252: Why Only 1% of US Farmland Is Organic with Linley Dixon

Today, Matt speaks with Dr. Linley Dixon, Co-Director of the Real Organic Project and cohost of the Real Organic Podcast, about why how we grow food may be the climate lever we're ignoring. Linley explains that synthesizing nitrogen fertilizer alone accounts for 1-2% of the global carbon footprint. They also dig into what's gone wrong with the label people trust. Only about 1% of US farmland is certified organic while roughly 80% of our organic blueberries are imported, fraudulent "organic" grain shipments undercut American farmers, and the USDA allows soil-less hydroponics to carry the same seal as a soil farmer.  Learn more about the Real Organic Project: realorganicproject.org Listen to the Real Organic Podcast: bit.ly/realorganicpod Saving Real Organic: In Defense of Science (Sept 18-19, 2026, Churchtown Dairy, NY): Event info Subscribe now on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get podcasts. Guest Bio: Dr. Linley Dixon is Co-Director of the Real Organic Project and cohost of the Anthem Award-winning Real Organic Podcast. A soil scientist with a Ph.D. in Plant Pathology from the University of Florida and a Master's in Soil Science from West Virginia University, she spent two years as a post-doc at the USDA's Systematic Botany and Mycology Laboratory before turning to organic policy. She has farmed organic vegetables at Adobe House Farm in Durango, Colorado since 2010, and launched the Real Organic Project's farmer-led certification program in 2018 - now over 1,100 farms nationwide. Episode Resources Real Organic Project: https://realorganicproject.org Real Organic Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/real-organic-podcast/id1573111162 Find a Real Organic certified farm near you: https://realorganicproject.org/farms A Climate Change on Apple: https://bit.ly/accapplepodcast A Climate Change on Spotify: https://bit.ly/accspotifypodcast A Climate Change on YouTube: https://bit.ly/ACCvids   If you enjoyed this episode of A Climate Change, here is a list of some recent episodes curated especially for you: The Founders Loved the Land…and Left One Thing Unfinished How We Feed the World Without Frying It, with Michael Grunwald Fast Fashion Is Killing the Planet, with Marci Zaroff