Real Organic Podcast

#034: Real Organic dairy farmer, soil scientist, and former National Organic Standards Board member Francis Thicke sheds light on how the USDA program has been lost to corporate influence.  He also shares enlightening and easy-to-follow explanations about the upsides of cows on grass.Francis Thicke owns and operates Radiance Dairy in Fairfield, Iowa with his wife Susan, which produces milk, cream, cheese, and yogurt on site . He has worked for the USDA as a soil scientist and has served on the National Organic Standards Board. Francis currently serves on the Real Organic Project Standards Board.To watch a video version of this podcast please visit:https://www.realorganicproject.org/francis-thicke-unpacking-industrial-takeover-of-organic-episode-thirty-fourThe 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. It also identifies pasture-raised meat, milk, and eggs as compared to 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/farmsWe believe that the organic standards, with their focus on soil health, biodiversity, and animal welfare were written as they should be. But the current lack of enforcement of those standards is jeopardizing small farms that follow the law. 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 are still paying a premium price. 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/

#033: Labor historian and Dartmouth professor Annelise Orleck walks us through how our economy became filled with goods produced by invisible workers and the toll that reality has taken on our food system. She also speaks to the tremendous organizing power of the farm workers she interviewed while writing her book "We're All Fast Food Workers Now: The Global Uprising Against Poverty Wages."Annelise Orleck is a professor of history at Dartmouth College and the author of 5 books: Common Sense and a Little Fire: Women and Working Class Politics in the United States 1900-1965; The Soviet Jewish Americans; Storming Caesars Palace: How Black Mothers Fought Their Own War on Poverty;  Rethinking American Women's Activism; and We're All Fast Food Workers Now: The Global Uprising Against Poverty Wages.To watch a video version of this podcast please visit:https://www.realorganicproject.org/annelise-orleck-invisible-farm-workers-unconscious-consumers-episode-thirty-threeThe 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. It also identifies pasture-raised meat, milk, and eggs as compared to 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/farmsWe believe that the organic standards, with their focus on soil health, biodiversity, and animal welfare were written as they should be. But the current lack of enforcement of those standards is jeopardizing small farms that follow the law. 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 are still paying a premium price. 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/

#032: Organic and regenerative farmers often talk about the importance of beneficial soil microbes and the need for diversity of life below ground...but what about above ground? Karen Washington speaks to the need to diversify the farming community at our conferences and in our fields, making time to listen and learn from growers of all backgrounds. Karen Washington is a farmer, community activist, and lifetime resident of NYC. She is the co-founder of Rise and Root Farm, the Black Farmer Fund, and Black Urban Growers and has served on the board of the New York Botanical Garden. She was  voted one of the 100 most influential African Americans in the country by Ebony Magazine in 2012, and was awarded with the James Beard Leadership Award in 2014. To watch a video version of this podcast please visit:https://www.realorganicproject.org/karen-washington-growing-diversity-in-the-farming-community-episode-thirty-twoThe 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. It also identifies pasture-raised meat, milk, and eggs as compared to 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/farmsWe believe that the organic standards, with their focus on soil health, biodiversity, and animal welfare were written as they should be. But the current lack of enforcement of those standards is jeopardizing small farms that follow the law. 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 are still paying a premium price. 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/

#031: Grazing animals display innate nutritional wisdom; they seek out grasses and plants that offer trace minerals, phytonutrients, and other nourishing components.  Scientist and author Fred Provenza explains what these animals know that we humans don't and how can we learn from them. Fred Provenza is professor emeritus of Behavioral Ecology in the Department of Wildland Resources at Utah University. He is the author of  Nourishment: What Animals Can Teach Us About Rediscovering Our Nutritional Wisdom, Foraging Behavior: Managing to Survive in a World of Change, and the co-author of The Art & Science of Shepherding: Tapping the Wisdom of French Herders. Fred lives in Colorado with his wife Sue and is a popular speaker at soil, livestock, and agriculture conferences.To watch a video version of this podcast please visit:https://www.realorganicproject.org/fred-provenza-what-animals-eat-why-should-we-care-episode-thirty-oneThe 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. It also identifies pasture-raised meat, milk, and eggs as compared to 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/farmsWe believe that the organic standards, with their focus on soil health, biodiversity, and animal welfare were written as they should be. But the current lack of enforcement of those standards is jeopardizing small farms that follow the law. 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 are still paying a premium price. 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/

#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 instructions. He wonders whether we can develop enough self-awareness to see ourselves as a geological force capable of stopping the 6th Mass Extinction we're heading towards?David Grinspoon is an astrobiologist and senior scientist at the Planetary Science Institute. He is an adjunct professor of Astrophysical and Planetary Science at the University of Colorado. David is also an accomplished, award-winning author, having published: Venus Revealed (LA Times Book Prize finalist),  Lonely Planets: The Natural Philosophy of Alien Life (2004 Pen Literary Award), Earth in Human Hands (Science Friday's Best Science Books of 2016). To watch a video version of this podcast please visit:https://www.realorganicproject.org/david-grinspoon-childhoods-end-what-kind-of-planet-changers-do-we-want-to-be-episode-thrityThe 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. It also identifies pasture-raised meat, milk, and eggs as compared to 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/farmsWe believe that the organic standards, with their focus on soil health, biodiversity, and animal welfare were written as they should be. But the current lack of enforcement of those standards is jeopardizing small farms that follow the law. 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 are still paying a premium price. 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/

#029: In our continued conversation with author, agricultural economist, and livestock expert Dr. John Ikerd, we delve more deeply into the challenges and opportunities facing our food system and how organic practices offer better solutions than industrial ones. John Ikerd is an agricultural economist, livestock expert, and Professor Emeritus and the University of Missouri. His books include: Crisis and Opportunity Sustainability in American Agriculture; Small Farms Are Real Farms; Sustainable Capitalism; The Essentials of Economic Stability; A Return to Common Sense; and Revolution of the Middle and the Pursuit of Happiness.To watch a video version of this podcast please visit:https://www.realorganicproject.org/john-ikerd-scaling-organic-farms-fit-nature-communities-episode-twenty-nineThe 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. It also identifies pasture-raised meat, milk, and eggs as compared to 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/farmsWe believe that the organic standards, with their focus on soil health, biodiversity, and animal welfare were written as they should be. But the current lack of enforcement of those standards is jeopardizing small farms that follow the law. 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 are still paying a premium price. 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/

#028: Agricultural economist John Ikerd walks us through the very intentional strategy of overproduction as a precursor to market takeover, as we've just seen with the organic milk glut and subsequent cancellation of contracts with close to 100 organic dairy farmers in the Northeast by Horizon/ Danone. He also explains why industrial farming, with its focus on profitability and efficiency, is in opposition to sustainable practices from the outset unlike small-scale family farming.John Ikerd is an agricultural economist, livestock expert, and Professor Emeritus and the University of Missouri. His books include: Crisis and Opportunity Sustainability in American Agriculture; Small Farms Are Real Farms; Sustainable Capitalism; The Essentials of Economic Stability; A Return to Common Sense; and Revolution of the Middle and the Pursuit of Happiness. To watch a video version of this podcast please visit:https://www.realorganicproject.org/john-ikerd-industrial-farming-can-never-be-sustainable-episode-twenty-eightThe 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. It also identifies pasture-raised meat, milk, and eggs as compared to 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/farmsWe believe that the organic standards, with their focus on soil health, biodiversity, and animal welfare were written as they should be. But the current lack of enforcement of those standards is jeopardizing small farms that follow the law. 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 are still paying a premium price. 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/

#027:  How many civilizations have collapsed due to extractive agricultural practices and soil degradation and how close is ours to reaching the same fate? Author and geologist David Montgomery talks us through the ultimate costs of taking our soils for granted and the difficulty of reversing course with modern technology. Author and geologist David Montgomery is a professor of Earth and Space Sciences at the University of Washington. He has written the books Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations and Growing a Revolution: Bringing Our Soil Back to Life, and along with his partner, Anne Biklé, he co-authored the book The Hidden Half of Nature and is currently working on You Are What Your Food Ate. David and Anne also run the website Dig2Grow and are both members of the Real Organic Project Advisory Board.To watch a video version of this podcast please visit:https://www.realorganicproject.org/david-montgomery-clever-modern-technology-vs-ancient-soil-wisdom-episode-twenty-sevenThe 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. It also identifies pasture-raised meat, milk, and eggs as compared to 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/farmsWe believe that the organic standards, with their focus on soil health, biodiversity, and animal welfare were written as they should be. But the current lack of enforcement of those standards is jeopardizing small farms that follow the law. 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 are still paying a premium price. 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/

#026:  In  the second part of our interview with author, biologist, and gardener Anne Biklé, the conversation focuses on the human microbiome and the indirect yet irreplaceable role that soil microbes and plant exudates play in keeping humans healthy. Anne Biklé is a biologist, environmental planner, and gardener who has worked in watershed restoration and public health. Along with her partner, David Montgomery, she co-authored the book The Hidden Half of Nature and is currently working on You Are What Your Food Ate. Anne and David also run the website Dig2Grow and are both members of the Real Organic Project Advisory Board.To watch a video version of this podcast please visit:https://www.realorganicproject.org/anne-bikle-from-soil-to-gut-episode-twenty-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. It also identifies pasture-raised meat, milk, and eggs as compared to 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/farmsWe believe that the organic standards, with their focus on soil health, biodiversity, and animal welfare were written as they should be. But the current lack of enforcement of those standards is jeopardizing small farms that follow the law. 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 are still paying a premium price. 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/

#025:  Author, biologist and diehard organic gardener Anne Biklé takes us on a journey through the soil microbiome, introducing us to the fetching fungi and beneficial bacteria that deliver and exchange nutrients with the plants that make our food. Anne makes us  appreciate how this complex and mysterious system can't easily be replicated.Anne Biklé is a biologist, environmental planner, and gardener who has worked in watershed restoration and public health. Along with her partner, David Montgomery, she co-authored the book The Hidden Half of Nature and is currently working on You Are What Your Food Ate. Anne and David also run the website Dig2Grow and are both members of the Real Organic Project Advisory Board. To watch a video version of this podcast please visit:https://www.realorganicproject.org/anne-bikle-digging-into-soil-microbiome-episode-twenty-fiveThe 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. It also identifies pasture-raised meat, milk, and eggs as compared to 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/farmsWe believe that the organic standards, with their focus on soil health, biodiversity, and animal welfare were written as they should be. But the current lack of enforcement of those standards is jeopardizing small farms that follow the law. 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 are still paying a premium price. 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/