Real Organic Podcast

#065:  Bernward Geier, the former longtime director of the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM), fills us in on organic's progress outside of the US, where exciting wins are gaining momentum. The first of a two-part interview, this episode covers good news from Europe, along with many thoughts about US farmers' struggles with the USDA's limiting hold on the National Or...

#064:  Food and Water Watch Research Director and Policy Analyst Amanda Starbuck shares what it takes to get your products into the supermarket today: a lot of money and plenty of marketplace power. But what does this mean for those of us looking for real, nutritious, and climate-friendly foods?  Amanda Starbuck  is a Senior Research Director and Policy Analyst with Food and Water Watch in Washing...

#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 Vermont. Here he shares the good price times, the bad price times, and how corporate interests and ownership came in and engineered the market to their liking. Although Earl and Amy bottle their milk on the farm and sell direct to customers, they are...

#062: Real Organic farmer Paul Muller of California's Full Belly Farm, shares what it will really take to reclaim and rebuild the organic movement: activist farmers of all ages, engaged consumers, scientists, and university programs that are passionate about improving our soils. Paul Muller is a co-owner and co-founder of Full Belly Farm in Northern California's Capay Valley where, along with thre...

#061: Young Farmers Coalition & Greenhorns Co-Founder Severine Von Tscharner Fleming talks us through the battle for fair pricing, good policies, and healthy ecosystems facing seaweed farmers in Maine. Severine Von Tscharner Fleming is a farmer, activist, and organizer based in Downeast Maine. She runs Smithereen Farm, a MOFGA certified organic wild blueberry, seaweed, and orchard operation which...

From the Real Organic vault - a 2020 interview with climate activist and author Paul Hawken. 

#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, grass-fed creamery in Iowa. He also discusses operations that run counter to his family-farm approach; the large-scale confinement dairies  also selling milk under the USDA organic label, who utilize an industrial-factory approach with the help of some...

#059: Investigative nutritionist and host of the Food Sleuth Radio Show, Melinda Hemmelgarn, uncovers a bounty of insights about our food system, including how the rampant use of antibiotics in animals is actually intended for weight gain and how organic food is Non-GMO but not vice-verse. She also shares how in her mind, cooperation, connection, and re-localization are the keys to saving our soil...

#058: Legendary organic farmer Eliot Coleman inspired Chef Dan Barber to focus on serving regional ingredients that could shape the food culture and ecological practices of his community for the better. This interview at NY's Stone Barns Center for Food + Agriculture culminates with some lengthy  banter about whether organic is enough, or needs to be replaced by regenerative growing practices. Eli...

#057: Organic dairy farmer Kevin Engelbert speaks to the insurmountable hardships that illegal producers, corrupt certifiers and unethical politicians have cemented into the marketplace in recent years. Beginning with the unlawful certification of the Aurora Dairy CAFO in Colorado during his time on the National Organic Standards Board, Kevin has experienced more downs than ups as he tries to sell...

#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 systems, as well as a deep consideration of what we as people can do to move forward with environmental and societal healing. Paul Hawken is a best-selling author, climate activist, and entrepreneur with deep roots in the organic food movement. He wa...

#055: With a ticking clock and many obstacles facing the earth, activist farmer Leah Penniman continues to remind us that that the most-effective solutions always come from those closest to the problems. Here she shares her sense of hope for solving climate and justice issues before time runs out, inspired by the incredible energy and level of organization the younger BIPOC generation is bringing...

#054: US Senator and organic grain farmer Jon Tester of Montana speaks bluntly about the outsized-influence of  lobbyists and the growth of monopolies, as well as how the lack of competition in our capitalist system is driving good farmers out of business.  Jon Tester is an organic grain farmer who has served as the Senator of Montana since 2007. He is also the author of Grounded: A Senator's Less...

#053: Acclaimed food and food systems author Michael Pollan identifies the driving forces behind the corporatization of organic food, including income inequality and unenforced antitrust laws. At stake is more than just a loss of choice for the consumer, but in fact democracy itself.  Michael Pollan is a celebrated author and journalist who has devoted much of his career to writing about food and...

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 it as an opening segment for the first session, Milk & Money. You can access the full recordings from the 2022 Real Organic Symposium here: https://www.realorganic2022.org/And you can watch the 2-minute version set over beautiful farm footage on our...

#052: Organic food activist and advocate Mark Kastel is the co-founder of the Cornucopia Institute, and more recently,  of the oversight agency OrganicEye. Through his longtime lens of industry watchdog, as well as his early role in Organic Valley farmers' cooperative, Mark lays out his insights about the treacherous path of the organic dairy industry and what actions need to be taken to save real...

#051: Organic farmer and Maine congresswoman Chellie Pingree shares her insights as  the Chair of the Subcommittee on Agriculture about what she calls "a dereliction of duty" by the USDA in its regulation of the National Organic Program. She also discusses the cancellation of organic dairy farming contracts by Horizon/ Danone, the inaction of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on a number of issues...

#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 organic tomato farmer Dave Chapman, one of Real Organic Project's founders, its co-director, and the regular host of our podcast. Learn more about Dave, his farm, and how Real Organic Project came to be. Learn more about our 3rd Annual Real Organic Sympo...

#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 the guests we interviewed in 2021. Next week kicks off our second season and a whole new slate of conversations, while next Sunday, January 30, is the beginning  of our 3rd annual Real Organic Symposium, an interactive virtual event. Learn more about...

#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 atmosphere, and the role of real organic farmers in using regenerative growing practices to accomplish that task as they produce food, fiber, and energy for our societies. Dr. Kris Nichols is a well-known soil scientist and former USDA researcher, who has de...

#047:  Soil microbiologist Dr. Kris Nichols takes us below ground to explore the evolution of mycorrhizae, the role of "soil glue" glomalin, and the benefits of storing carbon in our crop lands to keep soils teeming with life while reducing the need for costly farm (or garden) amendments.  Dr. Kris Nichols is a well-known soil scientist and former USDA researcher, who has delivered over 250 speaki...

#046:  As the host of Thriving Farmer Podcast, Michael Kilpatrick is filled with stories,  solutions, and advice for the tough challenges that small farmers face today. He's also filled with plenty of observations around the negative impact industrial practices are having on our land and animals, especially when amplified at scale, and the disappointment of seeing these techniques earning the orga...

#045:  Eric Sideman shares his deep knowledge of the organic movement, including the growing practices that align concerned eaters with the farmers who lovingly produce their food, and the missteps taken by the USDA that have put the whole beautiful arrangement at risk. Eric Sideman has been an organic farmer, advocate, policy expert, and teacher for decades. After joining the MOFGA staff, he beca...

#044:  Alan Lewis of Natural Grocers shares some (pretty disturbing) insights about the effects consolidation in our distribution and supply chains are having on small farmers. Long gone are the days of your local food co-op unloading just-picked produce from the back of pickup truck! Here instead is more industrial food than ever, that's been engineered for delivery and storage with zero loss - a...

#043: Founder and chairperson of the Slow Money Institute Woody Tasch talks us through investing in our local communities, farms, and soil with great intention and patience. Woody promotes a grassroots approach through the formation of community groups that offer zero-percent loans to organic farms and food businesses actively stewarding living soil.  Woody Tasch is the author of SOIL: Notes Towar...