The Organic View

What would you do if your dog suffered from an allergy or even worse, began scratching relentlessly from a rash until he or she drew blood? For pet lovers, it's a heart wrenching experience to watch your dog suffer. Even the use of an Elizabethan collar is pointless and almost cruel. Your beloved pet bites at it, desperately trying to free itself, longing to scratch the itch as it whimpers in agony. Unfortunately, such itching can result in bald spots and open wounds, which, if exacerbated can lead to bacterial infections. The condition of a dog’s skin and coat is indicative of its general health. Everything from pet food, medications, flea collars and the environment can be the problem. Finding a solution, however, is not an easy task. Unlike humans that can opt for over the counter remedies, dogs are not so fortunate. Due to the high costs involved with veterinary testing and treatments,a solution is often not feasible. People will spend thousands of dollars on a myriad of treatments, with no hope of finding a cure. What if you had access to the best vets in the world but still could not find a cure? What if you could source your own ingredients and formulate your own remedy? This is exactly what Prince Lorenzo Borghese did when he founded the Royal Pet Club (www.royalpetclub.com). When his precious dog, Belle suffered from severely dry skin, he was completely distraught. He decided to utilize his contacts within the cosmetic industry which his family has been involved in since the 1960s, to find a solution. Like many other pet lovers, he decided to share his knowledge and manufacture a whole line of organic upscale pet products that have won the approval of pet parents around the world. In this segment of The Organic View Radio Show, host, June Stoyer talks to Prince Lorenzo Borghese about his work as animal advocate and about the great lengths he has gone through in order to prevent other pet owners from experiencing the same heartache.

Recently, the USDA deregulated genetically engineered alfalfa. Although many organic advocates and activists are in an uproar, most of the general population still does not understand how or why this will affect them much less the organic industry. Unfortunately, until people are faced with a health crisis or have a loved one affected, people will continue to remain ignorant of this disastrous decision. Barbara Peterson is an activist and also the host of the hit internet radio show called Farmwars (www.Farmwars.info) Barbara has devoted her life to protecting our environment and the creatures we share it with. Being an activist can be tough but this woman is truly a crusader for organic. Barbara is actually retired from the California Department of Corrections, where she worked as a Correctional Officer at Folsom Prison. She was one of the first females to work at the facility in this classification. Barbara lives on a small ranch in Oregon where she raises geese, chickens, horses, her dog Oggie, a variety of cats and an opinionated Macaw named Rita. Her rural lifestyle is being threatened by a combination of increasing federal regulations and corporate shenanigans such as NAIS and Monsanto’s invasive GMO technology designed to make it next to impossible to raise animals and organic food. Barbara’s motto is “It is time to step up to the plate and fight or lose it all without a whimper. Choose to make a stand and fight. We can make a difference!” In this segment of The Organic View Radio Show, host, June Stoyer talks to Barbara Peterson, about the dangers of genetic modification, organic contamination, how the technology use agreement entraps farmers and what you can do about it. Stay tuned!

Backyard beekeeping can be very rewarding not only to avid gardeners but to anyone who wants to really connect with nature and experience a whole new world. People often think that beekeeping is just about producing honey but it is so much more than that. So, what did bees do before beekeepers? Unable to find a logical answer to what seemed to be a simple question, Christy Hemenway launched an investigation of her own. She came to the conclusion that with bees, less is more, meaning: less human interference equals more health for the honeybee. In 2007, Christy founded Gold Star Honeybees to advance a beekeeping system known as the “top bar” hive - the original movable-comb, managed beehive. The most important feature of a top bar hive is that it lets bees make their own beeswax honeycomb in a natural, chemical free way. Working to build the top bar beekeeping community, Christy has done presentations to beekeepers, gardening groups and organic farmers all over New England and as far south as Atlanta for The American Community Gardening Association. She teaches Top Bar Beekeeping 101 - a Weekend Intensive class where students not only learn the how-to’s of stewarding their bees, but also come to understand the connection between bees and our own well being. The importance of bees to our health, the health of the planet and to all of nature becomes quite clear!Gold Star Honeybees manufactures the Gold Star top bar hive kit and its accessories which are sold nationwide. Christy has been published in The Northeast Organic Farmers Association periodical, The Natural Farmer, with the essay entitled Shifting the Paradigm –Towards More Natural Beekeeping. In this segment of The Organic View Radio Show, host, June Stoyer talks to Christy Hemenway to discuss the top bar hive method of beekeeping. Stay tuned!

Spex CertiPrep (http://www.spexcsp.com) recently published part 1 and part 2 of their test results about heavy metals found in pet foods. Susan Thixton, Founder of TruthAboutPetFood.com has been trying to find the answers as to how this could even have happened and what the FDA’s plans are to improve the safety of pet food. "The analysis of all the pet food samples showed that the highest concentrations of toxic elements were found in the dry foods of both cats and dogs. Out of the elements studied, dry food had the highest elemental content for 13 of the 15 elements examined. Dog food had the highest result for nine of the 15 toxic elements and cat food had the highest concentration for six of the 15 elements." -Analysis of Toxic Trace Metals in Pet Foods Using Cryogenic Grinding and Quantitation by ICP-MS, Part 1 published in the January 2011 Spectroscopy Magazine. In this segment of The Organic View Radio Show, host, June Stoyer talks to Susan Thixton to discuss in depth her exploration of this highly disturbing research and to also discuss options that pet owners can take. Stay tuned!

Most people use sugar whether it is in your morning cup of coffee, afternoon tea or just an ingredient used to bake your favorite cookies. There are many different choices these days for consumers to choose from. We can use granulated sugar, honey or even agave. With the rapid number of issues being raised due to the genetic engineering of our natural sweeteners, consumers are becoming more cautious and are demanding that their sweeteners are clearly labeled as being certified organic. The Fair Trade certification has become a necessary certification in order to insure that the products are grown sustainably, ethically and will offer consistency in quality. Wholesome Sweeteners is the nation's leader in Fair Trade Certified, USDA Organic, Non-GMO Verified and sustainably produced sugars, syrups, nectars and honeys. In addition to bringing the best organic, sustainable and unrefined sweeteners to the N American market, Wholesome pioneered the certification process for Fair Trade Certified sugar and honey in 2005. They have paid more than $2.5 million in social premiums to benefit farming and beekeeping cooperatives in the developing world. Fair Trade Certified™ is their guarantee that insures that the farmers are paid a set premium for their crops. The money is actually wired directly from their accounts to the cooperatives' accounts in Costa Rica, Malawi, Mexico and Paraguay. This has created a viable economic incentive to protect communities, traditions and the environment. Farmers in these countries can compete against factory farms, are able to keep their land, send their kids to school, develop the quality of their crops and build community resources. In this segment of The Organic View Radio Show, host, June Stoyer talks to Pauline McKee, Co-Founder and Vice–President Marketing of Wholesome Sweeteners. She will talk about how it all began and what Wholesome Sweeteners is doing to promote sustainability and organic. Stay tuned!

Last year, when the great city of New York lifted the ban on beekeeping, people rejoiced as they were now legally free to openly support the honeybee and help nurture the most important pollinator known to mankind. In other cities, people are also working together to help others understand and embrace the importance of the honeybee. Two beekeepers from the city of Melbourne, Australia decided to do something to promote urban beekeeping while giving back to the community and more importantly, to the bees. RooftopHoney.com is an amazing success story in which business owners and residents can participate in a very unique opportunity to enjoy locally produced honey, straight from their own rooftops. The hives are maintained with loving, knowledgeable care, with the primary concern being on bee health and wellness. In this segment of The Organic View Radio Show, host, June Stoyer talks to Vanessa Kwiatkowski and Mat Lumalasi, founders of Rooftop Honey. They will explain how they got started, the challenges they faced and the overwhelming demand for more programs such as theirs in other cities around the globe. To learn more about bringing this fabulous method of beekeeping to your city, stay tuned!

Fear is defined as the belief that something that has not happened has happened. Especially when dealing with change, we are dealing with the unknown which can easily lead us to fear. Change is not always such a bad thing. Sometimes even the most difficult situations can create a clear path to a new horizon. Getting through the difficult periods and coping is the hardest part. In this segment of The Organic View Radio Show, host, June Stoyer talks to Lydia Proschinger , an Advanced EFT Practitioner and the Host of Living La Vida Healthy (http://www.blogtalkradio.com/serendipity-jane). Lydia is a life coach, advanced (level 3) EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) (http://livinglavidahealthy.org/) and Matrix Reimprinting practitioner, experienced in working with clients on emotional challenges, and serious health matters. She leads her clients to goal achievement with focus, persistence and enthusiasm. To learn more about coping with fear and change without reaching for a pill, stay tuned!

Graham White is an environmental author, a beekeeper and has worked in environmental education for over 20 years. He is an expert on John Muir and created the John Muir Award which challenges people of all ages to do something for the conservation of nature and wildlife. Graham published the Scottish Environmental Handbook which was the first publication of its kind. He also published The Nature of Scotland as well as a number of John Muir's works. In 1977, Graham hiked from Yosemite to Mt Whitney in a life changing journey which inspired him to create the first environment center in the United Kingdom. Graham began raising awareness against the use of neonicotinoids in 2004 and has also been working to raise awareness about the toxic impact on the entire eco-system. His message is that we are in danger of creating an agricultural environmental that is toxic to wildlife of every kind. In this segment of The Organic View Radio Show, host, June Stoyer talks to Graham White about his work to raise awareness. Stay tuned!

Alfalfa is a key crop to all farmers. It is used by dairy farmers because of its high protein content and highly digestible fiber. It is also fed to other livestock raised for human consumption. Recently, the USDA approved the deregulation of genetically engineered alfalfa. Leaders in the organic community have been outraged and have been speaking out against this decision. In this segment of The Organic View Radio Show, host, June Stoyer talks to Joel Greeno, the President of the American Raw Milk Producers Pricing Association (ARMPPA ) and is also the Vice-President of Family Farm Defenders. Joel will explain why this is a massive problem for dairy farmers. If you are not sure what all of this controversy is about and want to find out how this is going to impact you and the food you eat, stay tuned!

Top Bar Hive Beekeeping is a simple, practical way to have healthy and happy bees in your garden or back yard. You can actually harvest your own honey without the cost and complications associated with conventional beekeeping. In this segment of The Organic View Radio Show, host, June Stoyer talks to Beekeeping Expert and Radio Host, Phil Chandler, author of the Barefoot Beekeeper (http://www.biobees.com/) Stay tuned!