Podcasts about organic farmers association

#227: Kate Mendenhall, Executive Director of the Organic Farmers Association, breaks down the strategic grassroots campaign to keep organic standards rooted in soil, transparency, and trust. As corporate influence grows, Kate outlines how OFA is working to ensure the organic label still reflects its original values and that farmer voices are always at the forefront.https://realorganicproject.org/kate-mendenhall-defending-organic-integrity-nationwide-227Kate Mendenhall is the Executive Director of the Organic Farmers Association, whose aim is to "provide a strong and unified national voice for domestic certified organic producers." An Iowa native, Kate has returned to her home state to pursue this work, while also operating a small, diversified farm alongside her family. Kate was formerly the ED of NOFA-NY and as she describes in this interview, has traveled extensively around the globe to learn the craft of organic farming.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).To find a Real Organic farm near you, please visit:https://www.realorganicproject.org/directoryWe 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.If you like what you hear and are feeling inspired, we would love for you to join our movement by becoming one of our 1,000  Real Friends:https://www.realorganicproject.org/real-organic-friends/To read our weekly newsletter (which might just be the most forwarded newsletter on the internet!) and get firsthand news about what's happening with organic food, farming and policy, please subscribe here:https://www.realorganicproject.org/email/

In the 1990s, the success of the US organic movement seemed undeniable. Demand for healthy, chemical-free produce skyrocketed amidst public health concerns and a growing environmental consciousness. As a consequence, many small organic farmers could make a real living selling healthy produce and restoring farmland in the process. In the decades since, however, the story has gotten much more complicated.Corporate co-optation, lax government oversight, and splinters within the movement itself have created a new set of challenges for organic farmers and activists - challenges our guest today is helping lead the fight to overcome.Dave Chapman is a lifelong organic farmer, and Co-Director and Board Chair of the Real Organic Project, an organization dedicated to reigniting and reconnecting the organic movement. In this episode, he takes us through the history of the organic movement, where it is today, the differences and similarities between organic and “regenerative”, and where the movement can go from here.In this episode, we cover:- The history of organic, tracing its roots from indigenous practices to modern day agriculture.- The original definition of organic and the fight to maintain those core principles through the Real Organic Project.- The longtime debate over certification and institutionalization.- The organic boom, the entrance of Big Food into the marketplace, and the challenge of enforcement.- “Regenerative,” and the risk of cooptation of any new label.- The difference between building brands and building movements, and an insight into what that movement can look like.- And much more...Learn more about Dave and the Real Organic Podcast at the Real Organic Project.More about Dave:Dave Chapman is a lifelong organic farmer who runs Long Wind Farm in Vermont. They grow the best tasting organic tomatoes in the country in the fertile soil underneath a glass greenhouse. He is the Co-Director and Board Chair of the Real Organic Project, dedicated to reigniting and reconnecting the organic movement. He leads the Real Organic Podcast, providing a platform for many organic farmers, eaters, scientists, authors, educators, activists, and chefs. He was a co-founder of Vermont Organic Farmers in 1985, and was among those first certified by the USDA's National Organic Program in 2003. He served on the Policy Committee of the Organic Farmers Association for 6 years. He also served on the USDA Hydroponic Organic Taskforce. He has worked for years as an advocate for reform of the National Organic Program. He has met with Secretary Vilsack seeking reform of the organic program. His latest project is the creation of the Tomato Masterclass, a training for farmers working to create a stronger economic base for their market gardens. In his spare time he practices tai chi to stay sane and healthy.Agrarian Futures is produced by Alexandre Miller of You Should Have a Podcast, who also wrote our theme song.

In this episode of the Acres USA podcast, host Taylor Henry interviews Harriet Behar, an organic inspector and educator, about sustainable farming practices and the prevention of organic fraud in the supply chain. Behar shares her extensive experience with organic farming, describing her work on her certified organic farm and her involvement with the National Organic Standards Board and the Organic Farmers Association. The discussion focuses on recent regulatory changes to strengthen organic enforcement and improvements in organic livestock standards, highlighting the importance of maintaining integrity in the organic certification process.

This episode is brought to you by AquaTru and Sweetgreen. The quality of our food is one of the fundamental pillars in building our health and longevity. With all the food labels, it's hard to differentiate between what truly matters and what is solely a marketing strategy. Lifelong farmer David Chapman is a whistleblower sounding the alarm on the certified USDA organic label and the practices behind the companies using that label.Today on The Dhru Purohit Podcast, Dhru sits down with David, a lifelong farmer, Co-Director, and Board Chair of the Real Organic Project, to discuss how the certified organic label has been hijacked and how consumers are being misled. Dave shares the truths about the hydroponic process, the differences between smaller farms and large-scale operations, and the government's shortcomings in regulating the organic farming industry. Dave Chapman is a lifelong organic farmer who runs the Long Wind Farm in Vermont. He is the Co-Director and Board Chair of the Real Organic Project, dedicated to reigniting and connecting the organic movement. David also leads the Real Organic Podcast and co-founded Vermont Organic Farmers. He serves on the Policy Committee of the Organic Farmers Association. His latest project is the creation of the Tomato Masterclass, a training for farmers working to create a strong economic base for their market gardens.In this episode, Dhru and David dive into (audio version / Apple Subscriber version):The top ways consumers are being misled when buying organic (3:58 / 3:58)The impact of these misleading statements on our climate (13:40 / 12:06)Dave's mission and raising awareness (16:14 / 14:21)What is hydroponic and what it misses (19:27 / 17:50)What kind of eggs we should be eating (29:11 / 27:40)The government's role in protecting consumers and what is lacking (40:07 / 36:36)Careful and skillful efforts by small farms versus industrialized farms (50:38 / 47:05)The inability of farmers to become certified organic and the importance of trust (55:35 / 52:20)Requirements for grass-fed beef (1:02:58 / 59:25)Dave's journey in becoming a farmer (1:07:22 / 1:03:53)How the Real Organic Project started and what their certification stands for (1:11:25 / 1:07:48) The Non-GMO Project efforts (1:29:50 / 1:26:17)The certification process by the Real Organic Project (1:37:10 / 1:33:32) How you can help and where to learn more (1:59:17 / 1:55:50)Also mentioned in this episode:Real Organic Project Hydroponic debateAlexander FarmsAquaTru is a countertop reverse osmosis purifier with a four-stage filtration system that removes 15x more contaminants than the bestselling water filters out there. Go to dhrupurohit.com/filter/ and get $100 off when you try AquaTru for yourself. Find out more about Sweetgreen and their newest protein plates at www.sweetgreen.com. New Users of the sweet green app can use the code "Dhru5" for $5 off. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Access the entire episode here: https://beyondlabels.supportingcast.fm/joinThe integrity of the organic label has eroded even further with the recent decision by the courts to allow hydroponically grown food to be labeled as “organic.”  Dave Chapman, co-Executive Director of the Real Organic Project, joins Joel and Sina for an in depth discussion about why hydroponics should not be labeled “organic,” how they are inferior nutritionally and ecologically, how prevalent hydroponics already are in America, and how we can find REAL organic food.  Connect with the Real Organic Project at: realorganicproject.orgDave Chapman runs Long Wind Farm in Vermont and is the co-Executive Director of the Real Organic Project. He is a founding member of the Vermont Organic Farmers. He has been active in the movement to Keep The Soil In Organic. He is proud to be a current member of the Policy Committee of the Organic Farmers Association. He served on the USDA Hydroponic Task Force. Dave serves in a Farmer position.Join Beyond Labels Here: https://beyondlabels.supportingcast.fm/joinFollow on InstagramFind Joel Here: www.polyfacefarms.comFind Sina Here: www.drsinamccullough.comOur Editor: www.nolangfilmco.comDisclaimer:  The information provided by Joel Salatin and Sina McCullough, PhD is not intended to prevent, diagnose, treat, or cure any disease.  The information provided in the podcasts, videos, and show descriptions is for educational purposes only.  It is not intended to diagnose or treat any medical or psychological condition.  The information provided is not meant to prevent, treat, mitigate or cure such conditions.  The information provided is not medical advice nor is it designed to replace advice, information, or prescriptions you receive from your healthcare provider.  Consult your health care provider before making any changes to your diet, medication, or lifestyle.  Proceed at your own risk.Joel Salatin and Sina McCullough, Ph.D. specifically disclaim any liability, loss, or risk, personal or otherwise, that may be incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and application of any of the contents of their YouTube channel, Podcast, websites, books, Facebook pages, or any of the content during consulting sessions or speaking engagements.  Proceed at your own risk.  These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.

Joyce E. Ford and Jim Riddle have worked tirelessly on organic agriculture policy in the state of Minnesota, nationally, and internationally. This week, Ron Kroese talks with the long-time organic farmers and sustainable farming advocates from Winona, Minnesota, who share their numerous accomplishments, stories of colleagues they've worked with throughout the years, how they got started in the organic field, and what's next for organics. For more than 30 years, Jim has been an organic farmer, gardener, inspector, educator, policy analyst, author, and avid organic eater. Joyce started her career as an organic vegetable farmer in the 1970s. The couple helped organize the Winona Farmers Market, where Jim was a founding chair of the Winona Farmers Market Association. Joyce and Jim also helped start the International Organic Inspectors Association (IOIA). In that capacity, they co-authored the IOIA inspector curriculum manuals, and co-developed IOIA's inspector training program and projects such as organic system plans and record keeping templates for organic certification. Joyce has trained organic inspectors for the IOIA and was the first inspector to monitor pipeline construction on organic farms, enforcing Minnesota Agricultural Impact Mitigation Plan's Organic Appendix. She served as IOIA's Ethics Committee chair for many years. Jim served as chair of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture's Organic Advisory Task Force and was instrumental in passage of Minnesota's landmark organic certification cost-share program, which now is a farm bill program that provides 75% reimbursement for organic certification costs nationwide. In addition, Jim worked for the University of Minnesota as Organic Outreach Coordinator and as Organic Research Grants Coordinator for Ceres Trust. He served on the Leadership Team for eOrganic, the national Extension Community of Practice for organic agriculture and on the Citizens Board of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. He was the steering committee chair for the Organic Farmers Association when it was newly formed in 2016. Jim is former chair of the USDA National Organic Standards Board and a leading voice for organic agriculture. Joyce co-authored the Organic Trade Association Good Organic Retailing Practices (GORP), and the certification chapter in Organic Dairy Farming published by the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service (MOSES). Joyce served on the MOSES board of directors for 6 years. More recently, she served 3 years on the Steering Committee to develop a Healthy Food Charter for Minnesota and volunteered to assist Winona County in developing a county Food Charter, a policy action plan to help get healthy foods accessible. Joyce has worked for the International Organic Accreditation Service (IOAS) and has served on its Accreditation Committee that administers accreditation for organic certification and other sustainable labels. In 2013, Joyce and Jim were awarded EcoFarm's Stewards of Sustainable Agriculture. They currently operate Blue Fruit Farm, a certified organic perennial fruit farm, where they grow blueberries, black currants, elderberries, aronia berries, honeyberries, and more. The interview was conducted on Feb. 14, 2018. Additional links this episode: National Sustainable Agriculture Oral History Archive (video link) Organic Farmers Association International Organic Inspectors Association Winona Farmers Market

Today we're speaking with Roland McReynolds, Executive Director of the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association which is a member-based farmer-driven, non-profit organization based in Pittsboro, North Carolina, that helps farmers and consumers in both North and South Carolina grow and eat local organic food. Interview Summary   So why don't we begin with this. Can you help listeners understand what the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association does?   So our vision is a sustainable regional food system that is good for all consumers, good for farmers, good for farmworkers, and good for our ecosystems. So to achieve that vision, we work with farmers and with communities to advocate, educate, and build connections that support sustainable food systems in the Carolinas, centered on local foods and organic agriculture. We do that by working and consulting directly with farmers to help them implement organic practices in their operations and to help them expand their market opportunities. We work with food hubs and other sorts of food businesses to strengthen their operations so that they can become reliable market outlets for small farms and improve their competitiveness and ability to connect with values-driven buyers. We provide education and training both for farmers and the public. For instance, we host the largest organic farming and food system conference in the Southeast which this year is actually taking place in downtown Durham, November 6 through 8, 2022. We also run a farm incubator facility in Concord, North Carolina to help new organic farmers learn the trade and become successful in moving into organic farming as a career. We do consumer outreach, such as our Piedmont Farm Tour event here in the Piedmont Triangle area in North Carolina and K-12 agriculture education. We do a lot of advocacy educating state and federal policy makers on the needs and concerns of sustainable farmers. And, training people at the local level on how they can be effective advocates for healthy and just food systems.   Thank you for that description in this sort of remarkably broad portfolio you have. I can imagine how busy you folks are! But let me ask a question of kind of a national scope. Are there other organizations like this around the country, and is there a coalition of such groups?   Absolutely. Many states have sister organizations, like Carolina Farm Stewardship Association, serving their communities and their regions. One national umbrella group that we're a part of is the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, which acts as a lobbying voice for our sector in Washington DC. Their members span all the way across the country. So similar types of organizations that we work with are in states everywhere, like the Northeast Organic Farmers Association in New England, Community Alliance for Family Farms in California, and everywhere in between.   So let's go back in time and speak about how the association got started. So what were its origins, why did people think there was a need for this, and who are the members?   Essentially, it was a group of organic farmers and gardeners who got together back in 1979 seeking to practice organic farming, and to gain opportunities to learn about how to grow organically. And who wanted to see a food system that was re-centered on communities and relationships and shifted away from a commodity mindset of the cheapest food grown using practices that were focused on extraction from the natural world. These were farmers and gardeners who wanted to work with the natural world and work with their neighbors to create a different vision for a food system. This is the late 1970s, and this was during the "Get Big or Get Out" mindset in agriculture. In fact, existing agricultural institutions, universities, companies, were really actively hostile to organic. It was really to create that peer-to-peer learning opportunity for farmers across North and South Carolina that CFSA originally began. Over the years, the initial project of the organization actually came to be an organic certification agency. Back before there was the green organic seal that we have in the grocery stores today, the organic label was something that was locally defined. There wasn't a national program. So these farmers got together and decided and collectively created organic standards for helping them to manage their farms in a way that was beneficial to the environment that promoted healthy living soils. And over time, as we've expanded, and as the movement has expanded, those farmers recognized the need for policy advocacy and policy change to promote more sustainable food and farming systems, and to expand our services so that we can encourage and promote new farmers to get into organic agriculture and local food.   Now that you explained the origins of the organization, I was first going to say it was the beginnings of a trend for people and farmers to become more in touch with one another through things like farmer's markets and local produce programs and farm-to-school programs, things like that. But it wasn't a new trend. It was sort of the restoration of what existed before when people were more in touch with the farmers who grew their foods, and that connection between farmers and their communities is a really interesting one. And I'd love to hear your thoughts on the role that farmers can play in addressing economic and social justice issues in their communities.   Absolutely. A really great example of how the sustainable agriculture and sustainable farming community in the Carolinas is doing just that today is our FarmsSHARE Program which was developed as a COVID response by Carolina Farm Stewardship Association back in 2020. Initially, we saw with the pandemic and the public health controls that were being put in place, saw restaurants closing and especially those farm-to-table restaurants that were buying food from small local farms in our region and across the country. So those farmers all of the sudden lost a market, and they already had crops in the ground ready to sell, and the restaurants were laying off their workers. And, you know, this predominantly is people working in the kitchens and in the service industry who tend to more likely come from oppressed backgrounds, and they didn't have money because their jobs were getting cut off. So our FarmsSHARE program initially was created to provide CSA-style boxes from those small farms to those restaurant workers who were unemployed, or underemployed, as a result of the pandemic. Thanks to some very generous funding from the Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation of North Carolina, CFSA was able to buy that food from those small farms. They then worked with local food hubs to have it packed, and then the food hubs delivered the food to the restaurants that they used to sell to so that the workers could have this free, fresh, healthy food. As the pandemic has evolved and revealed to a wider population, the realities of food insecurity in our communities across North and South Carolina, FarmsSHARE evolved to address people throughout society who are in need of fresh, healthy food. So the way FarmsSHARE works right now is that we provide funding to food hubs for them to purchase food directly from small farms, package that up, again, into CSA-style, (Community Supported Agriculture) boxes. And then take that to food pantries in their own communities and senior centers in their own communities so that small farms are, through this program, feeding people in need in their backyards. This is a great example of what happens when we marshal many small farms to work together to address the injustices in the food system in their own communities, and bring healthy food made in harmony with nature to the people that deserve it.   Well, it's a great example of ingenuity. It's a great example of the resilience of a local food system and how people can come together in times of crisis, and the FarmsSHARE program you talked about is really interesting. Do you think that the lessons have been learned about how these food systems can be resilient so if something like this happens again, let's hope it doesn't, but if it does, that we'll be able to respond even more quickly and effectively?   I think we have an opportunity to help people learn that lesson. I mean, there's no doubt we have seen examples of fragility of the national and international food systems as a result of COVID, and we've seen examples of local food systems being resilient. As a professor and instructor, you probably appreciate that learning doesn't just happen from experiencing it once. We have to keep pushing and keep sharing those examples. This is really where the role of policy becomes vital in terms of ensuring that our society learns these lessons. The Farm Bill is coming up, which is the massive five-year legislation that Congress brings about every few years that guides food and agriculture policy in this country. That is a crucial opportunity for advocates of resiliency in our food system to make sure that these lessons actually get ensconced in policy. That policies that direct and incense the production and distribution of food in this country are built to be resilient instead of to be commodified.   Well, so let's talk about the Farm Bill. We'll turn our attention a little bit from the local picture to the national one. So this is an enormous and enormously complex piece of legislation and, as you said, it's coming up for renewal. So what do you think the legislation can do to help support local and regional food systems, and what do you think the policy reforms might be for the 2023 Farm Bill?   It really is a crucial opportunity, and one of the places that can start is in food procurement policies within USDA programs. So when it comes to food purchasing that the government does for relief to address food insecurity, the primary metric for making those purchases, is how cheap is the food? We need to change that mindset. We need to change policy to allow for these systems to prioritize community development and supporting farmers as well as supporting communities. So, for instance, there is a proposed bill that's out there in Congress right now, the Fresh Produce Procurement Reform Act, that is an example of policy that we'd like to see incorporated into the next Farm Bill that would lower the barriers for small farms to participate in these feeding programs. And would allow the agencies that run these programs to make decisions based, not just on getting the cheapest possible food and calories for people who need it, but to actually allow them to get fresh and healthy food and do it in a way that builds community instead of extracts from communities. That's a crucial area of reform. Incenting, agroecological and conservation practices, and promoting more research on organic practices is also something that is a critical opportunity in this upcoming farm bill. There is so much that farmers do that is shaped by the policies that the farm bill puts out. The Farm Bill, as it exists right now, eliminates most of the risk for very large farms to just grow corn and soybeans, and to not worry about the environments. Changing those incentive structures, making it possible, and in fact, desirable for farmers to work in harmony with nature as a primary focus and as a primary benefit of their operations has to be a part of the kind of reform that's needed.   Bio   Roland McReynolds has served since 2007 as the Executive Director of the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association (CFSA), a member-based, farmer-driven non-profit organization based in Pittsboro, NC that helps farmers and consumers in the North and South Carolina grow and eat local organic food.  He is an attorney, receiving BA and BS degrees from the University of Missouri-Columbia, and his JD from the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Law.  Roland directs CFSA's programs and policy advocacy work at the state and federal level, and has served on the USDA's Fruit & Vegetable Industry Advisory Committee; the Policy Committee of the Organic Farmers Association; the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition's Organizational Council; and the Advisory Boards for the North Carolina A&T State University College of Agriculture and Environmental Science and the North Carolina State University Department of Crop and Soil Science; among other boards and committees.  Carolina Farm Stewardship Association is the oldest and largest organic farmers organization in the Southeast. CFSA hosts educational conferences and events on sustainable agriculture and local food systems; provides training and direct technical assistance to local organic farmers; runs a training farm for new organic growers in Concord, NC; coaches food councils on effective policy advocacy; and represents organic and local food systems stakeholders with state and federal legislators and agencies. In response to COVID, CFSA has been operating a program called FarmsSHARE, a CSA-style food box program that addresses food insecurity in the Carolinas by purchasing food from small farms at a fair price and distributing that food to people in need through a statewide network of community-based food hubs. For more information about CFSA, visit www.carolinafarmstewards.org.  

In 2017 a small group of Vermont organic farmers met to decide the next steps after years of failed attempts to reform the USDA's National Organic Program (NOP).  The very foundations of organic were threatened as industry joined and then overwhelmed the NOP. Deciding that it couldn't go on, the farmers began the Real Organic Project. This quickly became a national movement that attracted many of the pioneers of the American organic movement.  Dave will describe the failures that drove the farmers to this action and what progress has been made. Currently, there are over 850 farms across the country certified by the Real Organic Project, which is recognized internationally as the authentic voice of the organic movement in the US. Dave Chapman is a lifelong organic farmer. He runs Long Wind Farm in East Thetford, Vermont. He is a co-founder of the Vermont Organic Farmers and was among those initially certified by the USDA's National Organic Program. He is co-founder, co-director, and Board Chair of the Real Organic Project. He serves on the Policy Committee of the Organic Farmers Association. He has worked for years as an advocate for reform of the USDA. He has helped to organize 17 rallies across the country to protect organic. Now he works to bring together the organic movement and regain the lost integrity of the organic brand. He has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, NPR's Morning Edition, The New Yorker, BBC World, and many other media outlets. Dave has interviewed many farmers, authors, chefs, activists, politicians, journalists, scientists, and eaters for the Real Organic Podcast. Excerpts of these interviews have appeared in the Real Organic Symposia. Chapman spoke with UVM on February 18th, 2022. Read more about Dave: https://www.realorganicproject.org/board-members/executive-board/executive-board-dave-chapman/ The Real Organic Project: https://www.realorganicproject.org/ The Real Organic Podcast: https://www.realorganicproject.org/real-organic-podcast/ The Real Organic Symposium: https://www.realorganicsymposium.org/ Learn more about the Gund Institute: www.uvm.edu/gund Explore Gund events: www.uvm.edu/gund/events

Kate Mendenhall, Executive Director of the Organic Farmers Association interviews: -Ed Maltby, Executive Director of the Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance-Brad Santy, Organic Dairy Farmer from Maine who recently lost his contract with Horizon Organic-Jill Smith, Executive Director of the Western Organic Dairy Producers Alliance-Jennifer Beretta, Board President of the Western Organic Dairy Producers Alliance and California Organic Dairy FarmerDiscussing how Horizon Organic just canceled their contracts with 89 Family Farms in the northeast region of the USA, creating a crisis and threatening to force those 89 Family Farms out of business.Horizon Organic's "F You" to 89 Family Farms:Be "a force for good" and conduct business "as if people and place mattered." That's what it means to be a B corporation, according to the B Corp Declaration of Interdependence. So why is B corp Danone dropping 89 family farms that produce milk for its Horizon Organic label?Lifelong dairy farmer, Wayne Bragg, 74, told the Press Herald that Danone would rather buy milk from larger farms. “They can make more money,” Bragg said. His son, Cliff Bragg, now runs Bragg Homestead in Sidney, Maine, where they have 50 milk cows. “It's not that the small farmer can't make it nowadays, but they just don't want to pick you up.”
 
Danone is leaving the Northeast region and replacing these 89 farms with larger ones closer to their processing facility in Elma, New York. Putting small pasture-based organic dairy farms out of business and replacing them with factory-farmed organic is a clear violation of B Corp ethics. That's why a coalition organized by the Organic Farmers Association has filed a complaint with B Lab. But they need your help, please support their cause by signing their petition: SIGN THE PETITION: If Horizon Organic drops small family farms, B Lab should drop Danone: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/blabcomplaint

In this special two-part series, Shana sat down with Diana Martin. Diana is the Director of Communications & Marketing at the Rodale Institute. Since beginning her role at Rodale Institute, Diana career achievements include starting Organic Farmers Association (focused on representing organic farmers on policy issues in DC), launching the Regenerative Organic Certification with other partners, expanding Rodale Institute to 7 locations in 4 states, beginning a new longterm research trial & consumer education on farming and clean water, and helping to create Rodale Institute's farmer consulting program. Diana is also a tenth generation Lancaster Countian, an area with rich farmland that is a hot spot for organic agriculture in Pennsylvania. In this episode, Shana and Diana dive into what is the Rodale Institute. Rodale is a nonprofit located outside of Kutztown, PA. Together they discussed the ins and outs of the organization, from how the institute got its start with J.I. Rodale to the vital research they are currently conducting. Rodale's research focuses on areas like no-till organic farming, regenerative agriculture, and more! They are also committed to growing the organic movement through farmer training and consumer education. Rodale has been called the founders of the modern organic farming movement in the United States and is widely considered the global leader in regenerative organic agriculture. Despite Rodale's significant impact on the organic and regenerative farming movements, the institute remains largely unknown. The Rodale Institute has been researching the best practices of organic agriculture and sharing findings with farmers, scientists, and consumers throughout the world since 1947. Learn more about this amazing organization at RodaleInstitute.org. You can also follow Rodale on Facebook and Instagram. To follow all the latest developments you can sign up for Rodale's Newsletter on their website. Tune in next week for the second half of our discussion.

Did you know that organic farms provide beneficial ecological services to rural communities and the planet? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Kate Mendenhall, organic farmer and Executive Director of the Organic Farmers Association. Mendenhall witnessed the negative impact of industrial agriculture in her rural IA community and chose organic farming to help feed and preserve the health of her community members. She describes the organic certification process and explains how certification helps farmers better steward their land. Unfortunately, USDA’s Farm Service Agency recently reduced the “cost share” for organic farmers, and unfairly distributed more stimulus funds to support industrial food and farming systems. Mendenhall offers a call to action. Related website: https://organicfarmersassociation.org/

Dr. Zieve talks with dietician and nutritionist Ana Maria Quispe of the Organic Consumers Association and Via Organica about strategies for economical organic eating, healthy aging, food value and organic farming. Ana Maria Quispe is the staff nutritionist for Via Organica, a group affiliated with the Organic Farmers Association to teach Mexican farmers about organic agriculture. Read more at organicconsumers.org. If you cannot see the audio controls, your browser does not support the audio element

INTRODUCING STEVE REEDER  Steve Reeder is running for the U.S. House of Representatives in Iowa’s Fourth District. Steve has worked in the commercial real estate business for 35 years. He built a network of long-term clients and established relationships in all types of businesses including construction, engineering, light manufacturing, trucking, and agriculture. He represented corporate clients, private businesses, and individuals with the sale or lease of their real estate. As well as having brokered commercial real estate and agricultural land, he consulted clients with their real estate needs. He gained valuable experience working with local and state officials on zoning, platting, administrative subdivisions, sanitary improvements districts (SIDs), and construction permitting in western Iowa and eastern Nebraska. His experience also includes consulting clients on 1031 tax-deferred exchanges, railroad properties, and state right of way. He has developed commercial, industrial, and residential properties in Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, California, and Texas.  As a commercial real estate broker, Steve was a member of the Society of Industrial and Office Realtors (SIOR). He has served as past chairman of the Commercial Investment Council of the Omaha Board of Realtors. Steve is a current member of the Iowa Farmers Union, Organic Farmers Association, and Iowa Prairie Network. For 17 years, he was a board member of Pheasants Forever serving as Habitat Chairman which included the development of numerous habitat projects. He served on the Advisory Board of the Budge Porter Project in Omaha. For six years, he was a mentor for Tom and Nancy Osborne’s TeamMates Mentoring Program. He also volunteered helping youth for the nonprofit organization Solutions for Change which helps homeless parents find jobs. He enjoys reading books about American History. Social Media: Instagram Twitter Youtube Facebook Website: www.reederforcongress.com

Congressman Tim Penny and Elena Byrne talk about https://www.local-feast.org   And Bernie Sanders at October 5, 2019 forum by Organic Farmers Association and Iowa Organic Association

Dave Chapman talks to Michael about making farming decisions considering family and environmental priorities, the challenges of organic greenhouse tomatoes, and keeping the integrity of the organic movement intact. In This Episode: >> Simplifying operations to make more time for family and raising kids >> Energy efficiency and heated greenhouses in the age of climate change >> Managing tomato monocropping with no-till methods  >> How the theory of limiting constraints from the book 'The Goal' was really influential for them as business owners >> The current turning point in the organic agriculture movement Quotes from the Episode: “In all these things that we do, we have to figure out how to make it sustainable emotionally and how we make it sustainable economically” “The young farmers I do know are much more sophisticated about figuring out how they’re going to make a living in farming than we were” About the Guest: Long Wind Farm began in 1984 with Dave Chapman and a team of oxen. For three decades, they have provided New England with truly delicious and organic tomatoes. Grown in Vermont soil in glass greenhouses, their tomatoes are available as early as March and as late as December each year. Dave is a founding member of the Vermont Organic Farmers and has been very active in the movement to Keep The Soil In Organic. Dave is proud to be a current member of the Policy Committee of the Organic Farmers Association and served on the USDA Hydroponic Task Force.   Resources:  If you're looking for tips on decision-making and being more efficient on your farm, we've created a bunch of free resources that you can download here: www.growingfarmers.com/freeresources

Although there are hundreds of environmental, agricultural and good-food nonprofits nationwide, Jim Riddle asserts that none represents the voice and influence of the 16,000 certified organic farmers in the US today. In this Deep Roots Radio interview, organic farming pioneer and policy analyst Jim Riddle describes how the Organic Farmers Association, a new member-driven organization, […]

164: Jeff Moyer on Organic Farmers Association Giving a larger voice to organic farmers in national policy discussions. Jeff is a world-renowned authority in organic agriculture. His expertise includes organic crop production systems with a focus on weed management, cover crops, crop rotations, equipment modification and use, and facilities design. Jeff is perhaps most well-known for conceptualizing and popularizing the No-Till Roller Crimper for use in organic agriculture. In 2011, he wrote Organic No-Till Farming, a publication that has become a resource for farmers throughout the world. In September 2015, Jeff was appointed as Executive Director of Rodale Institute after spending the last four decades there, helping countless farmers make the transition from conventional, chemical-based farming to organic methods. IN THIS PODCAST:  Author Jeff Moyer chats with Greg about the importance of organic farming, the role and purpose of the Rodale Institute, and the new Organic Famers Association.  Jeff has a great passion for a change in food production to a healthier method, and it is obvious as he explains the history of the Rodale Institute.  He explains why it is important to have organic agriculture and how consumers change affect the whole food system with just a simple act.  Go to www.urbanfarm.org/blog/podcast/ to see our list of podcasts and to sign up for weekly updates, and www.urbanfarm.org/ofa for show notes and links.