Real Organic Podcast

#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 delivered over 250 speaking presentations, including a role in the soil movie Kiss The Ground. Kris grew up on a grain farm in Minnesota and earned her PhD at the University of Maryland. You can learn more about her consulting work through her website KRIS-Systems.To watch a video version of this podcast please visit:https://www.realorganicproject.org/kris-nichols-carbon-sequestration-our-responsibilty-episode-forty-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 Friends!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/

#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 speaking presentations, including a role in the soil movie Kiss The Ground. Kris grew up on a grain farm in Minnesota and earned her PhD at the University of Maryland. You can learn more about her consulting work through her website KRIS-Systems.To watch a video version of this podcast please visit:https://www.realorganicproject.org/kris-nichols-farm-geeking-out-on-soil-biology-episode-forty-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 Friends!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/

#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 organic seal.   Michael Kilpatrick is a farmer, consultant, speaker, and the host of the Thriving Farmer Podcast. After many years of farming in NY's Hudson Valley, he is currently transitioning his newly-acquired family farm in Carlisle, OH, The Farm On Central, to certified organic. As a consultant, Michael leads thousands of small farmers through trainings focused on business and finance at Growing Farmers. To watch a video version of this podcast please visit:https://www.realorganicproject.org/michael-kilpatrick-small-farms-can-earn-good-livings-episode-forty-sixThe 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 Friends!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/

#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 became  Maine's "first organic extension agent," spreading his technical knowledge of organic growing practices across the state. Somewhat retired, he runs a pick-your-own farm with his family and serves on the Real Organic Advisory Board. To watch a video version of this podcast please visit:https://www.realorganicproject.org/eric-sideman-organic-means-you-must-love-soil-episode-forty-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 Friends!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/

#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 - and zero flavor. Alan Lewis is the VP of Government Affairs, Stakeholder Relations, and Organic Compliance at Natural Grocers. His 2019 talk at the first annual Real Organic Symposium blew a lot of minds, as he described the massive consolidation in the natural foods industry, which has been boiled down to two distributors. In addition to his roles with IFOAM North America, the  Non-GMO Project, and the Organic + Natural Health Association,  Alan serves on the Real Organic Advisory Board.To watch a video version of this podcast please visit:https://www.realorganicproject.org/alan-lewis-real-farm-food-rare-in-stores-episode-forty-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 Friends!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/

#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 Towards the Theory and Practice of Nurture Capital, Inquiries into the Nature of Slow Money: Investing as if Food, Farms, and Fertility Mattered  (2008) and has most recently written AHA! Fake Trillions, Real Billions, Beetcoin, and the Great American Do-Over.  Woody is the creator of Beetcoin, which is designed to give zero-percent loans to organic farms and local foos businesses.  In 2010 UTNE Reader names him one of “25 Visionaries Who Are Changing Your World.” To watch a video version of this podcast please visit:https://www.realorganicproject.org/woody-tasch-investing-local-soil-slow-money-episode-forty-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 Friends!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/

#042:  Anne Ross, the Cornucopia Institute's Director of  International Policy talks about being tasked with investigating organic grain fraud at the international level over recent years. Anne lays out how the system is designed to accommodate corruption, how fraudulent organic grain is used, and how real organic farmers suffer when it reaches the market. She also explains what consumers can do to try and avoid supporting these bad players.Anne Ross is Cornucopia's Director of  International Policy and has a Juris Doctor's degree from the University of Arkansas in agriculture and food law. She spent three years tracking shipments and subsequently exposed a massive amount of fraudulent grain entering the USDA  organic system. Today  Anne continues her organic watchdog work at Cornucopia, who publishes helpful scorecards for consumers, as well as a grain buyer's guide.To watch a video version of this podcast please visit:https://www.realorganicproject.org/anne-ross-investigating-international-grain-fraud-episode-forty-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 Friends!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/

#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 cycles and how they're complemented by organic farming. He makes a great case for expanding organic production in the US to meet our market demand instead of looking to imports.  Ben also takes on CAFOs, grain fraud, hydroponics, and the dire importance of the organic movement aligning with social justice and  land access efforts.Ben Dobson is the farm manager at Stone House Grain, which supplies NY's Hudson Valley with organic animal feed and also aims to support a community of bakers, brewers, and distillers. He is also the managing director of Hudson Hemp and Hudson Carbon, mapping out the relationship between agricultural practices and soil carbon sequestration. Stone House Farm has been certified with the Real Organic Project since we launched our pilot program in 2018.  To watch a video version of this podcast please visit:https://www.realorganicproject.org/ben-dobson-luddites-takenologists-4th-grade-climate-science-episode-forty-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 Friends!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/

#040: Real Organic farmer Jennifer Taylor has successfully mentored many farmers in the Southeast through her technical assistance work at Florida AMU. With a focus on improving quality of life for farm families and modeling the organic soil-building practices that she herself uses, she inspires others to embrace real organic farming. Jennifer's work as an advocate and activist, both nationally and internationally,  played a key role in inspiring the Real Organic Project to move forward in its earliest days.Real Organic farmer and board member Jennifer Taylor founded Lola's Organic Farm on her grandmother's land a decade ago and has been an organic farming advocate for even longer. She provides technical assistance to farmers through Florida AMU in Tallahassee, served a five-year term on the National Organic Standards Board, and was recently elected to serve on the IFOAM  (International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements) board. In 2019 she was awarded an Organic Pioneer for Farming award from the Rodale Institute and was named Florida's Woman of the Year in Agriculture in 2020. To watch a video version of this podcast please visit:https://www.realorganicproject.org/jennifer-taylor-infusing-farmers-with-organic-experience-episode-fortyThe 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 Friends!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/

#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 food, including the rise of both diseases and healthcare costs, and the overall decline of  nutrients available to eaters. Walter also speaks beautifully to the role healthy soil plays in supplying essential nutrients to our food while also preventing the uptake of toxins.Walter Jehne is a renowned soil microbiologist and climate scientist with Australia's CSIRO. He is the cofounder of Healthy Soils Australia, Regenerate Earth, and the Rehydrate California Initiative, and works as a consultant for regenerative agricultural projects across the globe. Walter serves on the Real Organic Project Advisory Board.To watch a video version of this podcast please visit:https://www.realorganicproject.org/walter-jehne-true-costs-cheap-food-episode-thirty-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 Friends!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/