America's Biggest Kelp Farm Could Change How California Grows Crops
California cleared a massive offshore kelp project that could produce 6,000 tons a year, with part of the crop destined for avocado and strawberry farms.
California officials have cleared plans for what could become the largest kelp farm in the United States, a roughly 3-square-mile offshore operation planned near Ventura County that could eventually harvest up to 6,000 tons of kelp annually. The project matters to agriculture because much of that seaweed could be processed into products designed to improve soil and plant health on California farms, including the state's valuable avocado and strawberry operations.
The project, led by Faroe Islands-based Ocean Rainforest, would be built about six miles off the Southern California coast and developed gradually over roughly a decade. Harvested kelp would be processed in Ventura, creating a potentially new domestic supply chain linking ocean farming directly with land-based agriculture.
That connection could be particularly important for California specialty crop growers. Ocean Rainforest plans to develop kelp-based agricultural products locally rather than relying on material transported from the Atlantic. For farmers, the project could expand access to a growing category of biostimulants and biological inputs as the industry looks for tools that improve crop performance and soil health.
From the Pacific Ocean to California Farms
The project is also part of a broader federal push to expand U.S. aquaculture. The domestic seaweed industry remains relatively small compared with Asia, but commercial production is expanding in Alaska, New England and the Pacific Northwest. A 2023 World Bank report estimated that global seaweed markets could grow by another $11.8 billion by 2030.
The California plan is not without controversy. Environmental groups have raised concerns about whale entanglements, increased vessel traffic and impacts on commercial fishing. Developers say the lines used to cultivate the kelp will remain taut, and regulators have required the farm to expand in phases and undergo periodic environmental reviews.
With major approvals now in place, construction could begin in 2027. If the project reaches full scale, California could add an entirely new meaning to farming: growing agricultural inputs in the Pacific Ocean and using them just miles away in some of America's most valuable specialty crop fields.
