#197: Dave is joined by the founders of the del Cabo Collective, farmers Larry Jacobs and Sandra Belin. You'll hear about challenges small farmers around the world face today, due to unpredictable weather, changing consumer demands, and rapid consolidation in the marketplace. The strengths of biological controls, often overshadowed by chemical products, are also discussed. Longtime organic farmers Larry Jacobs and Sandra Belin founded the del Cabo Collective of Baja, Mexico in 1985, In additi...
#196: Real Organic farmer Paul Muller takes the stage at Churchtown Dairy to remind folks about the importance of a food system that celebrates farmers who sink their hands into the soil as they grow food and tend land. Paul Muller is a lifelong farmer and co-founder of Full Belly Farm in northern California's Capay Valley, along with his wife Dru. Since the 1980s, Full Belly has been supplying Bay Area restaurants and eaters with a diverse selection of organic food, including nuts, fruit, eg...
#195: Award-winning filmmaker Anthony Suau sits down with Dave to talk about his documentary Organic Rising. Although he set out to make a short, ten minute piece about organic food and farming practices, he quickly realized the deep need American's have for clarity around the role of chemicals in our food system and the outcomes they cause. Anthony Suau is a filmmaker and photojournalist whose work has appeared in National Geographic, New York Times Magazine, and Life. He has published five ...
Bonus: Co-director Linley Dixon was the final speaker at "Real Organic: A World Movement" held in the Round Barn at Abby Rockefeller's Churchtown Dairy outside of Hudson, NY on Sept 28, 2024, where she focused on the people who make this movement so meaningful: https://realorganicproject.org/events/churchtown/Dr. Linley Dixon is the co-director of the Real Organic Project and the owner-operator of Adobe House Farm in Durango, Colorado. She has a Master’s Degree in Plant and Soil Science, spec...
#194: Greg Asbed and Gerardo Reyes Chavez of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers tell the story of their movement's origins, including the injustices faced by farmworkers in Florida's tomato fields that led to slavery lawsuits. As they continue to apply pressure through corporate boycotts and public campaigns, they reflect on what has worked, what has changed, and all that still needs fixing since their early win enrolling Taco Bell into the Fair Food ProgramThe Coalition of Immokalee Workers ...
Bonus: Dave Chapman takes the stage at "Real Organic: A World Movement" held in the Round Barn at Abby Rockefeller's Churchtown Dairy outside of Hudson, NY on Sept 28, 2024: https://realorganicproject.org/events/churchtown/To watch a video version of this podcast please visit:https://www.realorganicproject.org/dave-chapman-churchtown-dairy-2024-bonus-episodeThe Real Organic Podcast is hosted by Dave Chapman and Linley Dixon, engineered by Brandon StCyr, and edited and produced by Jenny Prince...
#193: Real Organic blueberry grower Hugh Kent takes the main stage in the historic Round Barn at Churchtown Dairy on Saturday, September 28, 2024 to address the crowd at Real Organic: A World Movement. Hugh speaks about the drastic changes that organic - previously known as just agriculture - has undergone at the hands of industrial forces in recent times, and how this influence is affecting markets, livelihoods, ecosystems and communities Hugh Kent and his wife Lisa are longtime b...
#192: John Bobbe revisits the investigation and exposure of organic grain fraud that he led, which inspired a series of articles in the Washington Post, and later, the US congress to take action. He also updates us on where things stand today and how bad actors in the organic grain distribution and regulation space still need our deep attention.John Bobbe is the former Executive Director of the Organic Farmers Agency for Relationship Marketing (OFARM) and a current Policy Advisor for the Corn...
#191: Professor of Physics and Astronomy Marcelo Gleiser explains why Earth, like all planets in our solar system and most likely beyond, is so unique in its climate and environmental make up. The ability for agriculture, humanity, and all other parts of nature to exist and thrive is tied directly to Earth's irreplaceable uniqueness, making our will to take action for its survival paramount.Marcelo Gleiser is a Brazilian theoretical physicist and professor of physics and astronomy at Dartmout...
#190: Chef and 2020 champion of the Food Network show "Chopped" Eliza Daly shares her story and her passion for educating kids about food and cooking and making sure that everyone is comfortable in the kitchen.Eliza Daly is a culinary instructor living in San Diego, CA. She has worked in restaurants in New York, Chicago and San Francisco, focusing on a variety of cuisines. In 2020, she won the competitive cooking show "Chopped" on the Food Network.To watch a video version of this podcas...
#189: Daniel O'Connell, author of "In the Struggle: Scholars and the Fight Against Industrial Agribusiness in California," sits down with Dave to discuss the breakdown of ecosystems and communities at the hands of extractive agriculture in the San Joaquin Valley. Daniel O'Connell is the Executive Director at the Central Valley Partnership, "a regional nonprofit organization and progressive network of labor unions, environmental organizations, and community leaders spanning the San Joaquin Val...
#188: Good Earth Natural Foods founder Mark Squire sits down with Dave to relate how his California food co-op has been able to remain steadfast in their commitment to organic, regardless of the immense pressure and rampant greenwashing throughout the food system.Mark Squire is the founder, manager and co-owner of Good Earth Natural Foods, an institution in Marin County, California since 1969. He is a longtime supporter of organic food and farming practices, and has worked hard to educate his...
#187: Judith Redmond sits down with Dave at Full Belly Farm in California's Capay Valley to discuss the values and motivations that drew her and others to organic farming decades ago. As times have changed and the issues have multiplied and deepened, what draws the next generation to this work and how can we help them succeed?Judith Redmond is one of the four founding farmer-owners at Full Belly Farm in northern California, having helped to supply the Bay Area with organic food since the 1980...
#186: Agricultural economist John Ikerd returns to discuss why the vast majority of meat, milk, and eggs moving through the American food system is sourced from large-scale, industrial feed lots and factory farms. The drive for economic efficiencies that appears sensible when investors are backing the production of widgets has a disastrous effect when animals are involved. Beyond the inexcusable cruelty factor, the savings from economic corner cutting is leading to both environmental and heal...
#185: Mark Schatzker, author of the international best -sellers The Dorito Effect and the End of Craving, visits Dave's Vermont tomato farm and talks about the intersection of food, flavor, nutrition and the law, and the effects that junction has had on citizen eaters across the globe.Mark Schatzker is a journalist and author who writes deeply-researched page turners about food and flavor. In addition to his books Steak and The Dorito Effect, he released The End of Craving: Recovering t...
#184: Organic restaurateur Jesse Cool sits down with Dave to talk about the positive path forward she sees in healing our broken food system: embracing and empowering young people who want to farm, cook, serve, and fill every other aspect of sharing healthy meals within communities.Jesse Ziff Cool has been committed to serving local, fresh, and sustainable food for 46+ years in her Northern California restaurants. She has written seven cookbooks, including the recently re-released Simply Orga...
#183: Vincent Stanley joins Dave to talk about the 2023 release of his updated book, The Future of the Responsible Company: What We've Learned from Patagonia's First 50 Years, and to answer the big question about the newly-launched Patagonia Provisions: why is a clothing company selling food? Vincent describes Patagonia's foray into edible products as a means of impacting the food system for the better.Vincent Stanley has worked at Patagonia since the 1970s, navigating a changing enviro...
#182: From a sit-down interview at Dr. Bronner's Original All-One Magic Soap company in 2022, David Bronner shares his memories of the earliest days and conversations that sparked the formation of the Regenerative Organic Alliance and the certification program that followed. David Bronner is an organic food and farming activist and the leader (Cosmic Engagement Officer) of Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps, a company founded by his grandfather. David is active in campaigns for fair trade,...
#181: Investigative food systems journalist Lisa Held sits down with Dave to share her thinking and expand upon her findings in creating the deep dive series published in Civil Eats, "Walanthropy: Walmart and the Waltons Wield Unprecedented Influence Over Food, Policy, and the Planet." Lisa Held is a senior staff reporter and editor for Civil Eats, a nonprofit digital news and commentary site about the American food system. Her food and agriculture pieces have also been published ...
#180: In our first-ever podcast swap, we are sharing the interview that kicked off JM Fortier's pilot season of The Market Gardener Podcast. JM invited our co-director Dave Chapman to visit him in-person in Quebec, for a lengthy deep dive into the origins of Real Organic Project and why this work is needed more now than ever. Is this work about food and the food system, or something deeper? And how much should farmers and eaters be involved in spreading the word and working to find solu...