Enid Wonnacott: When the Organic Floor Became a Ceiling

#019:  A brief interview with Enid Wonnacott about the drafting of the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990.  Enid shares how farmers learning from one another and always striving to improve the program were meant to be at the forefront of the standards.

Enid Wonnacott, (the late) longtime Executive Director of NOFA Vermont was a champion of the organic, local food movement, helping to form the National Organic Program and sparking plenty of opportunities for both learning and sales for organic farmers in Vermont. In addition to her many accomplishments within the organic movement, she is remembered for bringing singing, dancing, food, and joy to decades of gatherings. We interviewed her in August of 2018 at the NOFA Summer Conference at UMass Amherst. 

To watch a video version of this podcast please visit:
https://www.realorganicproject.org/enid-wonnacott-when-the-organic-floor-became-a-ceiling-episode-nineteen/

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. It also identifies pasture-raised meat, milk, and eggs as compared to products harvested from animals in horrific confinement (CAFOs - confined animal feeding operations).

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We believe that the organic standards, with their focus on soil health, biodiversity, and animal welfare were written as they should be. But the current lack of enforcement of those standards is jeopardizing small farms that follow the law. 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 are still paying a premium price. 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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