Hugh Kent

Response: Real Organic Protects People and Planet

Hugh Kent, and his wife Lisa, own and operate King Grove Organic Farm in Florida where they grow ROP certified organic blueberries and develop farm machinery, including patented non-chemical weed control technologies.

They developed a unique growing system, emphasizing responsible land stewardship and ecological function, which produces some of the most delicious blueberries available anywhere in the world.

Theirs is one of the many real organic farms threatened by a loss of integrity in the USDA and its failure to administer the National Organic Program as intended, or to enforce its laws as written.

Hugh has a BA in economics from Tufts University and a JD from Cornell Law School.
Lisa’s previous work experience is as a wildlife biologist. She has a BA in biology from the University of Central Florida.

Hugh has been a prominent spokesperson for the Real Organic Project since our first conference at Dartmouth College in 2019. He brought the house down as he told the story of struggling in a wholesale system that was actively hostile to small and midscale organic farms.

He is a member of the Real Organic Executive Board. Along with many interviews on our Podcast, Hugh has spoken on countless other podcasts, gatherings, and conferences. He has balanced this with a very full time job running their beautiful farm in Eustis, Florida. He has been an innovator in organic farming techniques and in novel marketing strategies to survive in a very hostile marketplace.