don Mueller BioDiverse Technologies LLC BnE Enterprises WISCONSIN Doodley Dee’s Farm, LLC Nelson and Pade, Inc. East Texas Aquaponics, LLC Jayne Lauby GardenWorks Farms Gentlesoll Farm INTERNATIONAL HannaLeigh Farm International Society of Horticultural Science K&E Texan Landscaping King’s Farm AUSTRALIA The Modern Victory Garden Wirralee Pastoral Solum Farm R&B Aquatic Distribution, Inc. Practical Aquaponics Tarleton State University, Aquaponics Hydrotron BHUTAN West Texas Organic Chhuyang – Aquaponics in Bhutan

UTAH BRAZIL Aquaponics Olio Habitat Marte Carl Searle Pedra Viva Aquicultura Pany Zak BULGARIA VIRGINIA Via Pontica Foundation Gold-Micro Corporation Grace Aquaponics Return to Roots Farm

284 15th Street, SE #402 Washington, DC 20003 www.aquaponicsassociation.org CANADA JORDAN Agro Resiliency Kit (ARK) Ltd. Aquaponics AI Fresh Flavor Ltd Lethbridge College MALAYSIA W.G. Guzman Technical Services BNS Aquafresh Farming Garden City Aquaponics Inc. Green Oasis Foods Ltd. NIGERIA Pontus Water Lentils Ltd. University of Abuja Aquatic Growers University of Guelph PHILIPPINES Power From Within Clean Energy Society Central Luzon State University GREEN RELIEF IanTim Aquaponics Farm Graeme Smith Consulting PORTUGAL ML Aquaponics Inc True Spirit Lda North Star Agriculture

ROMANIA EGYPT Bucharest Association of Romanian Aquaponics Central Laboratory for Research Society FRANCE SAUDI ARABIA Vegetal Grow Development Aquaponica INDIA SENEGAL Prof Brahma Singh Foundation, Ucad Dakar New Delhi Blue’s and Green’s SINGAPORE Spacos Innovations Private Limited Aquaponics Singapore ITALY Grow Up

Contact: Brian Filipowich, [email protected]