Real Organic Podcast
Episodes
Rosie Burroughs: A Call For Transparency + Fair Prices In Dairy
16 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
#077: California dairy farmer Rosie Burroughs remembers when there were 23 organic dairy farms in her county; today there are only 2. As a member of t...
David Weinstein: Owning And Fixing The Shortcomings Of Organic
09 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
#076: Longtime produce dealer David Weinstein takes us on a tour of the organic movement's beginnings and how it's fallen short of early asp...
Bob Quinn Pt 2: Lack of Research Dollars + Incentives Plague Organic
02 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
#075: In the second half of our interview with Montana grain farmer Bob Quinn, the discussion moves towards the challenges of international grain frau...
Bob Quinn Pt 1: Organic Grain Farming Vs. Chemical Grain Farming
26 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
#074: Bob Quinn, a longtime grain farmer from Montana, shares his thoughts on organic growing practices for dryland wheat farming vs. using chemical c...
Jim Durst: Fair Wages, Land Ownership, And Abundance Vs. Scarcity
19 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
#073: Jim Durst shares what he's learned about land, labor, and markets while growing organic food in Yolo County, CA since 1988, including the i...
Mark McAfee: Raw Milk Proves Direct Marketing Works
11 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
#072: Mark McAfee shares his knowledge of the organic dairy industry, along with his perspective as a raw milk dairyman. Raw milk dairies often sell d...
Lindsey Lusher-Shute: Technology + Cooperation to the Organic Rescue
05 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
#071: Lindsey Lusher-Shute, co-founder of the National Young Farmers Coalition and the "other half" of Real Organic Project certified Hear...
David Bronner: Verifying Organic Supply Chains
28 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
#070: Regenerative Organic and GMO Labeling champion David Bronner talks about the ongoing fight farmers and food activists face against global chem...
Sidehill Farm: One Organic Dairy, Two Organic Businesses
21 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
#069: Amy Klippenstein and Paul Lacinski of Sidehill Farm in western Massachusetts discuss their decision to become a certified organic dairy, and the...
Alan Lewis: Corruption and Anticompetitiveness in Dairy
14 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
#068: Policy expert and organic advocate Alan Lewis of Natural Grocers is back, this time to discuss the ways that Big Dairy, including conventional...
Anna Jones-Crabtree: Our Organic Supply Chain Needs A Makeover
07 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
#067: Real Organic grain farmer Anna Jones-Crabtree of Vilicus Farms in Montana shares her farm's vision for a more sustainable approach to the...
Bernward Geier: Asia - Where Organic Is Winning In The World
31 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
#066: The second of our two-part interview with Bernward Geier, the former longtime director of the International Federation of Organic Agriculture ...
Bernward Geier: Europe - Where Organic Is Winning In the World
24 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
#065: Bernward Geier, the former longtime director of the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM), fills us in on organic&...
Amanda Starbuck: Corporate Consolidation + Our Food System
17 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
#064: Food and Water Watch Research Director and Policy Analyst Amanda Starbuck shares what it takes to get your products into the supermarket today...
Earl Ransom: Big Dairy Always Intended To Exploit Small Farms
10 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
#063: Dairy farmer Earl Ransom, who owns and operates Strafford Creamery along with his wife Amy, recalls the history of the organic milk market in ...
Paul Muller: Farmers Need Consumers To Help Rebuild Our Food System
03 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
#062: Real Organic farmer Paul Muller of California's Full Belly Farm, shares what it will really take to reclaim and rebuild the organic movemen...
Severine Von Tscharner Fleming: Who Controls Seaweed Farming?
26 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
#061: Young Farmers Coalition & Greenhorns Co-Founder Severine Von Tscharner Fleming talks us through the battle for fair pricing, good policies, ...
Bonus Epsiode 2 - Paul Hawken: Drawdown to Regeneration
24 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
From the Real Organic vault - a 2020 interview with climate activist and author Paul Hawken.
Francis Thicke: The Importance Of A Farmer-Led System
19 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
#060: Dairy farmer Francis Thicke returns to share a behind the scenes (in the field) look into how he manages his cows and pasture on his organic, gr...
Melinda Hemmelgarn: Connecting Nutrition to Soil
12 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
#059: Investigative nutritionist and host of the Food Sleuth Radio Show, Melinda Hemmelgarn, uncovers a bounty of insights about our food system, incl...
Eliot Coleman + Dan Barber Discuss Organic vs. Regenerative
05 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
#058: Legendary organic farmer Eliot Coleman inspired Chef Dan Barber to focus on serving regional ingredients that could shape the food culture and e...
Kevin Engelbert: Calling Out Corruption In Organic Dairy
29 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
#057: Organic dairy farmer Kevin Engelbert speaks to the insurmountable hardships that illegal producers, corrupt certifiers and unethical politicians...
Paul Hawken: Regenerating "Take, Make, Waste" Systems
22 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
#056: Author and climate activist Paul Hawken joins us once again to discuss the historic role of capital in the degeneration of our planet and food...
Leah Penniman: Ecological Healing Means Putting Land Back Into Indigenous Hands
15 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
#055: With a ticking clock and many obstacles facing the earth, activist farmer Leah Penniman continues to remind us that that the most-effective solu...
Senator Jon Tester: Farmers Need Capitalism With Competition
08 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
#054: US Senator and organic grain farmer Jon Tester of Montana speaks bluntly about the outsized-influence of lobbyists and the growth of monopolie...
Michael Pollan: Antitrust + Democracy At Your Dinner Table
27 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
#053: Acclaimed food and food systems author Michael Pollan identifies the driving forces behind the corporatization of organic food, including income...
Bonus: Helen Kees | Turn The Barn Lights Back On
22 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Real Organic Farmer Helen Kees of Wheatfield Hill Organics ion Durand, Wisconsin wrote this piece for the 2022 Real Organic Symposium. We used part of...
Mark Kastel: An Organic Watchdog Goes After Big Dairy
15 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
#052: Organic food activist and advocate Mark Kastel is the co-founder of the Cornucopia Institute, and more recently, of the oversight agency Organ...
Chellie Pingree: Failures + Opportunities of US Agricultural Policies
08 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
#051: Organic farmer and Maine congresswoman Chellie Pingree shares her insights as the Chair of the Subcommittee on Agriculture about what she call...
Dave Chapman: Founding Real Organic Project, A Farmer-Led Movement
01 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
#050: In celebration of our 50th episode and the launch of our second season of interviews, we've invited guest host Annelise Orleck to interview...
Encore: All About Real Organic Project + The Real Organic Podcast
26 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
#049: Welcome to an encore of our very first episode, where we introduce you to the Real Organic movement and its many supporters, including many of t...
Kris Nichols Part Two: Carbon Sequestration Is Our Responsibility
18 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
#048: In our continued conversation with Dr. Kris Nichols, we focus on the capacity of Earth's soils to store vast amounts of carbon from the atm...
Kris Nichols Part One: Farm-Geeking Out On Soil Biology
11 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
#047: Soil microbiologist Dr. Kris Nichols takes us below ground to explore the evolution of mycorrhizae, the role of "soil glue" glomalin...
Michael Kilpatrick: Small Farms Can Earn Good Livings
04 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
#046: As the host of Thriving Farmer Podcast, Michael Kilpatrick is filled with stories, solutions, and advice for the tough challenges that small...
Eric Sideman: Organic Means You Must Love Soil
28 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
#045: Eric Sideman shares his deep knowledge of the organic movement, including the growing practices that align concerned eaters with the farmers w...
Alan Lewis: Why Real Farm Food Is Rarely Found In Stores
21 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
#044: Alan Lewis of Natural Grocers shares some (pretty disturbing) insights about the effects consolidation in our distribution and supply chains a...
Woody Tasch: Investing In Your Local Soil With Slow Money
14 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
#043: Founder and chairperson of the Slow Money Institute Woody Tasch talks us through investing in our local communities, farms, and soil with great ...
Anne Ross: Investigating International Grain Fraud
07 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
#042: Anne Ross, the Cornucopia Institute's Director of International Policy talks about being tasked with investigating organic grain fraud ...
Ben Dobson: Luddites, Take-nologists, and 4th Grade Climate Science
30 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
#041: Ben Dobson of Stone House Farm in NY's Hudson Valley covers a lot of ground as he gives illustrative explanations of Earth's natural c...
Jennifer Taylor: Infusing Farmers With The Organic Experience
23 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
#040: Real Organic farmer Jennifer Taylor has successfully mentored many farmers in the Southeast through her technical assistance work at Florida AMU...
Walter Jehne Part 2: The True Costs Of Cheap Food
16 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
#039: In the second half of our conversation with soil and climate scientist Water Jehne we get deep into the real costs of producing industrial foo...
Walter Jehne Part 1: Hydrology, Desertification, And Climate
09 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
#038: Australian soil microbiologist and climate scientist Water Jehne makes a convincing case for shifting focus away from carbon emissions and towar...
Didi Pershouse: Water, Water, Water And The Soil Carbon Sponge
02 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
#037: Former medical practitioner turned regenerative soil advocate Didi Pershouse shares her observations about water's role at the epicenter of...
Nora Taleb: Lessons From Europe's Add-On Food Labels
26 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
#036: Nora Taleb of Germany's Naturland, the longest-running food label put forth and managed by a farmer association in the EU, shares insights ...
Michael Phillips: Restoring Degraded Lands With Biodiversity + Fungal Networks
19 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
#035: Author, holistic orchardist, and fungal network devotee Michael Phillips shares his thoughts on promoting outrageous biodiversity to restore deg...
Bonus Episode - Paul Hawken: Food, Climate and the Time for Regeneration
15 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Bonus Episode with Paul Hawken: To celebrate the release of Paul's new book Regeneration: Ending the Climate Crisis in One Generation (with forwa...
Francis Thicke: Unpacking the Industrial Takeover of Organic
12 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
#034: Real Organic dairy farmer, soil scientist, and former National Organic Standards Board member Francis Thicke sheds light on how the USDA program...
Annelise Orleck: Invisible Farm Workers + Unconscious Consumers
05 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
#033: Labor historian and Dartmouth professor Annelise Orleck walks us through how our economy became filled with goods produced by invisible workers ...
Karen Washington: Growing Diversity In The Farming Community
28 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
#032: Organic and regenerative farmers often talk about the importance of beneficial soil microbes and the need for diversity of life below ground...b...
Fred Provenza: What Animals Eat And Why Should We Care?
21 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
#031: Grazing animals display innate nutritional wisdom; they seek out grasses and plants that offer trace minerals, phytonutrients, and other nourish...
David Grinspoon: Childhood's End: What Kind of Planet Changers Do We Want to Be?
14 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
#030: NASA astrobiologist and author David Grinspoon views humanity in deep time, with plenty of sympathy for our role as caretakers without a set of ...
John Ikerd Part Two: Scaling Organic Farms To Fit Communities And Nature
06 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
#029: In our continued conversation with author, agricultural economist, and livestock expert Dr. John Ikerd, we delve more deeply into the challenges...
John Ikerd Part One: Industrial Food Can Never Be Sustainable
03 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
#028: Agricultural economist John Ikerd walks us through the very intentional strategy of overproduction as a precursor to market takeover, as we&apos...
David Montgomery: Clever Modern Technology vs Ancient Soil Wisdom
31 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
#027: How many civilizations have collapsed due to extractive agricultural practices and soil degradation and how close is ours to reaching the same...
Anne Biklé Part Two: From Soil to Gut
27 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
#026: In the second part of our interview with author, biologist, and gardener Anne Biklé, the conversation focuses on the human microbiome and t...
Anne Biklé Part One: Digging Into The Soil Microbiome
24 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
#025: Author, biologist and diehard organic gardener Anne Biklé takes us on a journey through the soil microbiome, introducing us to the fetching f...
Bill McKibben: Winning the Climate Argument But Losing the Fight
13 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
#024: Bill McKibben offers his thoughts on how a big movement can succeed in fighting big power. Beyond the importance of pairing global policy with l...
Allan Savory: Regreening the Planet with Livestock
12 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
#023: Can grazing livestock heal the planet by sequestering carbon and reversing desertification through managed movements that mimic nature? Are live...
Arran Stephens: Fighting The Lobbyists Who Dilute Organic
10 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
#022: Arran Stephens is the chair and co-founder of Nature's Path, one of the few big brands who were present at the onset of the modern organi...
Stuart Hill: Sustainable Farming, Intuitive Knowledge + Feedback Loops
09 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
#021: A deep discussion about farming, science, sustainability, and where knowledge comes from with the always-fascinating Stuart Hill, author and for...
Jean-Paul Courtens: To Till Or Not To Till On A Vegetable Farm
04 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
#020: Biodynamic farmer Jean-Paul Courtens discusses the complexities of tillage through the eyes of a vegetable farmer, as well as necessary changes ...
Enid Wonnacott: When the Organic Floor Became a Ceiling
03 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
#019: A brief interview with Enid Wonnacott about the drafting of the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990. Enid shares how farmers learning from ...
Vincent Stanley: The Power of Private Companies Working to Protect Earth
30 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
#018: Vincent Stanley shares the story of how and why Patagonia switched to 100% organic cotton in the mid 90s and how private companies can lead the ...
Hugh Kent : Allowing Hydroponic Berries into Organic is a Mandate
27 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
#017: Hydroponic blueberries, suspiciously sporting the USDA organic seal, are taking over the marketplace and jeopardizing the livelihood of real org...
Kat Taylor : How to Grow Good Money + Good Food for All
23 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
#016: Green banker, philanthropist, and co-owner of TomKat Ranch, Kat Taylor believes we can reform both capitalism and agriculture into tools that he...
Onika Abraham : Voting With Your Fork Won't End Food Apartheid
20 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
#015: Farm School NYC's Onika Abraham lays out the history, challenges, and hopes of community gardens in urban America, including the need to re...
Mark Schatzker: Deception + Dishonesty Are Flavoring Human Nutrition
16 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
#014: Mark Schatzker, author of The Dorito Effect, shares what he's learned about the flavor industry's transformation of modern food in the...
Alice Waters: The Cost of Eating Fast Food Values
13 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
#013: Alice Waters shares her long view into the US food system's broken relationship with real food, as well as the social impact she's see...
Paul Holmbeck: How Denmark Went Organic
09 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
#012: Organic food is a big deal in Denmark, where it makes up the majority of all food sold. The Danish government believes that even if you don&apos...
Seth Godin: The Power of the Organic Story is Too Tempting for Big Ag
06 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
#011: Seth Godin knows storytelling. He sees how valuable the story of organic food is for the growers who share it with eaters looking for the real d...
Joan Gussow: Tying Nutrition to Agriculture is Long Overdue
02 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
#010: Do our health statistics reflect a very different story about the American diet and the overall quality of our food than we tell ourselves? Joan...
JM Fortier: Feeding the World with Small Organic Farms
29 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
#009: JM Fortier brings his passion for small-scale, ecology-first farming to this discussion about what motivates growers big and small to scale up, ...
Eliot Coleman: Real Organic vs. Chemical Farming
22 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
#008: Farming icon Eliot Coleman talks about deep organic, deep science, and the history of organic farming's struggle to stave off the chemical ...
Emily Oakley: Living Next to a CAFO while Serving on the NOSB
17 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
#007: Real Organic farmer Emily Oakley shares her experiences serving on the National Organic Standards Board during the infamous and shocking vote to...
Peter Whoriskey: Uncovering Fraud in Organic Meat, Milk, Eggs, + Grain
17 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
#006: In 2017 the Washington Post published a series of articles about fraud under the USDA organic label, breaking the stories of milk, meat, and egg...
Al Gore: Climate, Agriculture, + Human Migration
17 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
#005: Former Vice President Al Gore discusses his decision to get Real Organic certification for the farm he grew up on, Caney Fork Farms in Tennessee...
Leah Penniman: Revolution Based on Land
17 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
#004: Activist, organizer, farmer and educator Leah Penniman shares the history of food apartheid and land grabbing in the United States and discusses...
Dan Barber: Chasing Fertility + America’s Absent Food Culture
17 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
#003: Do you think that you could taste the politics of your food? Say a carrot for example? Dan Barber can and he makes a brilliant case for how we...
Paul Hawken: Extractive Capitalism’s Toll on Food, Farming + Life
17 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
#002: Climate solutions author, environmental activist, and longtime natural foods icon Paul Hawken dives into the related subjects of nutrition, glob...
All About Real Organic Project + The Real Organic Podcast
16 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
#001: Welcome to our first episode, where we'll introduce you to the Real Organic movement and its many supporters before letting you know more a...