September, 2010

The Unpasteurized Truth About Raw Milk - Sep 30,2010

In 1954-1957, there were 3.5 million dairy farmers. Today, there are only 47,000 dairy farmers in America. With the pressure increasing on dairy farmers as well as the heat from the big chemical companies like Monsanto closing in, they seem to be dropping like flies. The latest slam to the American Dairy farmers has to do with the ability to sell raw milk. In this segment of The Organic View, Joel Greeno, the President of the American Raw Milk Producers Pricing Association and the Vice-President of Family Farm Defenders will be my guest to talk about these pressures. Joel Greeno has been a Wisconsin Dairy Farmer for 15 years. As the current President of the American Raw Milk Producers Pricing Association, which is an organization of dairy farmers dedicated to establishing a raw milk price which returns to dairy producers their cost of production plus a profit, he advocates for dairy farmers across America. ARMPPA is a milk-marketing agency that holds no allegiance to any existing milk handler, cooperative or corporation. Through ARMPPA, small and moderate-sized dairy producers can survive as independent businesses and avoid vertical integration. So, is raw milk getting the raw deal? Why is it that a bottle of wine costs 3 times as much as one gallon of life giving sustenance? Even a bottle of water adds up to $8 a gallon if you do the math. However, milk remains very cheap but costs quite a lot to produce. Want to know why there is so much unfairness, injustice and harassment of the dairy farmers? Stay tuned!

Dr. Harvey Cohen: Pet Food For Thought - Sep 29,2010

What would you do if you lost your dog or cat? Most people would be devastated. Domestic animals have become such a part of our lives, it is almost impossible to even think about what it would be like if they were no longer a part of our lives. This is all the more reason why pet owners really need to think about what kind of food they are feeding their animal companions. Last year, there were over 60 million cans and pouches of pet food recalled from China that it literally sent Americans into a panic, as they raced to their vets to make sure their pets were in good health. People learned the hard way that they cannot just opt to buy anything that is available on the shelf. If people made some effort to make their own pet food, their animal companions would live a longer, healthier life, without so many trips to the vet. In this day and age, just one trip to the vet has become a small fortune. It just is not worth it! In this segment of The Organic View Radio Show, my guest will be Dr. Harvey Cohen, Founder and CEO of www.DrHarveys.com Dr. Harvey is a renowned expert on animal health and nutrition. He lectures extensively throughout the United States, Japan, Canada and Europe, on the health and nutrition of all creatures, great and small. If you want to learn more about keeping your animal companion healthy and happy, stay tuned!

A Sterling Solution To Cruelty Free Beauty - Sep 28,2010

Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder but what would you do if you found that all of your favorite cosmetics irritated your skin? Then to top it off, you found out that they were tested on animals? In this segment of The Organic View, I have the pleasure of interviewing Katherine Corkill, President of Sterling Minerals (http://www.sterlingminerals.com) Katherine has embraced the challenges of finding cosmetics that actual work well with a mature woman. In fact, she even launched her own series of videos that really help women to understand that beautiful women can be of any age. If you want to find out how one woman decided to overcome an obstacle and help other women, stay tuned!

Anthony Maxfield, CEO,Honey Girl Organics, "Honey, Your Skin Is Bee-utiful!" - Sep 23,2010

The Ancient Egyptians used honey for medicinal purposes as well as for beauty. In Hawaii, there is a very active apiary community. Hawaiians are making a concerted effort to promote organics as well as the importance of bees in nature. In this segment of The Organic View Radio Show, I will be talking to a bee keeper named Anthony Maxfield that decided to share his knowledge and the healing potential he discovered while working with directly with honeybees. His wife Gwen, actually noticed the softness of his skin and asked him to create a skin cream for her so that she also have skin as soft as his. The cream was amazing! So, Anthony and Gwen collaborated with their long time friend Christina Sirlin to create Honey Girl Organics. Honey Girl produces a wide variety of skin care products that are made in Hawaii and derived from their very own honey. Honey, beeswax, pollen and propolis are great antioxidants as well as anti-inflammatories. They scavenge free radicals and are collagen stimulators. These ingredients are natural emollients and humectants that also supply your skin with nutritious amino acids, vitamins and minerals. Honey Girl uses ingredients that are collected from their own hives located in forested areas on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii which are also organically maintained. So, whether you are a bee keeper and want to learn more about different things you can make with honey or just simply want to find out about the wonderful benefits of honey, stay tuned!

Mr. Arran Stephens: Nature’s Path Guides You To Organic Good Health - Sep 22,2010

Not too long ago, people thought of organic food as mostly consisting of tofu, bean sprouts and granola. I honestly can tell you that tofu is not exactly I think of as being a top choice for an ingredient with meal planning. The times certainly have changed! Today, there are so many varieties of organic foods available, that it is amazing how much the industry has grown. One key player in the organic industry is Nature’s Path which has clearly become a household name. Founded in 1985, Nature’s Path Organic Foods is headquartered in Richmond, British Columbia and employs over 300 people at its four facilities in Canada and the United States. The privately held, family-owned company produces breakfast foods and snacks sold in specialty foods stores and retailers in 40 countries around the world. The company’s innovative brands include Nature’s Path®, Flax Plus, EnviroKidz® and Optimum®. Nature’s Path truly follows my heart. They produce foods that are not only organic, but really make a concerted effort to change the perception of what organic foods consist of. “Healthy foods don’t need to be boring and tasteless. Which is why we spend our days and nights dreaming up new recipes, tracking down exotic new ingredients, and researching the latest (or most ancient) superfoods.” Talk about a vision! In this segment of The Organic View, I have the pleasure of interviewing Mr. Arran Stephens, Founder of Nature’s Path. (http://www.naturespath.com) He truly lives up to his company’s vision which is to be a trusted name for quality organic foods in every home; socially responsible, environmentally sustainable and financially viable. If you want to find out how the family got started and learn about the story behind greatness, stay tuned!

Inspection For Protection! Evaluating Organic - Sep 21,2010

Oregon Tilth, Inc. is one of the leading certifying agencies that issues organic certification to farmers, manufacturers, etc. The certification is issued providing that all of the requirements are met in order to be deemed certified organic. It is by far a very difficult certification to obtain and is also very expensive. There is a lot of work that actually goes into certifying something to be organic. Earlier this month, the folks from Trump International Hotel & Tower® Chicago announced that they will now be the first luxury hotel in North America to offer a certified organic, in-room dining menu. Oregon Tilth was responsible for that certification and it is a hard certification to obtain. It is not a matter of filling out some paper work or paying someone a little extra green but it is an entire process that is checked and double checked by people who really are very thorough. In this segment of The Organic View Radio Show, my guest will be Ms. Gwendolyn Wyard. She is a seasoned expert in the certification process and will discuss in detail what exactly the role of a certifier entails. She will also discuss the inspection process, why consumers can trust their process and how consumers can influence regulatory changes. If you want to get a better understanding of what the certification process is all about, stay tuned!

"Orange You Glad I Said Organic?" Matt McLean, CEO & Founder, Uncle Matt’s Organic, Inc. - Sep 17,2010

Have you ever been out for breakfast, on the road, or just reached into the fridge only to find that the orange juice you are served is not only watered down but gives you heartburn from all of the acid? That’s because of the quality of the orange as well as other additives which preserve freshness, color and flavor. The odd thing is the flavor is what always seems to be missing. Let’s face it, orange juice has been and will remain a breakfast staple in the American household. However, good orange juice is not very easy to find. That’s because most orange juice is not only from frozen concentrate, which is going to immediately distort the flavor but also has other things in it that will offer at best, a hint of what an orange is supposed to taste like. Why is it that when you buy orange juice, for the most part it is from “concentrate”? Why can’t we just get some pure juice from the fruit without all of the junk in it? Ever notice that these juices from concentrate also have a dark orange color but no flavor? Are the marketers confusing the consumer by adding food coloring to make the juice more appealing? Even with the juice that is “not from concentrate” why does it seem as though the majority of the juice you drink seems to have more pulp and added vitamins than anything else? Orange juice by “conventional” standards is just too confusing to most consumers. Thank God, we have a growing number of organic citrus farmers that have decided to do something about it! In this segment of The Organic View Radio Show, Matt McLean, CEO & Founder, Uncle Matt’s Organic, Inc. (http://www.unclematts.com) will be my guest. Matt McLean ventured into the organic juice business in 1999 with a passion for healthy living as well as a long family history of growing citrus in Florida. Matt’s goal was and still is, to produce the highest quality juice, using only premium 100% organically-grown fruit that is free from synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.

Spilling The Beans About Organic Coffee - Sep 16,2010

Everywhere you go, you will find all sorts of lattes, flavored specialty coffee, and coffee flavored treats. They are even appearing at the infamous golden arches. These new fancy beverages are actually the last hope conventional coffee has in order to save market share. The average cup will cost anywhere from $3.50-$5.99 per cup. While the conventional coffee prices are skyrocketing, coffee connoisseurs can now afford to explore all of the wonderful flavors of organic and Fair Trade coffee. In this segment of The Organic View Radio Show, Mr. Dave Weber, Vice President, Mountanos Brothers Coffee Company will be my guest. Dave is a 30 year veteran of the specialty coffee industry and will discuss the importance of the organic certification, Fair Trade certification and the current trends in this very competitive market place. Stay tuned!

Organic Foods Production Act & GMO Alfalfa - Sep 15,2010

Sept 15, 2010 marks the twentieth anniversary of the Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA). This is the landmark law that standardized organic food and farming systems across the U.S. which will be commemorated by testimony at a special Senate Agriculture Committee Hearing to publicly acknowledge the many environmental and health benefits of organic agriculture. This is a call for more government funding and participation in increasing the amount of organic food produced and consumed in the U.S. In this segment, my guest is Mr. Steve Gilman. Mr. Gilman was an organic farmer growing for Farmers Markets, restaurants and a CSA in the Saratoga, NY area for 30 years before becoming the Managing Director of an on-farm organic research project in the northeast, from Maryland to Maine from 2002 -- 2005. Since then he’s been the Policy Director for the Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA) Interstate Council, the representative to a number of national groups including the National Organic Coalition and the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition working with farming and environmental groups across the country. Stay tuned!