#161: Co-director Dave Chapman joins our newest executive board member and Real Organic Project certified grain farmer Anna Jones-Crabtree for an interview by Al Gore at his Climate Underground Summit in November of 2023.
Anna Jones-Crabtree holds a Ph.D in Civil and Environmental Engineering and is a registered professional engineer and an early accredited US Green building Professional. She has fostered a national sustainable operations effort for the US Forest Service serving as the first Regional Sustainable Operations Coordinator and as the National Sustainable Operations Director. She lives and farms in Havre, MT at Vilicus Farms with her husband, Doug.
Dave Chapman owns and operates Long Wind Farm in East Thetford, VT, which concentrates on soil-grown glasshouse tomatoes that are produced year round. Dave and ellow Vermont tomato farmer Davey Miskell noticed the suspicious appearance of hydroponic tomatoes from other countries being sold with the USDA organic sticker several years ago. Their research led to a web of injustices affecting real organic farmers, including berry growers, dairy producers, grain farmers and more. The Real Organic Project was founded in 2017 and has evolved into an add-on food label. It is a100% farmer-led organization.
To watch a video version of this podcast with access to the full transcript and links relevant to our conversation, please visit:
https://realorganicproject.org/anna-jones-crabtree-dave-chapman-al-gore-episode-one-hundred-sixty-one
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/farms
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.
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/
Ariel Pressman: Free Certification + High Standards at Real Organic Project
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Eliot Coleman: Why Chemical Companies Trash Talk Organic
Charlotte Vallaeys Pt 2: Why Organic Is Worth Fighting For
Hugh Kent: Blueberries Are The Canary In The Coal Mine
Charlotte Vallaeys Pt 1: The Pitfalls Of Outcome Based Agriculture
Will Brinton Pt 2: Can Carbon Sequestration Ever Outpace Emissions?
Will Brinton: Carbon Sequestration Is All About Plants, Not Soil
Linley Dixon: Why Chemical Companies Attack Organic But Join Regenerative
Emily Oakley: Growing Fertility On The Farm
Larry Jacobs: Choosing Biocontrols Over Pesticides In Mexico
Liz Carlisle Pt 2: Healing Grounds And Reciprocal Relationships
Liz Carlisle Pt 1: Agroecology And The Green Revolution
Vandana Shiva: The Poison Cartel Should Get Their Own Label
Paul Hawken Pt 2: In Favor Of Complex Systems
Paul Hawken Pt 1: Social Dynamics Of Food, Farming, and Climate Change
Javier Zamora: Helping Farm Workers Succeed In California
Ronnie Cummins: Connecting Organic Food + Climate Activism
Dru Rivers: Organic As A Farmer To Farmer Movement
Zach Wolf Pt 2: The Basic Rights Of Eaters
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