Hugh Kent At Churchtown: Losing Our Agriculture

Real Organic Podcast

#193: Real Organic blueberry grower Hugh Kent takes the main stage in the historic Round Barn at Churchtown Dairy on Saturday, September 28, 2024 to address the crowd at Real Organic: A World Movement. Hugh speaks about the drastic changes that organic - previously known as just agriculture - has undergone at the hands of industrial forces in recent times, and how this influence is affecting markets, livelihoods, ecosystems and communities
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 please visit:
https://www.realorganicproject.org/hugh-kent-losing-our-agriculture-episode-one-hundred-ninety-three
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).
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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.
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