Real Organic Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Tim Wise: Today's Green Revolution In Africa and Iowa Jun 13, 2024

Show notes

#175: Researcher and author Tim Wise shares his deep knowledge of the Green Revolution and its misleading claims to solve world hunger through chemical agriculture and government policy. While most of us think of the Green Revolution as movement from the past, Tim raises awareness that it is very much alive today across the globe, most notably in Africa.
Tim Wise is a writer, researcher and speaker, and the author of Eating Tomorrow: Agribusiness, Family Farmers, and the Battle for the Future of Food. He is a Senior Advisor with the Small Planet Institute and a Senior Research Fellow at Tufts University’s Global Development and Environment Institute. He lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

https://www.timothyawise.com/

To watch a video version of this podcast please visit:
https://www.realorganicproject.org/tim-wise-todays-green-revolution-africa-iowa-episode-one-hundred-seventy-five
The Real Organic Podcast is hosted by Dave Chapman and Linley Dixon, engineered by Brandon StCyr, and edited and produced by Jenny Prince.
The Real Organic Project is a farmer-led movement working towards certifying 1,000 farms across the United States this year. Our add-on food label distinguishes soil-grown fruits and vegetables from hydroponically-raised produce, and pasture-raised meat, milk, and eggs from products harvested from animals in horrific confinement (CAFOs - confined animal feeding operations).
To find a Real Organic farm near you, please visit:
https://www.realorganicproject.org/farms
We believe that the organic standards, with their focus on soil health, biodiversity, and animal welfare were written as they should be, but that the current lack of enforcement of those standards is jeopardizing the ability for small farms who adhere to the law to stay in business. The lack of enforcement is also jeopardizing the overall health of the customers who support the organic movement; customers who are not getting what they pay for at market but still paying a premium price. And the lack of enforcement is jeopardizing the very cycles (water, air, nutrients) that Earth relies upon to provide us all with a place to live, by pushing extractive, chemical agriculture to the forefront.
If you like what you hear and are feeling inspired, we would love for you to join our movement by becoming one of our 1,000 Real Fans!
https://www.realorganicproject.org/1000-real-fans/
To read our weekly newsletter (which might just be the most forwarded newsletter on the internet!) and get firsthand news about what's happening with organic food, farming and policy, please subscribe here:
https://www.realorganicproject.org/email/

Will Rosenzweig: Crafting A Positive Impact Food System Jun 06, 2024

Show notes

#174: Republic of Tea co-founder and UC Berkeley Haas Center for Responsible Business co-chair Will Rosenzweig joins Dave to discuss his early efforts to impact change on the food system from the inside out, through entrepreneurship, as well as his thoughts on how to acheive postive impact in today's world through education.
Will Rosenzweig is a well-known entrepreneur, having co-founded the Republic of Tea in the early 90s. He is co-author of The Republic of Tea: How an Idea Becomes a Business, (Doubleday 1994) which was named one of the 100 Best Business Books of All Time, and the recipient of the Oslo Business for Peace Award. Will has been part of the UC Berkeley faculty since 1999 and currently leads Plant Futures, a course about the urgent future of plant-centered eating.
https://haas.berkeley.edu/faculty/rosenzweig-william/

To watch a video version of this podcast please visit:
https://www.realorganicproject.org/will-rosenzweig-crafting-positive-impact-food-system-episode-one-hundred-seventy-four
The Real Organic Podcast is hosted by Dave Chapman and Linley Dixon, engineered by Brandon StCyr, and edited and produced by Jenny Prince.
The Real Organic Project is a farmer-led movement working towards certifying 1,000 farms across the United States this year. Our add-on food label distinguishes soil-grown fruits and vegetables from hydroponically-raised produce, and pasture-raised meat, milk, and eggs from products harvested from animals in horrific confinement (CAFOs - confined animal feeding operations).
To find a Real Organic farm near you, please visit:
https://www.realorganicproject.org/farms
We believe that the organic standards, with their focus on soil health, biodiversity, and animal welfare were written as they should be, but that the current lack of enforcement of those standards is jeopardizing the ability for small farms who adhere to the law to stay in business. The lack of enforcement is also jeopardizing the overall health of the customers who support the organic movement; customers who are not getting what they pay for at market but still paying a premium price. And the lack of enforcement is jeopardizing the very cycles (water, air, nutrients) that Earth relies upon to provide us all with a place to live, by pushing extractive, chemical agriculture to the forefront.
If you like what you hear and are feeling inspired, we would love for you to join our movement by becoming one of our 1,000 Real Fans!
https://www.realorganicproject.org/1000-real-fans/
To read our weekly newsletter (which might just be the most forwarded newsletter on the internet!) and get firsthand news about what's happening with organic food, farming and policy, please subscribe here:
https://www.realorganicproject.org/email/

Glenn Elzinga Pt 1: Good Grazing On Public Lands May 30, 2024

Show notes

#173: Real Organic Project certified rancher Glenn Elzinga talks about the grazing plan he and his wife Carolyn devised to mimic the movement of animals that were once a key part of healthy ecosystems. Their method of "in herding" has transformed his own land, as well as the public land he leases in Idaho, bringing back a diversity of species and allowing for the repair of riparian areas. Glenn also speaks to the notable nutritional differneces between his beef and the typical feedlot beef that is mostly found throughout the US marketplace.
Glenn Elzinga owns and operates Alderspring Ranch, along with his wife Carolyn and their seven daughters. In addtion to the ranch land they own in Idaho, they lease thousands of acres from the government, moving their cattle daily as they graze a diverse mix of nutritious plants. The family and their crew ride alongside the herd on horseback and sleep outside near them at night. Alderspring Ranch is certified with the Real Organic Project.
https://www.alderspring.com/

To watch a video version of this podcast please visit:
https://www.realorganicproject.org/glenn-elzinga-good-grazing-public-land-episode-one-hundred-seventy-three
The Real Organic Podcast is hosted by Dave Chapman and Linley Dixon, engineered by Brandon StCyr, and edited and produced by Jenny Prince.
The Real Organic Project is a farmer-led movement working towards certifying 1,000 farms across the United States this year. Our add-on food label distinguishes soil-grown fruits and vegetables from hydroponically-raised produce, and pasture-raised meat, milk, and eggs from products harvested from animals in horrific confinement (CAFOs - confined animal feeding operations).
To find a Real Organic farm near you, please visit:
https://www.realorganicproject.org/farms
We believe that the organic standards, with their focus on soil health, biodiversity, and animal welfare were written as they should be, but that the current lack of enforcement of those standards is jeopardizing the ability for small farms who adhere to the law to stay in business. The lack of enforcement is also jeopardizing the overall health of the customers who support the organic movement; customers who are not getting what they pay for at market but still paying a premium price. And the lack of enforcement is jeopardizing the very cycles (water, air, nutrients) that Earth relies upon to provide us all with a place to live, by pushing extractive, chemical agriculture to the forefront.
If you like what you hear and are feeling inspired, we would love for you to join our movement by becoming one of our 1,000 Real Fans!
https://www.realorganicproject.org/1000-real-fans/
To read our weekly newsletter (which might just be the most forwarded newsletter on the internet!) and get firsthand news about what's happening with organic food, farming and policy, please subscribe here:
https://www.realorganicproject.org/email/

Kat Taylor: Funding The World We Want May 23, 2024

Show notes

#172: California green banker and philanthropist Kat Taylor joins us again to shed light on how banking and finance influence the consolidation seen in food and agriculture.
Kat Taylor is a positive-impact investor who has started both a community bank and an organic cattle ranch to influence the social and environmental injustices she sees in her home state of California.
https://www.kattaylor.com/

To watch a video version of this podcast please visit:
https://www.realorganicproject.org/kat-taylor-funding-world-we-want-episode-one-hundred-seventy-two
The Real Organic Podcast is hosted by Dave Chapman and Linley Dixon, engineered by Brandon StCyr, and edited and produced by Jenny Prince.
The Real Organic Project is a farmer-led movement working towards certifying 1,000 farms across the United States this year. Our add-on food label distinguishes soil-grown fruits and vegetables from hydroponically-raised produce, and pasture-raised meat, milk, and eggs from products harvested from animals in horrific confinement (CAFOs - confined animal feeding operations).
To find a Real Organic farm near you, please visit:
https://www.realorganicproject.org/farms
We believe that the organic standards, with their focus on soil health, biodiversity, and animal welfare were written as they should be, but that the current lack of enforcement of those standards is jeopardizing the ability for small farms who adhere to the law to stay in business. The lack of enforcement is also jeopardizing the overall health of the customers who support the organic movement; customers who are not getting what they pay for at market but still paying a premium price. And the lack of enforcement is jeopardizing the very cycles (water, air, nutrients) that Earth relies upon to provide us all with a place to live, by pushing extractive, chemical agriculture to the forefront.
If you like what you hear and are feeling inspired, we would love for you to join our movement by becoming one of our 1,000 Real Fans!
https://www.realorganicproject.org/1000-real-fans/
To read our weekly newsletter (which might just be the most forwarded newsletter on the internet!) and get firsthand news about what's happening with organic food, farming and policy, please subscribe here:
https://www.realorganicproject.org/email/

Hans Herren: Controlling Pests With Biology May 15, 2024

Show notes

#171: Hans Herren shares the story of using biological controls to save Africa's cassava crop from a disastrous, continent-wide Mealy Bug infestation. While he was awarded the World Food Prize for his efforts and recognized for the incredible number of lives that work saved, non-chemical biocontrols are still nowhere near a popular approach in the pro-chemical agricultural landscapes that dominate our globe.
Hans Herren has served as the President and CEO of the Millennium Institute, an organization dedicated to systems dynamic modeling and the support of sustainable development policies, since 2005. In 1995, he won the World Food Prize for successfully managing against the Cassava Mealybug in Africa and and averting a major food crisis that could have claimed an estimated 20 million lives.
https://www.millennium-institute.org/

To watch a video version of this podcast please visit:
https://www.realorganicproject.org/hans-herren-controlling-pests-with-biology-episode-one-hundred-seventy-one
The Real Organic Podcast is hosted by Dave Chapman and Linley Dixon, engineered by Brandon StCyr, and edited and produced by Jenny Prince.
The Real Organic Project is a farmer-led movement working towards certifying 1,000 farms across the United States this year. Our add-on food label distinguishes soil-grown fruits and vegetables from hydroponically-raised produce, and pasture-raised meat, milk, and eggs from products harvested from animals in horrific confinement (CAFOs - confined animal feeding operations).
To find a Real Organic farm near you, please visit:
https://www.realorganicproject.org/farms
We believe that the organic standards, with their focus on soil health, biodiversity, and animal welfare were written as they should be, but that the current lack of enforcement of those standards is jeopardizing the ability for small farms who adhere to the law to stay in business. The lack of enforcement is also jeopardizing the overall health of the customers who support the organic movement; customers who are not getting what they pay for at market but still paying a premium price. And the lack of enforcement is jeopardizing the very cycles (water, air, nutrients) that Earth relies upon to provide us all with a place to live, by pushing extractive, chemical agriculture to the forefront.
If you like what you hear and are feeling inspired, we would love for you to join our movement by becoming one of our 1,000 Real Fans!
https://www.realorganicproject.org/1000-real-fans/
To read our weekly newsletter (which might just be the most forwarded newsletter on the internet!) and get firsthand news about what's happening with organic food, farming and policy, please subscribe here:
https://www.realorganicproject.org/email/

Alice Waters: Organic Food In Our Schools Now May 09, 2024

Show notes

#170: Alice Waters' focus on educating young minds about where real food comes from, how to identify and prepare it, and how food relates to all facets of our lives and cultures has inspired many. She shared her latest plans and emotional motivations with Dave in California in January of 2024, as part of a broader conversation about the organic movement.
Alice Waters is the founder and owner of Chez Panisse restaurant in Berkeley, California, known throughout the world for its dedication to local and organic foods and seen by many as the first restaurant to offer what’s become known as California Cuisine. She is a huge advocate of improving school lunches in the US and is the creator of Edible Schoolyard, a curriculum that brings gardens and kitchens into public education. Alice is a Real Organic Project Advisory Board member.

To watch a video version of this podcast please visit:
https://www.realorganicproject.org/alice-waters-organic-food-in-our-schools-now-episode-one-hundred-seventy
The Real Organic Podcast is hosted by Dave Chapman and Linley Dixon, engineered by Brandon StCyr, and edited and produced by Jenny Prince.
The Real Organic Project is a farmer-led movement working towards certifying 1,000 farms across the United States this year. Our add-on food label distinguishes soil-grown fruits and vegetables from hydroponically-raised produce, and pasture-raised meat, milk, and eggs from products harvested from animals in horrific confinement (CAFOs - confined animal feeding operations).
To find a Real Organic farm near you, please visit:
https://www.realorganicproject.org/farms
We believe that the organic standards, with their focus on soil health, biodiversity, and animal welfare were written as they should be, but that the current lack of enforcement of those standards is jeopardizing the ability for small farms who adhere to the law to stay in business. The lack of enforcement is also jeopardizing the overall health of the customers who support the organic movement; customers who are not getting what they pay for at market but still paying a premium price. And the lack of enforcement is jeopardizing the very cycles (water, air, nutrients) that Earth relies upon to provide us all with a place to live, by pushing extractive, chemical agriculture to the forefront.
If you like what you hear and are feeling inspired, we would love for you to join our movement by becoming one of our 1,000 Real Fans!
https://www.realorganicproject.org/1000-real-fans/
To read our weekly newsletter (which might just be the most forwarded newsletter on the internet!) and get firsthand news about what's happening with organic food, farming and policy, please subscribe here:
https://www.realorganicproject.org/email/

Barbara Gemmill-Herren: Big Chem's Eyes Are On Africa May 02, 2024

Show notes

#169: Barbara Gemmill-Herren shares her views on listening to farmers first and foremost as policies and support systems are developed, the need to pay attention to the social workings of agricultural communities, and the immense pressure applied to African farmers by global chemical companies to purchase amendments.
Barbara Gemmill-Herren serves as an associate faculty member at Arizona's Prescott College and as a Senior Associate at the World Agroforestry Centre in Nairobi, Kenya. From 2004-2015 she worked as a Global Pollination Project Coordinator and Agroecology Programme Specialist for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
To watch a video version of this podcast with access to the full transcript and links relevant to our conversation, please visit:
https://www.realorganicproject.org/barbara-gemmill-herren-big-chems-eyes-on-africa-episode-one-hundred-sixty-nine
The Real Organic Podcast is hosted by Dave Chapman and Linley Dixon, engineered by Brandon StCyr, and edited and produced by Jenny Prince.
The Real Organic Project is a farmer-led movement working towards certifying 1,000 farms across the United States this year. Our add-on food label distinguishes soil-grown fruits and vegetables from hydroponically-raised produce, and pasture-raised meat, milk, and eggs from products harvested from animals in horrific confinement (CAFOs - confined animal feeding operations).
To find a Real Organic farm near you, please visit:
https://www.realorganicproject.org/farms
We believe that the organic standards, with their focus on soil health, biodiversity, and animal welfare were written as they should be, but that the current lack of enforcement of those standards is jeopardizing the ability for small farms who adhere to the law to stay in business. The lack of enforcement is also jeopardizing the overall health of the customers who support the organic movement; customers who are not getting what they pay for at market but still paying a premium price. And the lack of enforcement is jeopardizing the very cycles (water, air, nutrients) that Earth relies upon to provide us all with a place to live, by pushing extractive, chemical agriculture to the forefront.
If you like what you hear and are feeling inspired, we would love for you to join our movement by becoming one of our 1,000 Real Friends:
https://www.realorganicproject.org/real-organic-friends/
To read our weekly newsletter (which might just be the most forwarded newsletter on the internet!) and get firsthand news about what's happening with organic food, farming and policy, please subscribe here:
https://www.realorganicproject.org/email/

Zephyr Teachout: Today's Antimonopolist Movement Has Legs Apr 23, 2024

Show notes

#168: Author and law professor Zephyr Teachout walks us through the hardcore push for consolidation in the food, agriculture, and chemical industries that has devastated rural communities and our population's general access to truly good food. She also delivers a hopeful message about policy changes on the horizon that are worth our attention and support as citizens.
Zephyr Teachout is an attorney and law professor at Fordham University. She is the author of Break'em Up: Recovering Our Freedom from Big Ag, Big Tech, and Big Money and a 2018 candidate for Attorney General in New York State. Once upon a time she was a farmhand at Real Organic Project certified KillDeer Farm in Norwich, Vermont.
To watch a video version of this podcast with access to the full transcript and links relevant to our conversation, please visit:
https://www.realorganicproject.org/zephyr-teachout-todays-antimonopoly-movement-has-legs-episode-one-hundred-sixty-eight
The Real Organic Podcast is hosted by Dave Chapman and Linley Dixon, engineered by Brandon StCyr, and edited and produced by Jenny Prince.
The Real Organic Project is a farmer-led movement working towards certifying 1,000 farms across the United States this year. Our add-on food label distinguishes soil-grown fruits and vegetables from hydroponically-raised produce, and pasture-raised meat, milk, and eggs from products harvested from animals in horrific confinement (CAFOs - confined animal feeding operations).
To find a Real Organic farm near you, please visit:
https://www.realorganicproject.org/farms
We believe that the organic standards, with their focus on soil health, biodiversity, and animal welfare were written as they should be, but that the current lack of enforcement of those standards is jeopardizing the ability for small farms who adhere to the law to stay in business. The lack of enforcement is also jeopardizing the overall health of the customers who support the organic movement; customers who are not getting what they pay for at market but still paying a premium price. And the lack of enforcement is jeopardizing the very cycles (water, air, nutrients) that Earth relies upon to provide us all with a place to live, by pushing extractive, chemical agriculture to the forefront.
If you like what you hear and are feeling inspired, we would love for you to join our movement by becoming one of our 1,000 Real Friends:
https://www.realorganicproject.org/real-organic-friends/
To read our weekly newsletter (which might just be the most forwarded newsletter on the internet!) and get firsthand news about what's happening with organic food, farming and policy, please subscribe here:
https://www.realorganicproject.org/email/

Hugh Kent: How The USDA Supports Bad Agriculture Apr 16, 2024

Show notes

#167: Dave Chapman visits Real Organic blueberry farmer Hugh Kent at his biodiverse King Grove Farm in central Florida, to discuss the takeover of the US berry market by global brands that are rapidly encouraging the growth of plastic farms. By leveling soil, spraying the ground with chemicals, laying down plastic and popping up high tunnels, pedestals, plastic pots and a maze of tubing for feed and water, a new generation of disposable (and non-recyclable) "farming" is being popularized in berry production. Hugh now sees this marked transformation as a threat to all soil-based berry growers, and not just his organic peers. Will eaters be able to easily find soil-grown berries in stores in the near future?
Hugh Kent and his wife Lisa are longtime blueberry growers in Eustis, FL. They're proud to operate a biodiverse farm surrounded by intentional habitat for wildlife and pollinators, where they mow grasses and cover crops directly into their perennial berry rows to act as a fertile mulch. Hugh has been a vocal farmer-member of Real Organic Project to shed light on the changes in the industry that increasingly threaten the livelihood of berry growers like himself. He is now a member of Real Organic Project's Executive Board.
To watch a video version of this podcast with access to the full transcript and links relevant to our conversation, please visit:
https://www.realorganicproject.org/hugh-kent-how-usda-supports-bad-agriculture-episode-one-hundred-sixty-seven
The Real Organic Podcast is hosted by Dave Chapman and Linley Dixon, engineered by Brandon StCyr, and edited and produced by Jenny Prince.
The Real Organic Project is a farmer-led movement working towards certifying 1,000 farms across the United States this year. Our add-on food label distinguishes soil-grown fruits and vegetables from hydroponically-raised produce, and pasture-raised meat, milk, and eggs from products harvested from animals in horrific confinement (CAFOs - confined animal feeding operations).
To find a Real Organic farm near you, please visit:
https://www.realorganicproject.org/farms
We believe that the organic standards, with their focus on soil health, biodiversity, and animal welfare were written as they should be, but that the current lack of enforcement of those standards is jeopardizing the ability for small farms who adhere to the law to stay in business. The lack of enforcement is also jeopardizing the overall health of the customers who support the organic movement; customers who are not getting what they pay for at market but still paying a premium price. And the lack of enforcement is jeopardizing the very cycles (water, air, nutrients) that Earth relies upon to provide us all with a place to live, by pushing extractive, chemical agriculture to the forefront.
If you like what you hear and are feeling inspired, we would love for you to join our movement by becoming one of our 1,000 Real Friends:
https://www.realorganicproject.org/real-organic-friends/
To read our weekly newsletter (which might just be the most forwarded newsletter on the internet!) and get firsthand news about what's happening with organic food, farming and policy, please subscribe here:
https://www.realorganicproject.org/email/

Seth Godin: No Society Thrives With Monopolies Apr 09, 2024

Show notes

#166: Seth Godin returns and lends his thoughts on corporate consolidation's threat to democracy and to our right to find, grow, and sell organic food. He also talks about the path forward and some ways to inspire effective action.
Seth appears in our annual virtual symposium, which is available for instant access here:
https://realorganicproject.org/symposium-2024/
Seth Godin has been a force across the internet and the book shelf for decades, with 21 worldwide bestsellers and a spot earned in the American Marketing Association's Marketing Hall of Fame (2018). A successful entrepreneur, he has also made a name for himself though his altMBA course and daily blog posts.
https://www.sethgodin.com/
To watch a video version of this podcast with access to the full transcript and links relevant to our conversation, please visit:
https://realorganicproject.org/seth-godin-no-society-thrives-with-monopolies-episode-one-hundred-sixty-six
The Real Organic Podcast is hosted by Dave Chapman and Linley Dixon, engineered by Brandon StCyr, and edited and produced by Jenny Prince.
The Real Organic Project is a farmer-led movement working towards certifying 1,000 farms across the United States this year. Our add-on food label distinguishes soil-grown fruits and vegetables from hydroponically-raised produce, and pasture-raised meat, milk, and eggs from products harvested from animals in horrific confinement (CAFOs - confined animal feeding operations).
To find a Real Organic farm near you, please visit:
https://www.realorganicproject.org/farms
We believe that the organic standards, with their focus on soil health, biodiversity, and animal welfare were written as they should be, but that the current lack of enforcement of those standards is jeopardizing the ability for small farms who adhere to the law to stay in business. The lack of enforcement is also jeopardizing the overall health of the customers who support the organic movement; customers who are not getting what they pay for at market but still paying a premium price. And the lack of enforcement is jeopardizing the very cycles (water, air, nutrients) that Earth relies upon to provide us all with a place to live, by pushing extractive, chemical agriculture to the forefront.
If you like what you hear and are feeling inspired, we would love for you to join our movement by becoming one of our 1,000 Real Friends:
https://www.realorganicproject.org/real-organic-friends/
To read our weekly newsletter (which might just be the most forwarded newsletter on the internet!) and get firsthand news about what's happening with organic food, farming and policy, please subscribe here:

https://www.realorganicproject.org/email/

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