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The Future of Seaweed Farming in America
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BY ALEXANDRA TALTY, PULITZER CENTER OCEAN REPORTING FELLOW • September 5, 2024
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About 5 miles off the coast of Santa Barbara, California, a vast swath of giant kelp—Macrocystis pyriferia, which can grow nearly 3 feet per day—sways just below the surface of one of the world’s first open-ocean seaweed farms.
Still in its research phase, the 86-acre project is operated by Ocean Rainforest, a company that aims to fight climate change by growing seaweed at scale: 1 million tons a year by 2030. Although an 86-acre terrestrial farm would be considered boutique, the
Ocean Rainforest plot, floating in sight of the Channel Islands, represents a significant leap in size from the average U.S. seaweed farm of 1 to 4 acres—and a new frontier for ocean farming.
Supported by $6.2 million in Series A funding, for a total of $22 million from U.S. and European governments, grants, and venture capital, Ocean Rainforest also operates seaweed farms in the Faroe Islands and Iceland that supply the animal-feed, fertilizer, and cosmetic industries. The company’s goal of substantially decarbonizing these industries—with seaweed, instead of petroleum feedstocks, as raw material—depends on the success of this farm. Growing seaweed in the open ocean, with room to exponentially expand, means the Ocean Rainforest team is tackling how to anchor crops in hundreds of feet
of water, withstand intense weather, and monitor a farm that lies many miles from shore.
As Ocean Rainforest continues its research, the wider U.S. seaweed industry, still in its infancy, faces significant challenges. Several years of steady investment and scientific breakthroughs have helped it advance, but since 2023, funding has dropped precipitously, and so have retail prices for seaweed-based foods. In the meantime, a lack of government guidance by means of regulation and legislation makes
it difficult for farms to gain traction. Seaweed is an extraordinary crop, offering multiple benefits to planetary and human health along with an array of business applications. But it’s fair to say that right now, the industry is having growing pains. Read the final installment of our in-depth series, “Kelp’s Tangled Lines.”
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How a Vermont Cheesemaker Helps Local Farms Thrive
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BY JAKE PRICE • September 4, 2024
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Every Friday at around 6 p.m., farmers in Greensboro, Vermont, descend on Tom Hill's barn to help out with the Friday evening milking session. As udders are emptied and beers popped open, they catch up on each other’s families and talk about the joys and struggles of the vocation they share.
The weekly gathering is a community tradition. The bonds between these farmers, formed over many decades and spanning multiple generations, have become even more precious as farms consolidate or
close—farm numbers have been declining since the 1970s, and that transformation of rural life continues. This tight-knit community holds on with determination, cherishing its camaraderie.
Many here have benefited from their collaboration with cheesemakers Mateo and Andy Kehler, founders of Greensboro’s Jasper Hill Farm. The Kehlers pay their suppliers nearly twice the global market rate for milk, and they source exclusively from within a 15-mile radius of the creamery. This commitment both sustains local agriculture and reinvigorates the community by fostering an interconnected local economy. Read the full story.
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