New Hope Revisits Plastic & Green Super Food History Recognizing Pines as The First

We wish to thank New Hope and the Natural Foods Merchandiser for correcting earlier misinformation by now stating that Pines is the original pioneer of green super foods. They now recognize that we predate all those who have copied our message by at least two decades.

New Hope had this to say about Pines:

"The pioneer of the greens category, Pines has been in business for more than 40 years. While wheat grass is its staple ingredient—grown since day one on mineral-rich, glacial organic soil in the Midwest—its top seller is Mighty Greens. Unlike the kitchen sink approach of other greens purveyors, this one simplifies it to organic wheatgrass and alfalfa, along with hemp and stevia. And that's it! "Keep it simple, keep it clean, keep it green," says company co-founder Ron Seibold.

"Unlike wheat grass grown in shallow trays in smoothie shops, Pines grows it right—growing deep roots over the winter, then harvesting during the jointing stage, when it's at peak nutrient density and half the height of commodity wheat grass. That's because Pines has done the research.

"Of note, the company also keeps its organic greens in dark amber glass bottles, not plastic. This maintains the nutritional quality of the greens inside and, bonus, deals with the plastic trash problem in the world."

More than Just Glass Bottles

New Hope may still not understand the importance of our glass bottles. Pines not only uses glass but also special metal caps to remove the oxygen from each bottle. That prevents loss of food value that occurs when green super foods are packed in plastic. Many natural food stores banned plastic bags, but those were less than 1% of the plastic leaving the stores. The market place is awash in plastic containers, which kill wildlife and slowly erode toxins into oceans and ground water.Recycling is good, but most people do not recycle. When consumers support companies that package in plastic, the encourage more plastic pollution.

No Irrigation on Our Farms - Natural Rainfall

no irrigation - right white

Although New Hope began as a company that supported envirnental stewardship, that message is not a strong one today. They still seem unable to recognize that Pines is also the only whole food wheatgrass, barley grass and alfalfa grower in Kansas that does not use ground water for irrigation.

Instead, we grow in appropriate climates for those crops. Our farms in the Northeast corner of Kansas receive plenty of natural rainfall. Thus, we never need irrigation. Moreover, Pines strongly opposes the abuse of the once-pristine fossil water of the Ogallala aquifer in dry areas in Kansas. That water was always very limited. Farmers grow crops there that need rain. Because the region is dry, they have to irrigate.

The Ogallala took thousands of years to accumulate that water reserve. Dry land farmers wasted this precious resource to grow animal feed for the confined animal meat industry during the past 70 years. That contributed to massive depletion of the aquifer. Many wells are now dry. Further, the use of pesticides for growing animal feed and GMO corn for ethanol has poisoned the aquifer. These farming abuses caused depletion and contamination of what was once pure and plentiful clean water resource .

Pines is 100% Organic and Does Not Practice Dual Farming

When are fields are near roads, we leave a wide buffer strip and a reminder to road crews that they agreed not to spray their right of way.

The Natural Food Marketplace is awash in major GMO Corporations that have bought out organic brands. New Hope used to recognize the difference between true organic farmers and those who are not. That doesn't seem to be the case today. Pines owns and uses the only dryer in Kansas built for Certified Organic food. We do not practice dual farming. Farmers who use dual farming grow organic crops part of the year and pesticide-based crops the rest of the year.

Major corporations now in the Natural Food Marketplace like Coke, Pepsi and others own mostly GMO brands but also own organic brands. We oppose dual farming and oppose such farmers and major GMO corporations receiving organic certification. We believe dual farming to create an "organic sideline" shows a lack of sincerity. Clearly dual farmers do not care about organic farming. They simply profit from the efforts of those who sincerely do care and who are 100% organic. Our contributions reflect our values. Our Facebook page reflect our desire to educate the public on what is happening with respect to big GMO corporations and chemical companies having far to much influence in the Natural Foods Marketplace.

Find a Store Near You or Order Online

The Centers for Disease Control found that only one in ten people eat enough dark green vegetables to protect themselves from diseases common to modern society. That's why the USDA in its MY PLATE graphic makes veggies the number one food group. No matter how many vegetables you eat, you probably could eat more to better protect your health. Please use our store locator to find a location near you where you can buy Pines nutrient-dense products in oxygen-free, amber glass bottles or feel free to order online. Pines costs less than other veggies. We provide easy ways to increase your green nutrition. As New Hope now recognizes, Pines is without question, the original pioneer in the greens category in the natural food market.