Roy Smalling and Associates

The Cover Photo is where my campsite is nestled between the Berkshires, Catskills and Adirondacks. It is my favorite place on earth. A simple cabin, filled with herb books, miles of pastoral landscapes and the nights are so dark, every star shines with incredible intensity. Can't wait for may to be back at Woodstock Lake.

http://www.takepart.com//20/10/06/nature-speaking-redwood

It is unbelievable how much raw herb on the market today is not what it claims to be. Yesterday, our lab tested Catnip (simple enough) and what we found instead..peppermint and spearmint. Our lab is working at the rate of rejection 30% of all raw materials tested. The number of times we rejected sample lots of 5-HTP is bewildering.

"Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not: nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not: the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent." - Calvin Coolidge When I think about our industry, I think about people who worked so hard to move the needle. Folks like Ray Wolfson, Randy Buresh, Gypsy Boots, Yogi Bhajan, Mark Blumental, Terry Lemerond, Patrica Bragg, Aubrey Hampton, Karen Farrell, and the scores of retail buyers, organic farmers, naturopaths and advocates whose desire, persistence and determination to make the world a better place has worked.

Unplug and explore #DiscoverTheForest

A recent article appeared that showed that store brand supplements often contain far less of the product, and in some cases, none at all, than that listed on the label. This comes as no surprise. The testing it takes to verify every ingredient in a product costs money. Too many store brands are just a race to the bottom. However, there are some store brands that are impecable. Whole Food's brands are of the absolute highest quality. Companies like Vitality Works, Vitamer, Reliance, make incredible, incredible products. You can also be darn sure that brands like Oregon's Wild Harvest, Herb Pharm and Gaia, are 100% true to label. If something is too cheap to be true...it probably is not true at all. If you want the real deal, shop at natural food stores..they are your gatekeepers and your first line of defense to assure quality.

https://www.facebook.com/chastity.brandnutrition

Russian President Putin has signed a GMO Labeling Liability Law that imposes fines of up to $5,300 on any businesses that fail to properly label genetically mod...ified food ingredients in their products. In 2014, President Putin said that Russia must protect its citizens from overconsumption of products containing genetically modified organisms. Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev followed this with a statement that Russia has no intention to import GMOs, however there are still large quantities of GMO foods being imported in to Russia. Russian Minister of Agriculture Nikolai Fyodorov believes that Russia must remain a GMO-free country. At a meeting of deputies representing rural areas organized by United Russia, he said that the government will not poison their citizens. We may not agree with Russia on many things, but they have it right on GMOs. READ: http://sustainablepulse.com//russian-president-putin-sig/ #Russia #Putin #GMOLabelingLiabilityLaw #GMOPoison #labelgmos #boycottGMOs #BanGMOs #freedom2chooz #NeedtoknowGMO #foodrebel #gmofreecanada #gmofreeusa

I love this every time I see it.

Happy #EarthDay!

BREAKING NEWS: Vermont Attorney General Passes GMO Labeling Law - despite the Grocery Manufacturers Association's (GMA) lawsuit to stop the law from being enact...ed. After months of public outreach and comments from producers, retailers and consumers, and after approval by the Legislative Committee on Administrative Rules, the attorney general's office formally filed the adopted rule with the Secretary of State's Office. Attorney General Bill Sorrell said with the formal adoption of the rule, the state is giving ample time for food manufacturers and retailers to prepare for the law to take effect on July 1, 2016. Vermont said it before. They'll say it again... Bring it on GMA. News Source: http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com//attorney-gen/26085857/ #VermontLabelsGMOs #VermontNeedsToKnow #GMO #GMA #labelgmos #NeedToKnowGMO #gmofreecanada #gmofreeusa

"When the last drop of water will be polluted, the last hunted animal and the last cut tree, the white man will understand that money can not be eaten." Sitting Bull

As expo approaches, I remember a lot of advice that people have given me in regard to trade shows. However, the most important advice I got from a Grateful Dead song. They lyric, "You plant ice. You're gonna harvest wind." So, I try to only have meetings that have meaning. I try not to waste anybody's time with a dog and pony show. By having good, wothwhile meetings, I chave so much more free time to enjoy all the incredible people in this incredible industry without the baggage of a title, role, etc.