Letter: Please support organic in JacksonvilleDear brothers and sisters, It seems that organic agriculture is continually being threatened. The latest is the attempt to eliminate soil and allow fruits and veggies to be grown hydroponically in chemical soup. This strikes at the heart of organic which is biologically active, fertile soil. Appropriately enough, the hydroponic people have joined forces with the CAFO (Contained Animal Feeding Operation) people. The latter purport to label meat from animals that have been packed into feed lots, under unspeakable conditions, as “organic”. Both are anti-life. We can not but admire their arrogance. It is all coming to a head at the meeting of the National Organic Standards Board in Jacksonville, FL on October 31st. Brothers and sisters, please read the entirety of the letter by Elliot Coleman below, sign the petition and show up at the meeting in Jacksonville to protest this, the latest affront to aliveness and the American spirit. Please accept our best wishes for good health, prosperity and success to you and your family, Jesse Schwartz PhD ![]() Dear Organic Farmers, Those of us farming organically today did not invent the concept of organic agriculture. It is a gift from 100 years of development by wise people who farmed before us. We are the beneficiaries of the intuition, experimentation, and dedicated efforts of our predecessors who were concerned with the detrimental effects on food quality caused by industrial methods. They developed the art and science of organic farming because they understood that proper nourishment of human beings only results from proper nourishment of the soil. Organic farming is best defined by the benefits of growing crops on a biologically active fertile soil. Crop resistance to pests and diseases is an outcome of farming a soil that fully nourishes the crops. The importance of fertile soil as the cornerstone of organic farming is under threat. The USDA is allowing soil-less hydroponic vegetables to be sold as certified organic without saying a word about it. Just when today’s agronomists and nutritionists are finally becoming aware of the crucial influence of soil quality on food quality, the USDA is trying to unilaterally dismiss that connection by removing soil fertility from the National Organic Program definition of organic. The encouragement of “pseudo-organic” hydroponics is just the latest in a long line of USDA attempts to subvert the non-chemical promise that organic farming has always represented. Without soil, there is no organic farming. The USDA is defrauding customers who expect certified organic crops to be grown on optimally fertile soil as they always have been. I believe it is our duty as organic farmers to defend the integrity of what has been handed down to us by our forebears. The protection of that heritage is a responsibility that I don’t take lightly. The importance of optimal soil fertility as the bedrock of organic farming has to be transmitted accurately to future generations, so they can continue this effort. Since the USDA refuses to stop this hydroponic/organic fraud, I am asking all serious organic farmers to take effective action themselves. A large group of hard-core old-time organic farmers is staging a protest at the NOSB meeting in Jacksonville, FL at noon on October 31st. I am going to be there and I hope you will join us. For more information go to www.keepthesoilinorganic.org. With best wishes, Click the Link Above to Find Out More and Sign the Petition |
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Alive Bonus Program – Heritage Olive Oil and Medjool Dates for the Month of October

New! Items For OctoberHemp Hearts – Alive & Organic
Golden Berries – Alive & Organic
Ohi’a Lehua Blossom Honey
A white honey, delightfully thick and spreadable. Mix with almond or cashew butter and spread on a slice of apple for an ecstatic experience.
Jujubes – Alive, Organic Chinese Date Apples
Lake Baikal Siberian Pine Nut Butter – Alive & Organic
Lake Baikal Siberian Pine Nuts – Wildcrafted, Alive & Organic
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October Victory Garden Sale10% off this month’s featured items (Remember, if you buy 3 or more of any Living Tree manufactured product, you get an additional 10% off!)Pumpkin Seed Butter – Alive & Organic
Chia Cherry Blueberry Butter – Alive & Organic
Hemp Seed Butter – Alive & Organic
White Kiawe Blossom Hawaiian Honey – Alive and Organic
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