#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...

#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...

#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...

#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...

#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...

#165:  Allan Savory joins Dave for an eye-opening conversation about the best path forward for solving our most-crucial planetary problems and symptoms, including Climate Change, rapid loss of biodiversity, desertification, wildfires, and the inability of humans to act collectively and organizations to create impact. His views on the management of select grasslands to reverse course alone should grab the attention of environmental activists, government officials, parents, grandparents; really...

#164:  Author and journalist Austin Frerick joins Linley to discuss his brand new book, Barons: Money, Power, and the Corruption of America's Food Industry. His research on the men shaping our food system through their desire for personal greed reveals a  shocking level of immorality. Austin's views were a great addition to our annual virtual symposium, which is available for instant access here: https://realorganicproject.org/symposium-2024/ Austin Frerick is a 7th generation Iowan who,...

#163: JM Fortier joins Dave to discuss the potential of promoting a replicable, decentralized food and farming system that relies on people building relationships with both land and community, by engaging their powers of observation and connection. https://realorganicproject.org/symposium-2024/ JM Fortier is a farmer, educator, and author from Quebec, Canada. He is known for promoting a culture that replicates small-scale diversified farms that rely on market gardening strategies (direct...

#162: Live from the Saving Real Organic Conference at Churchtown Dairy in October 2023, and moderated by Matt Sheffer of Hudson Carbon, Zephyr Teachout and Dave Chapman field (tough) questions from audience members about the fate of the US anti-monopoly movement and its ability to impact our food system for the better. https://realorganicproject.org/symposium-2024/ Zephyr Teachout is an attorney and law professor at Fordham University. She is the author of Break'em Up: Recovering Our...

#161: Co-director Dave Chapman joins our newest executive board member and Real Organic Project certified grain farmer Anna Jones-Crabtree for an interview by Al Gore at his Climate Underground Summit in November of 2023. Anna Jones-Crabtree holds a Ph.D in Civil and Environmental Engineering  and is a registered professional engineer and an early accredited US Green building Professional. She has fostered a national sustainable operations effort for the US Forest Service serving as the...

#160: Organic farmer and Real Organic Project champion Eliot Coleman returns to discuss the role corporations, trade associations, and government policy has had on limiting the amount of real organic food found in the marketplace today. In the second half of the interview, the conversation focuses on growing on-farm fertility and stifling pest pressure by building up organic matter and biodiversity. Eliot Coleman is an author, market gardener, and educator. His work on the USDA study in the...

#159: An insightful conversation about what's happening on grocery shelves, with Errol Schweizer, whose career in the retail natural foods space included a long stint at Whole Foods on the merchandising team. Dave and Errol talk about Walmart's effect on food prices, sellers inflation, and the noticeable changes seen at food co-ops and other organic marketplaces as a result of corporate consolidation.  Errol's voice will be included in our annual virtual symposium, which starts on ...

#158: Vandana Shiva shares her knowledge around the Green Revolution, a transformative and chemical-dependent set of agricultural practices and policies that promised to deliver food security to populations around the world. But has it delivered on those promises? And how does its outcomes compare to organic agriculture?  Vandana Shiva is a celebrated scholar, prolific author, and longtime activist who's work focuses on seeds, agriculture, and ecofeminism. You can follow along with her...

#157: A continuation of Linley's conversation (one year later and in-person!) with Professor Tim Bowles of UC Berkeley's Agroecology Lab. The discussion is focused on organic's relevant role in Climate Smart Agriculture, even as the DC chemical lobby is training our politicians to believe that any amount of tillage should disqualify a farm from claiming the term. Dr. Tim Bowles is an Assistant Professor of Agroecology and Sustainable Agricultural Systems in the Department of Environmental...

#156: Professor Tim Bowles of UC Berkeley's Agroecology Lab introduces us to some interesting players in the soil, including arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and how they may interact with plant roots, drought, and fertilizers.  Dr. Tim Bowles is an Assistant Professor of Agroecology and Sustainable Agricultural Systems in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management at UC Berkeley. https://nature.berkeley.edu/agroecologylab/ To watch a video version of this podcast...

#155: Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin promotes his vision for creating systems aimed at serving entire regions and communities of farms as a successful path forward for the organic / regenerative movement . Addressing the crowd at Churchtown Dairy in October of 2023, Regi also shares his thoughts about how a small group of thinkers can prevail against a big, powerful faction. Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin is an author, farmer, member of the Regeneration International steering committee, and CEO of...

#154: UK Soil Association trustee, Sustainable Food Trust co-founder, and organic dairy farmer Patrick Holden sits down with Dave to discuss the path forward for the organic movement, as activists on both sides of the pond try to inspire our governments and corporate powers to take note of our competence in the restoration of Earth's systems. Patrick Holden is a longtime member-turned-trustee of the Soil Association founded by Lady Eve Balfour. He is also the co-founder of the UK’s...

#153: Real Organic dairy farmer and former National Organic Standards Board member Francis Thicke gives the crowd at Churchtown Dairy a view through the lens of his education and decades-long career. He also shares how he believes dairies like his own (Radiance Dairy in Fairfield, Iowa) can still fetch a premium for their standout products. 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...

#152: Alan Lewis  delivers deep insights into the growing number of reasons small and mid-sized farms can't find shelf space within American grocery stores. With the arrival of AI and its impact on purchasing systems, even food coops and small Mom and Pops are  aiming to stock convenient-to-order over real, local food. 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...

#151: Ben Dobson, co-founder of Hudson Carbon, has been monitoring the changes in language and funding for agricultural ventures that claim to sequester carbon. He shares his thoughts about the pitfalls that some of these directions present with the crowd at Churchtown Dairy.  https://www.realorganicproject.org/donate Ben Dobson is a lifelong organic farmer, originally from NY's Hudson Valley. He has farmed coffee, bananas, salad greens, and grains, and has turned hi9s attention to the...

#150: Dave Chapman and Eliot Coleman take the stage at the Saving Real Organic Conference at Churchtown Dairy to reflect on the importance of growing the real organic movement in the US amid the mounting challenges facing our country's food system. Meanwhile, the rest of the world is embracing the value of growing organic acreage and markets.  https://www.realorganicproject.org/donate Dave Chapman is the co-founder of the Real Organic Project and the owner-operator of Long Wind Farm in...

#149: Organic farmer and founder of the Vermont Compost Company Karl Hammer shares his vast knowledge of our agricultural and social history, in a heady conversation with his longtime friend, Real Organic Project co-director Dave Chapman.  https://www.realorganicproject.org/donate Karl Hammer has been involved with rural life, horse-powered farming, and manure-based composting since his family left Manhattan for Vermont's North East Kingdom during his childhood. Since that time, his...

#148: Law Professor and author of "Break'em Up" Zephyr Teachout addresses the crowd at the Saving Real Organic Conference at Churchtown Dairy about what it will take to dismantle monopolies in the United States.  https://www.realorganicproject.org/donate 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...

#147: Writer and farmer Kristin Kimball throws light upon the idea that organic family farmers desperately need eaters to help transform the food system. Choosing to buy whole foods, choosing to cook, choosing meaning over convenience, and choosing to teach others how to do the same can bring powerful and necessary change.  https://www.realorganicproject.org/donate Kristin Kimball is a celebrated author and the co-founder of Upstate New York's Essex Farm,  a unique and inspirational model...