Jennifer Taylor: Infusing Farmers With The Organic Experience

#040: Real Organic farmer Jennifer Taylor has successfully mentored many farmers in the Southeast through her technical assistance work at Florida AMU. With a focus on improving quality of life for farm families and modeling the organic soil-building practices that she herself uses, she inspires others to embrace real organic farming. Jennifer's work as an advocate and activist, both nationally and internationally,  played a key role in inspiring the Real Organic Project to move forward in its earliest days.Real Organic farmer and board member Jennifer Taylor founded Lola's Organic Farm on her grandmother's land a decade ago and has been an organic farming advocate for even longer. She provides technical assistance to farmers through Florida AMU in Tallahassee, served a five-year term on the National Organic Standards Board, and was recently elected to serve on the IFOAM  (International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements) board. In 2019 she was awarded an Organic Pioneer for Farming award from the Rodale Institute and was named Florida's Woman of the Year in Agriculture in 2020. To watch a video version of this podcast please visit:https://www.realorganicproject.org/jennifer-taylor-infusing-farmers-with-organic-experience-episode-fortyThe 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).To find a Real Organic farm near you, please visit:https://www.realorganicproject.org/farmsWe 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.If you like what you hear and are feeling inspired, we would love for you to join our movement by becoming one of our 1,000  Real Friends!https://www.realorganicproject.org/1000-real-fans/To read our weekly newsletter (which might just be the most forwarded newsletter on the internet!) and get firsthand news about what's happening with organic food, farming and policy, please subscribe here:https://www.realorganicproject.org/email/