Real Organic Podcast

#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, eggs, and a broad and ever-changing array of vegetable crops. They are known for their decades of commitment to local farmers' markets, their annual celebratory Hoes Down Festival, and their on-farm summer camp experiences for kids.https://fullbellyfarm.com/To watch a video version of this podcast please visit:https://realorganicproject.org/paul-muller-at-churchtown-2024-cultivating-affectionThe 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, and pasture-raised meat, milk, and eggs from 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 that the current lack of enforcement of those standards is jeopardizing the ability for small farms who adhere to the law to stay in business. 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 still paying a premium price. And 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/

#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 books, including photo essays documenting the fall of the Berlin Wall and war imagery in Iraq. Originally  from Peoria, Illinois, his lifelong relationships to conventional (chemical) farmers allowed him the access and ability to showcase  various differences between organic and chemical agricultural practices. His film Organic Rising was released on October 1, 2023: https://www.organicrisingfilm.com/To watch a video version of this podcast please visit:https://realorganicproject.org/anthony-suau-making-organic-rising-episode-one-hundred-ninety-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, and pasture-raised meat, milk, and eggs from 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 that the current lack of enforcement of those standards is jeopardizing the ability for small farms who adhere to the law to stay in business. 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 still paying a premium price. And 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/

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, specializing in Organic Agriculture,  and also earned a PhD in Plant Pathology from the University of West Virginia, specializing in tomato diseases. Linley has worked as a scientist for both The Cornucopia Institute and at the USDA.https://www.adobehousefarm.com/To watch a video version of this podcast please visit:https://realorganicproject.org/linley-dixon-churchtown-2024-farmer-uprisingThe 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, and pasture-raised meat, milk, and eggs from 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 that the current lack of enforcement of those standards is jeopardizing the ability for small farms who adhere to the law to stay in business. 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 still paying a premium price. And 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/

#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 is a human and worker rights organization founded in 1993 by farmers experiencing injustice in Florida's tomato fields. In 2011, CIW launched the Fair Food Program, negotiating one penny more per pound of tomatoes sold to Taco Bell to pay for the implementation of improved conditions for farmworkers. CIW was also able to convince Taco Bell, Walmart and other large scale food system players to source from farms complying with a code of conduct. To date, their program has spread throughout the US and beyond, and they still work tirelessly to encourage more entities to stop sourcing from bad actors.https://ciw-online.org/To watch a video version of this podcast please visit:https://www.realorganicproject.org/coalition-immokalee-workers-successful-boycotts-episode-one-hundred-ninety-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, and pasture-raised meat, milk, and eggs from 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 that the current lack of enforcement of those standards is jeopardizing the ability for small farms who adhere to the law to stay in business. 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 still paying a premium price. And 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/