I haven’t posted in over a week, and it’s not because I haven’t wanted to, or I’ve been on vacation, or have been under the weather (thank God) unless you consider heat waves and thunderstorms a wet blanket we have all been under in PA.
Nope. I’ve been doing my unpaid other job, which is co-chairing the Rodale Institute. We had a strategy session, a board meeting, and multiple delicious dinners, culminating in our annual Field Day where hundreds of farmers and others come to learn about our work at the Institute. We also had the pleasure of honoring two new Organic Stewardship Award winners (formerly Organic Pioneer Awards). Fred Lee, an organic farmer from Long Island. And Chuck Benbrook, a scientist and economist who has been in the movement from the beginning, championing the role of science and data to make a difference. I am not going to go into detail about their work, although I encourage you to look them up. But I got lots of fantastic information for my current book project.
This post is my chance to take a step back and attempt to look at the bigger picture to synthesize everything I’ve learned in the last few days, along with what I know from my usual sources. And most importantly, what YOU need to know.
Organic is the only food that you can trust to be safe. You’ve seen the news: Anyone who looks like an immigrant is being sent to concentration camps. EPA, FDA, Pesticide and Chemical regulations and scientists are being thrown out the window. Chemical companies are being absolved in advance of any legal responsibilities for the effects of their chemicals on humans or the land! Regulations on inspections and processing plants are being “relaxed.” All the things we have relied on to maintain the illusion that the government has been keeping us safe are gone. But one thing still stands to protect us: The USDA Certified Organic Label. Yes, I am sure people will try to corrupt it. But as of today, it is the one thing that ensures that there are no synthetic chemicals, no GMOs, no growth hormones or antibiotics, and no sewage sludge applied to the crops. It’s also the one thing that is rigorously and independently inspected. Here is my current definition:
Organic foods, fibers, and products are grown, produced, and created without synthetic and toxic chemicals, including GMOs, sewage sludge, irradiation, antibiotics, and growth hormones. Certification must be verified by an independent inspector.
Regenerative is the new greenwashing word. Only Regenerative Organic is real. Sigh. How many times have I lived through attempts to greenwash, confuse, distract, and destroy the credibility of something truly good? I’m getting old. Everyone who is anyone cool is trying to apply the word Regeneration or Regenerative to make their product seem sexy. My dad, who coined the term Regenerative Agriculture back in 1985, would be rolling his eyes and chuckling with his quiet laugh. There is only one label you can trust with Regeneration in it: The Regenerative Organic Certification, otherwise known as ROC. It was created in conjunction with Patagonia, Dr. Bronner’s, and the Rodale Institute, all of which are extremely credible, trustworthy organizations. As of today, there are over 2,500 products on the market that carry the ROC seal. What’s the difference between Organic and Regenerative Organic? Well, both must begin with organic certification, and then ROC adds on proof of social fairness, a living wage, and animal welfare. This is my current definition of Regenerative Organic:
Regenerative Organic foods, fibers, and products are grown, produced, and created without synthetic and toxic chemicals, including GMOs, sewage sludge, irradiation, antibiotics, and growth hormones. They are also certified to be socially fair and provide a living wage, and the animals are certified Humanely Treated. Certification must be verified by an independent inspector.
Spoiler alert: The obsession with no-till is driven by chemical companies that want the green glow of regeneration while still promoting excessive use of chemicals.
The cruelty and the poisoning are intentional. You have all seen how MAGA Republicans seem to take glee in the suffering of immigrants. They clearly get off on it. This is something that used to be enjoyed secretly, with the occasional public eruptions of scandal. But now it’s all out in the open. The infamous Dr. Josef Mengele worked with Dr. Helmuth Vetter at Auschwitz, testing pharmaceuticals. Vetter said: “The experiments were performed. All test persons died. I have thrown myself into my work wholeheartedly…I feel like I am in paradise.” His employer? Bayer. (And IG Farben, which was an umbrella organization for all the German chemical companies that are still in business today, including Bayer and BASF, and Agfa.) I am not blaming Germans. The fact is, there is a significant portion of all humans who enjoy torturing and killing other people (and animals and nature). The sooner we accept that and realize it, the sooner we can protect ourselves and our children. And one easy way to protect ourselves is to buy organic food, support organic farmers, and stop using toxic chemicals in our own homes. And also only use pharmaceuticals when we truly need them, because sometimes we do.
THIS is the place where the left and the right can and must align and work together. Because another truth is that there are as many organic and regenerative organic supporters on the right as there are on the left. It’s not a spectrum, it’s a circle. And we need all hands on deck.
What’s in our future? I don’t know! But I do know the more we work together and support organic farmers, food, fibers, and landscapes, the stronger chance we have of making it through to the other side of this dark night of the soul.
But here is a happy story…about 10 years ago, I really wanted the Rodale Institute to create an organic corn maze so that kids and families could have some fall fun without worrying about getting chemicals and GMOs on their bodies. The prior team wasn’t really interested. My kids grew up. I moved on. Imagine my surprise when Rick Carr, the farm director at the Rodale Institute, told me he had planted one! I gave him a huge hug of joy and gratitude. So if you are in the area, stop by this fall and get lost in our organic corn maze. And together we will all make sure we get out of this current maze safely.
Did ya miss me?
If you haven’t been to a Rodale Institute workshop in Kutztown, you’re in for a treat. I first met Maria at the Regenerative Healthcare Conference in 2024. It was more than informative—I met some incredible people who inspired me to see regenerative agriculture as part of the solution to the problem I study: toxic chemicals and their impact on human health. That shift is important. Without it, my talks risk focusing only on how harmful these chemicals are. We need solutions—tangible ways to get out of this toxic quagmire—and regenerative agriculture offers one for some of the most troubling toxic chemicals.
Oh Maria it’s like you are speaking MY mind. My grandparents had a health food store (in 1971). They were not hippies. They were Baptists (my sweet grandmother never wore a pair of pants in her life, but I digress)…She was cured of cancer in 1956 by Dr Hoxsey (Hoxsey clinic is now in Mexican, Bio Medical) and I grew up just believing in the value of the earth and what it could provide. They opened the store to further their passion and belief in this method. They grew ALL ORGANIC before there was such a word. I remember my sweet Nan having to get on a ladder to pick Okra (in her dress🥰). I was 4 or 5. They sold the store in the 80s and it just closed a couple of years ago when the new owner passed.
I also have seen these iterations and faced the controversies and backtalk…I stayed the course. My own Organic Grocery opened right at the beginning of 2008 (so I don’t have to explain that outcome). Right now I feel overwhelmed…watching all my “crazy hippie” prognosis for the world unfolding in broad daylight. And the majority of the world doesn’t know or is too desensitized by the rest of the current crazy to take any notice.
Deep sigh.
Sorry, really nothing to add to your wonderful post here. Just needed to commune and humbly say “thanks.” You are my hero and have been for years. 💛