Anna Jones-Crabtree: Our Organic Supply Chain Needs A Makeover

#067:  Real Organic grain farmer Anna Jones-Crabtree of Vilicus Farms in Montana shares her farm's vision for a more sustainable approach to their land and local food system. Through diversifying their plantings and income streams, and focusing on customer relationships that offer them more protection than is typical of commodity farmers, Vilicus is primed to become a model farm for organic and sustainable grain production. But...how much will that matter if the rest of the system operates with an industrial mindset?

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.

To watch a video version of this podcast with access to the full transcript and links relevant to our conversation, please visit:

https://www.realorganicproject.org/anna-crabtree-organic-supply-chain-needs-makeover-episode-sixty-seven

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.

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