Real Organic Podcast
Episodes
Dr. Ann López: California Farmworker Reality Tours
14 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
#272: Dr. Ann López discusses the California farmworker reality tours she's designed and the deeper story they reveal about modern agriculture. ...
Jim Cochran: Growing Real Organic Strawberries in California
07 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
#271: Jim Cochran joins us to talk about a lifetime of growing organic strawberries in California and the movement that helped make that work possible...
Omar Dieguez: My Hunger Strike Against Driscoll's Berries
31 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
#270: Omar Dieguez shares the story behind his 30 day hunger strike over Driscoll’s berries and the campaign to stop pesticides near schools in Wats...
JM Fortier At Farmer Friday: Growing Vegetables For Profit
24 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
#269: Recorded live at Real Organic Project’s Churchtown event, this Farmer Friday talk features JM Fortier in front of an audience of working far...
Bill McKibben: Here Comes the Sun for Farmers
17 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
#268: Bill McKibben discusses his new book, Here Comes the Sun, and the rapid rise of clean energy in a warming world. While much of the climate conve...
StarWalker Organic Farm: Pasture Raised Organic Beef For All
10 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
#267: What does it take to bring truly pasture-raised organic beef to market when the processing system is stacked against small and mid-sized farms? ...
Brisa Ranch: Small Farms As Distributors
03 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
#266: Three farmer-owners of Brisa Ranch lay out a practical answer to a big question: how can small farms survive in a marketplace built for consolid...
Maria Rodale: Family Lore And Organic Farming Trials
01 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
#265: Maria Rodale comes from one of the most influential families in American organic history; here she shares how her grandfather J.I. Rodale connec...
Allan Savory: Using Livestock To Reverse Desertification In National Parks
22 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
#264: What if some of the worst biodiversity loss and land degradation is happening inside protected national parks, even where there is no farming, m...
Barbara Damrosch: A Life In The Garden
15 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
#263: Barbara Damrosch's new book A Life In The Garden is a reminder that the best garden advice is practical: touch the soil, grow what you’ll...
Sally Fox: Organic Cotton Chemical Dyes
08 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
#262: Sally Fox explains why growing organic cotton can't be simplified to “skip pesticides.” She lays out the hard parts people rarely price...
Max Goldberg: Threats to Organic - Hydroponics & Regenerative Confusion
01 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
#261: Organic Insider founder Max Goldberg unpacks the most urgent threats facing organic integrity today: the explosive growth of hydroponic “organ...
Chuck Benbrook: Chemicals In Food DO Make People Sick
25 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
#260: Pesticide risk expert Chuck Benbrook returns for a clear examination of how chemical residues in food affect human health. This conversation res...
Nancy Matsumoto: Women And Alternative Food Systems
21 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
#259: James Beard Award- winning author Nancy Matsumoto discusses her new book Reaping What She Sows : How Women Are Rebuilding Our Broken Food System...
Eliot Coleman on the Market Gardener Podcast
18 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
#258: What happens when one of today’s most influential market gardeners sits down with one of the founders of modern organic farming? JM Fortier in...
Bob Scowcroft: A Carrot Caper Birthed The Organic Label
11 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
#257: Before the USDA organic seal existed, the movement was held together by trust, community… and the courage to confront fraud when it appeared...
Will Brinton: Rethinking Carbon Sequestration - It's The Plant Canopy!
04 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
#256: Drawing on decades of soil respiration research, scientist Will Brinton explains why the most important action surrounding carbon sequestratio...
Deborah Koons Garcia: Future Of Food 20 Years Later
28 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
#255: Filmmaker Deborah Koons Garcia joins us, 20 years after the release of her influential documentary The Future of Food, to reflect on how the foo...
Tom Philpott: Corporate Control And The Future Of Food
21 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
#254: Food systems journalist and author Tom Philpott joins Dave for a powerful discussion on the legacy of Joan Gussow, the myths driving industrial ...
Helen Atthowe: Living Pathways for Mulch, Fertility and Habitat
14 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
#253: Farmer, researcher, and author Helen Atthowe has spent 40 years building soil ecosystems that feed themselves while offering their own, living b...
Leonard Diggs: Building Community-Based Farms for the Future
07 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
#253: Farmer, educator, and EcoFarm President Leonard Diggs joins Dave Chapman for a wide-ranging conversation about the evolution of organic agricult...
Michael Pollan: “Eat Food” Came From Joan Gussow
30 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
#2xx: Michael Pollan joins Dave Chapman for a wide-ranging conversation on the state of food, health, and the organic movement. Pollan reflects on his...
Karen Washington: Food Justice and the Power of Community
23 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
#250: Farmer, activist, and Real Organic ally Karen Washington joins Dave Chapman to talk about her decades-long fight for food justice and her friend...
Hugh Kent: Saving A Real Organic Farm Through Direct Marketing
16 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
#249: Florida blueberry farmer Hugh Kent of King Grove Organic Farm shares the story of how corporate power and USDA negligence nearly drove his organ...
Eliot Coleman: The Self-Fed Farm
09 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
#248: Pioneer organic farmer Eliot Coleman returns to the Real Organic Podcast to share the ideas behind his newest book, The Self-Fed Farm and Garden...
"Eat Food": The Amazing Work Of Joan Gussow
02 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
#247: This week, we celebrate the life and work of Joan Gussow, the visionary nutritionist whose thinking transformed how many understand the connecti...
Emily Oakley: A Standalone Label for Real Organic Project
26 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
#246: In this talk from the Saving Real Organic conference at Churchtown Dairy, Emily Oakley explains why so many small-scale, soil-based farms are dr...
Saving Real Organic: Linley + Dave At Churchtown
19 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
#245: Recorded live at the Saving Real Organic conference at Churchtown Dairy on September 27, 2025, co-directors Linley Dixon and Dave Chapman share ...
Bob Quinn: Healing Earth By Growing Food As Medicine
12 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
#244: Montana farmer and author Bob Quinn believes the cure for chronic disease begins in the soil. His research comparing ancient and modern wheat va...
Naomi Oreskes: The True Cost Of Doubt
05 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
#243: Celebrated historian of science and author of Merchants of Doubt Naomi Oreskes exposes how powerful corporations distort science to protect prof...
Abby Rockefeller: Sewage Sludge Activist
28 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
#242: Abby Rockefeller has spent her life pushing back against the toxic legacy of sewage sludge. In this interview, she unpacks how America’s sewer...
Adam Nordell + Johanna Davis: PFAS Contamination + Organic
21 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
#241: Johanna Davis and Adam Nordell built their farm from scratch, growing vegetables and grains while weaving their community together through food ...
Barbara Kingsolver: Food Systems + Truth-Telling With Joan Gussow
14 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
#240: Barbara Kingsolver reflects on her lifelong connection to food, her friendship with Joan Gussow, and the spiritual, cultural, and political mean...
Larry Jacobs: Lawsuits + Labeling In USDA Organic
07 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
#239: California organic farmer and Del Cabo cooperative founder Larry Jacobs returns to discuss why organic farming must remain firmly rooted in soil...
Cameron Molberg: Real Organic Poultry At Scale
31 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
#238: Cameron Molberg of Greener Pastures Chicken shares how he’s building a vertically integrated model for pasture-raised organic chicken withou...
Dick Schwartz: IFS and the Middle Way
24 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
#237: In this follow-up conversation, Dick Schwartz, founder of Internal Family Systems therapy, speaks with Dave about how IFS applies far beyond the...
Emily Oakley: Small-Scale Farming In A Changing World
17 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
#236 - Small-scale, diversified farmer Emily Oakley returns to share her evolving philosophy on farming, business, and life as she continues to align ...
Steve Ela: Organic Isn't Linear Thinking
10 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
#235 - Steve Ela, longtime organic fruit grower and former NOSB member, reflects on the shift from chemical farming to a biological mindset. He shares...
Episode Swap: JM Fortier Interviews Dave Chapman, Round Two
03 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
#234 - In our second episode swap with the Market Gardener Podcast, JM Fortier and co-host Chris Moran sit down with Dave Chapman and trade insights o...
Nicole Dehne: When Certification Meets Conviction
27 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
#233 - Nicole Dehne, director of Vermont Organic Farmers, shares what it means to uphold real integrity in a shifting organic landscape. From hydropon...
Eli Pipkin: Mastering Whole Grain Bread
20 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
#232 - Stone Barns head baker Eli Pipkin reveals what it takes to bake whole grain bread that is alive with flavor, nutrition, and story. Rooted in th...
The Real Story Of Whole Grain Bread with Michael Pollan + Dan Barber
13 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
#231 - In this special conversation, Michael Pollan and Dan Barber and other food system leaders explore the deep relationship between whole grain bre...
Paul Hawken: Reversing Ecological Collapse
06 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
#230 - Paul Hawken returns to share his hopeful and hard-won perspective on how organic farming and climate solutions go hand-in-hand, and to reflect ...
Marion Nestle: Follow the Food Money
29 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
#229 Marion Nestle, author of Food Politics, joins us to discuss how corporate money shapes what ends up on our plates - and why nutrition science so ...
Dan Barber: Farming Flavor First
22 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
#228: Dan Barber returns to explore how farming for flavor - not just yield or shelf life - can transform our food system from the ground up. As a che...
Kate Mendenhall: Defending Organic Integrity Nationwide
15 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
#227: Kate Mendenhall, Executive Director of the Organic Farmers Association, breaks down the strategic grassroots campaign to keep organic standards ...
Peter Segger: Farming Small, Thinking Big
08 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
#226: Peter Segger shares his journey from music and metal testing to pioneering organic farming in Wales. He reflects on the legacy of the Soil Assoc...
Julie Guthman: Big Tech's Takeover Of Organic
01 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
#225: Julie Guthman explains how Silicon Valley’s growing role in agriculture is reshaping organic from the top down. From hydroponics to venture ca...
Austin Frerick: Grocery Store Monopolies
25 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
#224: Author and economist Austin Frerick returns to break down how grocery store monopolies are shaping what ends up in our carts, who profits from i...
JM Fortier: Farms For Food Sovereignty
18 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
#223: JM Fortier shares his vision for farming as a pathway to food sovereignty. From his home in Quebec, JM has helped lead a growing movement of sma...
Ladd Harris: Feeding NFL Athletes Real Organic Food
11 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
#222: What happens when an NFL team decides to fuel its players with real organic food? Houston Texans wellness coach Ladd Harris shares how he’s bu...
Anthony Suau: Filming the Chemical Takeover
04 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
#221: Pulitzer Prize-winning filmmaker Anthony Suau returns to share the impact of his documentary Organic Rising and the growing urgency behind its m...
Sharon Lerner: Eating PFAs - Forever Chemicals In Our Food
27 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
#220: Investigative journalist Sharon Lerner shares how “forever chemicals” like PFAS entered our food, soil, bodies, and blood - revealing corpor...
Hugh Kent: Hydroponics Is Not Organic
20 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
#219: Organic blueberry farmer Hugh Kent pulls no punches in this deep dive into the truth about hydroponics and organic farming. From his soil-first ...
Matthew Ingram: Counterculture's Role In Organic Food
13 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
#218: Author Matthew Ingram dives into the roots of the counterculture organic food movement, tracing how music, radical ideas, and back-to-the-land f...
Scott Myers: Organic Grain Against the Odds
06 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
#217: Scott Myers, a second-generation farmer from Ohio, opens up about the hard truths of organic grain farming. From navigating weak federal support...
Tina Owens: Nutritional Dark Matter
30 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
#216: Tina Owens, senior advisor to the Nutrient Density Alliance, joins Dave to discuss how the future of nutrient density testing could be the key...
Liz Graznak: Surprise! 25% Of Your Market Is Gone
23 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
#215: Missouri farmer Liz Graznak tells Linley about facing the season after the very recent funding cuts have left her operation, Happy Hollow Farm...
David Weinstein: Past, Present, And Future Of Organic
16 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
#214: David Weinstein returns to discuss the urgent need for a food system that nourishes both people and the planet. In another compelling conversa...
Jennifer Pett-Ridge: Carbon Cycling on Organic Farms
09 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
#213: Soil scientist Jennifer Pett-Ridge joins Linley to talk about the opportunities organic agricultural presents to the planet's need to dra...
Dr. Elena R. Álvarez-Buylla: The Science of GM Corn Risks
04 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Bonus Episode: Author, Researcher, and investigative reporter Timothy A. Wise interviews Dr. Elena R. Álvarez-Buylla about her concerning findings on...
Ronald Valentin: The Natural Power of Biological Control
02 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
#212: Entomologist and grower Ronald Valentin joins Dave to talk about the advantages of using biological controls to manage pests in a greenhouse s...
Bernward Geier: Doing Right In The Wrong System
23 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
#211: On a recent trip to Biofach 2025 in Germany, Linley Dixon visits with former IFOAM (International Federation of Agriculture Movements) president...
Chuck Benbrook: What Monsanto Knew About Glyphosate
16 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
#210: Chuck Benbrook may be the most-informed person on the planet when it comes to Monsanto's manufacturing of glyphosate and the unnecessary an...
Nora Taleb: A Farmer-Led (R)Evolution
09 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
#209: Nora Taleb witnessed the birth and naming of the Real Organic Project during her time at our joint venture partner Naturland, the EU's olde...
Warren Weber: Youthful Optimism And Embracing The Unknown
02 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
#208: Legendary California organic farmer Warren Weber peppers Dave with questions about Real Organic Project's structure, standards, and funding...
Will Allen: Chemicals, Cotton and CAFOs in California
26 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
#207: Taken from an interview done in 2021, Dave gets the whole adventurous story from California-turned-Vermont farmer Will Allen about his life fill...
Do Hydroponics Belong In Organic? Anthony Suau Interviews Dave Chapman
19 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
#206: As a special 10 minute bonus episode to the film Organic Rising, director Anthony Suau focuses on the issue of whether or not hydroponics have a...
Scott Park: A Normal CA Farm Farmed Abnormally
12 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
#205: Organic California field and row crop farmer Scott Park details the success he's found with his low-input, targeted tillage operation for a...
Anna Jones-Crabtree at Chuchtown: Farming With Nature
05 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
#204: Organic grain farmer Anna Jones-Crabtree shares an emotional glimpse into the real and challenging issues she and her husband Doug face as they ...
Renee Lertzman: Successful Activism With Project Inside Out
29 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
#203: In her work helping activist organizations and environmental change-makers succeed in their journeys towards truly positive impact, Renee Lertzm...
Tim Wise at Churchtown: The Battle For The Future Of Food
22 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
#202: Author and Green Revolution expert Tim Wise speaks to the crowd this past September at our Churchtown Dairy event, Real Organic: A World Movemen...
Frances Moore-Lappé: Power, Democracy, and Food
15 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
#201: Dave visits author Frances Moore-Lappé at her Small Planet Institute in Cambridge, Mass to discuss the role democracy plays in our food system ...
Martin Frick: Fixing Food First
08 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
#200: Martin Frick, Director of the World Food Programme's Berlin office, sits down with Dave to discuss issues of food security and their interc...
Paul Holmbeck at Churchtown: Getting Organics On The Offensive
01 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
#199: Paul Holmbeck's talk from our event, Real Organic: A World Movement, which took place at Churchtown Dairy this September, is a straight sho...
Eliot Coleman at Churchtown: We Must Do It Again
24 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
#198: Real Organic Project champion Eliot Coleman returns to the stage at Churchtown Dairy to speak about the need to focus our conversations and ener...
Larry Jacobs + Sandra Belin: Building Organic Supply Chains With Integrity
17 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
#197: Dave is joined by the founders of the del Cabo Collective, farmers Larry Jacobs and Sandra Belin. You'll hear about challenges small farmer...
Paul Muller At Churchtown: Cultivating Affection
10 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
#196: Real Organic farmer Paul Muller takes the stage at Churchtown Dairy to remind folks about the importance of a food system that celebrates farmer...
Anthony Suau: The Making Of Organic Rising
03 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
#195: Award-winning filmmaker Anthony Suau sits down with Dave to talk about his documentary Organic Rising. Although he set out to make a short, ten ...
Bonus - Linley Dixon at Churchtown: Farmer Uprising
28 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Bonus: Co-director Linley Dixon was the final speaker at "Real Organic: A World Movement" held in the Round Barn at Abby Rockefeller's ...
Coalition of Immokalee Workers: Building Successful Movements + Boycotts
24 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
#194: Greg Asbed and Gerardo Reyes Chavez of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers tell the story of their movement's origins, including the injusti...
Bonus - Dave Chapman at Churchtown Dairy: Real Organic Project
21 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Bonus: Dave Chapman takes the stage at "Real Organic: A World Movement" held in the Round Barn at Abby Rockefeller's Churchtown Dairy o...
Hugh Kent At Churchtown: Losing Our Agriculture
17 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
#193: Real Organic blueberry grower Hugh Kent takes the main stage in the historic Round Barn at Churchtown Dairy on Saturday, September 28, 2024 to a...
John Bobbe: Aiding And Abetting Organic Grain Fraud
10 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
#192: John Bobbe revisits the investigation and exposure of organic grain fraud that he led, which inspired a series of articles in the Washington Pos...
Marcelo Gleiser: Escaping Extinction - There's No Place Like Earth
03 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
#191: Professor of Physics and Astronomy Marcelo Gleiser explains why Earth, like all planets in our solar system and most likely beyond, is so unique...
Eliza Martin Daley: Teaching Food, Flavor, and Agriculture To Kids
26 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
#190: Chef and 2020 champion of the Food Network show "Chopped" Eliza Daly shares her story and her passion for educating kids about food an...
Daniel O'Connell: Industrial Ag's Rapid Degradation of California
19 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
#189: Daniel O'Connell, author of "In the Struggle: Scholars and the Fight Against Industrial Agribusiness in California," sits down wi...
Mark Squire: An Early Food Co-op Stays True To Course
12 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
#188: Good Earth Natural Foods founder Mark Squire sits down with Dave to relate how his California food co-op has been able to remain steadfast in th...
Judith Redmond: Becoming An Activist Farmer
05 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
#187: Judith Redmond sits down with Dave at Full Belly Farm in California's Capay Valley to discuss the values and motivations that drew her and ...
John Ikerd: Why Animal Confinement Is The Norm
29 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
#186: Agricultural economist John Ikerd returns to discuss why the vast majority of meat, milk, and eggs moving through the American food system is so...
Mark Schatzker: Blocked Cravings + The Failures Of Food Enrichment
22 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
#185: Mark Schatzker, author of the international best -sellers The Dorito Effect and the End of Craving, visits Dave's Vermont tomato farm and t...
Jesse Cool: Inspiring The Next Generation Of Ingredient-Driven Food
15 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
#184: Organic restaurateur Jesse Cool sits down with Dave to talk about the positive path forward she sees in healing our broken food system: embracin...
Vincent Stanley: Making A Living During The Anthropocene
09 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
#183: Vincent Stanley joins Dave to talk about the 2023 release of his updated book, The Future of the Responsible Company: What We've Learned ...
David Bronner: Origins of Regenerative Organic Certification
01 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
#182: From a sit-down interview at Dr. Bronner's Original All-One Magic Soap company in 2022, David Bronner shares his memories of the earliest...
Lisa Held: Walmart, Walanthropy, And The Food System
25 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
#181: Investigative food systems journalist Lisa Held sits down with Dave to share her thinking and expand upon her findings in creating the deep di...
JM Fortier Interviews Dave Chapman
18 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
#180: In our first-ever podcast swap, we are sharing the interview that kicked off JM Fortier's pilot season of The Market Gardener Podcast. JM...
Glenn Elzinga Pt 2: Raising Better, More Nutritious Beef
11 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
#179: Glenn Elzinga and Dave continue their discussion about raising truly healthy cattle that yield nutrient-dense beef. By following the innate, t...
Mwatima Juma: Chemical Companies Pressure Farmers In Africa
04 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
#178: Mwatima Juma joins Dave to discuss the powerful influence chemical companies have over African farming practices and the way agricultural poli...
Arnie and Ron Koss: Changing Organic From The Inside Out
27 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
#177: Twin brothers Ron and Arnie Koss talk about their experience founding Earth's Best Baby Foods in 1985 with the hopes of impacting real, p...
Nora Taleb: Global Players Rule Our Food System
19 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
#176: Food systems consultant and former team leader for the Naturland Fair & Social Responsibility program Nora Taleb visits Real Organic Proje...