Fields

Big news: it's goodbye for now from the team of Fields. Melissa and Wythe would like to thank Liam Werner and everyone at Heritage Radio Network for a great run. You'll still be able to enjoy all 4 seasons of Fields on the HRN website and wherever you find fine agriculture podcasts, so tell your friends! Happy planting, from NYC to wherever you live and grow!Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Fields by becoming a member!Fields is Powered by Simplecast.

Melissa and Wythe were honored to join The Farm Report team for this special and important series on the Farm Bill and the politics of food. Please check out the interview, and follow The Farm Report for more critical news and analysis of what's happening across all of agriculture.Despite an increasing number of farmers growing food in cities urban agriculture wasn't acknowledged in the farm bill until 2018. Lisa Held, journalist with Civil Eats and former Farm Report host provides the scoop on how the Farm Bill will impact the future of urban ag.Melissa Metrick and Wythe Marschall, co-hosts of HRN's Fields podcast, give us some perspective on urban land-access challenges and what's happening on the ground in cities across the country. And, our very own co-host Alita Kelly shares some of the urban agriculture projects she's been working on in her community.For more information on the Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovation, visit the USDA website.Learn more about the NYU Urban Farm Lab and the Map N.Y.C. projects that Wythe and Melissa mentioned.Visit Civil Eats to catch the latest food system stories. The Farm Report is hosted by Leigh Ollman and Alita Kelly, produced by Leigh Ollman, Evan Flom and H Conley, and edited by Hannah Beal and H Conley. Audio engineering is by Armen Spendjian and H Conley. Music is by Breakmaster Cylinder and JangwaLearn more about the National Young Farmers Coalition here and consider becoming a member. Click here to take action on the farm bill and other important policy issues. Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Fields by becoming a member!Fields is Powered by Simplecast.

Wythe chats with NYC educator Vicki Sando about her years of research into green roofs—especially those on schools—and her creation of the illustrated book What is a Green Roof? Vicki created the book to help kids and adults understand the benefits of green roofs, including to urban farmers. We talk about her own work to green the roof of one school in New York, how green roofs help kids learn across subjects, and how some of our favorite green roofs function. This is an excellent introduction to the topic for all listeners, young and young-at-heart! Here are links to resources that Vicki mentions during the episode:• www.educationalgreenroofs.org• www.greenroofsnyc.com• www.grownyc.org• www.cretf.org• www.kidsfightclimatechange.org• www.ps41.org/m/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=357954&type=dHeritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Fields by becoming a member!Fields is Powered by Simplecast.

Melissa and Wythe host the inspiring food and urban agriculture entrepreneur Henry Obispo. Henry is founder of Born Juice, the United Business Cooperative, and ReBORN FARMS. We talk about Henry's background, the importance of the South Bronx in inspiring him, why he started a juice company, and how he started organizing other Bronxian food entrepreneurs into a worker cooperative. Henry tells us the story of the Bronx Salad, and we discuss his future plans for growing greens in the Bronx. Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Fields by becoming a member!Fields is Powered by Simplecast.

Following up on their review of recent bad news in the field of vertical farming, Melissa and Wythe catch up with an expert: Henry Gordon-Smith, founding CEO of the urban and controlled environment agriculture consultancy Agritecture. Henry relates his thoughts on recent shifts in commercial indoor and urban agriculture, reflecting on some of Agritecture's experiences and what could happen in the near future. It's a short, fun, and informative conversation! Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Fields by becoming a member!Fields is Powered by Simplecast.

Melissa and Wythe catch up with each other regarding a recent trend in urban agriculture: the closure or financial restructuring of several high-profile indoor farms in urban areas. We look at recent news articles on this topic, theorize why the indoor ag-tech sector is struggling, and speculate about what could happen next. We'll return to this important topic with guests over the course of the season, so subscribe!Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Fields by becoming a member!Fields is Powered by Simplecast.

To kick off a new season of Fields, Wythe and Melissa chat about Melissa's current work as both an instructor of urban agriculture at New York University and the manager of the school's Urban Farm Lab on Houston Street. Recorded in October 2023, just before harvest time, this informal conversation covers a range of subjects, from the crops students grow to how Melissa's syllabus has covered different aspects of the history of urban agriculture over time.Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Fields by becoming a member!Fields is Powered by Simplecast.

To round out Season 3, Melissa and Wythe talk about the concept of the “urban forest” in NYC with scientist Mike Treglia of The Nature Conservancy. Mike was trained as a herpetologist (reptile scientist), but he now focuses on the total ecological systems of cities, especially trees. The Nature Conservancy itself works to study and protect land in many different ways, including in New York City. Mike also works with Forest For All NYC, supporting policy that can create and realize a comprehensive plan for NYC's treescape. Mike also co-organizes the Green Roof Researchers Alliance (GRRA), with NYC Audubon. The GRRA coordinates research on green roofs in the city, including the mapping of these roofs and helping us know what animals live across these heterogeneous spaces. Mike tells us all about the types of work that different research groups are up to, and how these individual scientific efforts connect with a larger social movement to create green roofs and steward them successfully. We also talk a lot about policy, especially given extreme temperatures and the roles green roofs can play in keeping buildings cooler. (Plus, lightning round: pizza in Staten Island!)Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Fields by becoming a member!Fields is Powered by Simplecast.

In what ways are cemeteries like parks? How tall should the grass in a cemetery be allowed to grow? Following up on some of the themes from our discussion with NYC Microseasons about urban plants, animals, and fungi not typically thought of as farms or gardens, Melissa talks with Joseph (Joe) Charap, Vice President of Horticulture at the Green-Wood Cemetery, about the history of cemeteries as green spaces in NYC and the broader United States.They discuss the rich and biodiverse ecosystem found at Green-Wood—which comprises over 8,000 trees of over 800 species, including many native species! Joe and Melissa talk about everything from “charismatic megaflora” (trees) to turfgrass, touching on long-term scientific collaborations with Cornell, different kinds of green burials (including mushroom burials, which are not yet practiced in Brooklyn), “Sweet Hereafter” honey, and what exactly a “managed meadow” is. What could be a somber subject is instead a lively and dynamic conversation that you won't want to miss!Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Fields by becoming a member!Fields is Powered by Simplecast.

(Note, this one was taped when it was still cold, and now it's hot!) As author Allison C. Meier states, “There are no seasons, only microseasons now.” What are microseasons? They're a different way of viewing time as local, marked not by arbitrary flips of the calendar or the coming and going of major weather patterns, but by more ephemeral and sometimes obscure environmental shifts that only last a few weeks.With Erin Chapman, Allison writes a newsletter called NYC Microseasons that investigates these ephemeral seasons with a mix of wit, humor, and scientific rigor. Wythe and Melissa talk to Erin and Allison about their project overall, many specific plants that live in NYC, shadows/smoke/smog and their effects on plants, cooking possum meat, the seasonality of CSAs, and—of course—algae. We explore all sorts of changing weather patterns and discuss what they mean not only for growing food and foraging in cities, but how we culturally understand and value different parts of the year. We also talk briefly about Allison's new book, Grave, which fans of urban planning and green design (among others) will definitely enjoy. Check out the episode, and pick up Grave!Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Fields by becoming a member!Fields is Powered by Simplecast.

The Fields team chats with domestic farming entrepreneur and nutritionist Mary Wetherill about her company, Green Food Solutions. They set up farms in urban buildings using Tower Gardens (hydroponic growing towers) and conduct farmer trainings. Mary's urban-agriculture business grew out of the Square Roots vertical farming accelerator in Brooklyn, but then quickly led to a new farm on a rooftop in the Bronx. From there, Mary's team explored a whole new business model: to be a “vertical farming training company” that also provides equipment (turn-key solutions) to new growers. She always wanted to focus on connecting folks with food, and she was suspicious of many claims made by new commercial vertical farms.Today, Green Food Solutions runs “farms as amenities”—hydroponic farms within and atop residential buildings—from New Jersey to Tо̄kyо̄. Through training programs and consulting on new urban farms, especially with new professional growers, Mary hopes to empower a whole new local food system. This is a passion-driven, breathless, sometimes controversial conversation about the present and future of vertical farming.Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Fields by becoming a member!Fields is Powered by Simplecast.

Melissa and Wythe catch up with their friend and former co-host, artist and scholar of food agriculture, Allie Wist. Allie is currently completing an interdisciplinary arts Ph.D. at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with a focus on the senses, the Anthropocene, and environmental archives. We talk about her work studying how plants' odors are changing due to climate disruption, the future of sustainable pest management, how rising temperatures affect different plants, the future of coffee production, and much more. Overall, we discuss how changes in agriculture due to climate disruption will affect cuisine in different ways—creating more and more “matter out of place” (and out of time) in food and agriculture. What types of smells and tastes will future consumers accept as delicious, or understand as “real,” given massive shifts in agriculture due to climate?Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Fields by becoming a member!Fields is Powered by Simplecast.

In late 2022, we caught up with friend-of-the-show Yolanda Gonzalez, a Cornell Cooperative Extension agent and urban agriculture expert, about all of her exciting work. We talk about Yolanda's path into agriculture, the general purpose of Cooperative Extension, how Cornell came to set up a branch for commercial urban growers in NYC, and the kinds of support that Harvest NY offers to different urban growers today. Specifically, we dive into the online Community Mushroom Educator (CME) Training program, which Yolanda directs, the upcoming courses based on the USDA-funded project The Promise of Urban Agriculture, and the Urban Farmer to Farmer Summit, which Yolanda co-organizes. We also talk about the new NYC Office of Urban Agriculture and the future of urban ag in NYC. It's an enlightening conversation!Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Fields by becoming a member!Fields is Powered by Simplecast.

Wythe and Melissa chat with Zac Harrison, owner of the modern food hub Fresh Harvest based in southeast Atlanta (close to where Wythe grew up!). Fresh Harvest is a self-described modern CSA and ethical food hub that is committed to sourcing fresh food from farms local to Atlanta, and to making the customer experience easy enough that people will continue to buy local food, week after week. 80% of their artisan foods are sourced from within 70 miles of Atlanta. As Zac says, “People do care where their food is coming from.”We talk about definitions of “local,” how Fresh Harvest works with different growers, smart crop planning for urban markets, farmers markets, the impact of the pandemic, understanding food-consumer demands, how climate is changing small farms' practices, and so much more. Check this one out and dive into links between ethical eating and sustainable growing!Photo courtesy of Andrew Thomas Lee.Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Fields by becoming a member!Fields is Powered by Simplecast.

Melissa and Wythe catch up with their friend and collaborator Jeffrey Landau, Director of Business Development at Agritecture Consulting. Jeffrey is an expert in controlled environment agriculture (CEA, or indoor farming), urban agriculture, and urban agriculture policy. He's spent the last year traveling to farms and gardens across the U.S., working much of that time with different stakeholders in the city of Dallas to craft an urban agriculture plan, and he shares with us some of his reflections on urban agriculture policy around the country. We talk about current trends in urban agriculture, differences between UA sectors in different cities, the importance of land trusts, and what the future may hold, especially as climate disruption intensifies. It's an edifying conversation, as always. For more of Jeffrey's travel writing and work on urban agriculture, subscribe to his Substack feed.Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Fields by becoming a member!Fields is Powered by Simplecast.

Melissa and Wythe are joined by their friend Leigh Ollman, a mushroom grower, educator, and food systems consultant. We talk about Leigh's role in kickstarting the NYU Mycology Group, her work as a professional mushroom grower (she started with 150 logs, farming mushrooms commercially during the pandemic), and her current role as a professional mushroom educator thanks to an amazing Cornell program. We also talk about Leigh's new project, Citizen Species, which seeks to document biodiversity in New York City, one Instagram post at a time, by telling the stories of people growing different plants here. This leads us down a rabbit hole about crop domestication and the return of some “lost crops.” (Wythe recommends the must-read article “America's Lost Crops” by Sarah Laskow in The Atlantic.) It's a casual, informative conversation with a passionate young food leader. Tune in, and look out for Citizen Species!Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Fields by becoming a member!Fields is Powered by Simplecast.

On this week's episode of Fields, Melissa (Wythe was away on jury duty) speaks with the multi-talented Annie Novak.Annie is the co-founder of Eagle Street Rooftop Farm, the director of Growing Chefs, a nonprofit that provides food education in schools and the community, the manager of the Edible Academy at the New York Botanical Garden, and the author of The Rooftop Growing Guide: How to Transform Your Roof into a Vegetable Garden or Farm. Annie began her journey into growing with commodity chain analysis (where does food come from, and where does it go?), by working at greenmarkets, and by learning from farmers in Upstate New York. She still stresses a regional perspective, emphasizing the importance of rural farms. Of course, she still loves botanical gardens and urban farms for their social impacts and educational offerings. Today, much of Annie's work focuses on education. At the Edible Academy at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx, she offers children and adults first-hand experiences with plants and fungi in a vegetable garden and a greenhouse.Melissa and Annie dive into how trees communicate, the metaphors we use to talk about plants and fungi, how they relate to each other and to us, and the need for “tenderness toward nonhuman things.” The two discuss creating biodiverse farm ecosystems and revisit the idea of seeds as time travelers. Annie offers a profound appreciation for the nonhuman living world. It's a deep conversation, and one you won't want to miss!Photo courtesy of Naima Green.Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Fields by becoming a member!Fields is Powered by Simplecast.

Wythe and Melissa are delighted to chat with not one but two experts on urban agriculture from two different parts of the United States Department of Agriculture: Nina Bhattacharyya, Urban Agriculture Specialist at the USDA Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production (UAIP), and Blake Glover, State Conservationist at the New York State Office of the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).Nina and Blake clarify how the USDA supports urban growers around the country, with a focus on the People's Garden program, founded in 2009 and renewed in 2022, which includes sites in Washington D.C. and New York City (Garden of Happiness, Taqwa Community Farm, and the Urban Soils Institute on Governors Island). In fact, gardens across the country can participate in the People's Garden program by registering online at usda.gov/peoples-garden/registration-form.We talk with Nina and Blake about urban agriculture policy across levels, local conservation practices, composting, how people in cities come to engage in agriculture, and how that interest empowers communities and transforms food systems. We also discuss the hurdles that many community gardens face, including zoning and permitting, access to water, and funding. One key point is that the People's Garden program can provide funds to upgrade urban garden and farm infrastructure. And NRCS supports via funds and knowledge regarding high tunnels and other technologies that not only conserve soil but help local gardeners and farmers grow food for more of the year, and thus help communities become more food-secure.And in recent news, the Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production (OUAIP) has provided additional resources and networking opportunities for the 1300+ registered gardens network. These resources include a webinar series and a subgroup on the Extension Foundation Connect site to help gardens network with each other. This is also a way for USDA to share funding opportunities with the garden network. Finally, OUAIP is highlighting gardens from across the country through our People's Garden website, the Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production newsletter (sign-up here), and USDA social media.Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Fields by becoming a member!Fields is Powered by Simplecast.

Melissa and Wythe catch up with their friend Jonas Günther, co-founder of the Brooklyn-based food startup, We Are the New Farmers (WATNF). The New Farmers don't grow lettuce and tomatoes, however: they grow a fresh superfood called Spirulina—a fast-growing microalgae (clump of tiny water-living plants) that looks like a beautiful dark green foam, has no taste, and can be used to add nutrients to almost any dish. Jonas walks us through the history of his company, starting at NYU, where he first met Wythe and Melissa, and moving into the fraught world of ag tech startups and packaged goods, where you have to find a way to very quickly tell the story of your food product's health benefits and sustainable production cycle. We learn a little about microalgae and a lot about “farming” in steel bioreactor-tanks in a major city.Tune in for some weird science, and consider trying some fresh Spirulina in your next smoothie or bowl of noodles!Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Fields by becoming a member!Fields is Powered by Simplecast.

For the first time in Fields history, Wythe and Melissa interview four urban growers at once! We speak to the principles of H3irloom Food Group—Linda and Floyd Taliaferro, and David and Tonya Thomas—about their simultaneously innovative and tradition-inspired approach to cooking and growing, as well as their educational initiatives using agriculture.Longtime collaborators with local farmers, the H3irloom Food Group is currently developing their own 68-acre farm, Gabriel Fields, just outside of Baltimore (in Baltimore County). Through growing and cooking, they're connecting their culinary work to a tradition of land stewardship in the Mid-Atlantic that goes back to the arrival of enslaved Africans on Turtle Island/North America.H3irloom uses delicious food, sourced locally, to help tell important stories about Black food traditions, especially in and around Baltimore. Join Melissa and Wythe for another powerful conversation about the roles that growing food plays in culture, both in and beyond the kitchen! And stay tuned as we catch up with H3irloom regarding their farm in the near future.Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Fields by becoming a member!Fields is Powered by Simplecast.

Melissa and Wythe sit down at the Heritage Radio Network studio in Roberta's to chat with Ben Flanner, co-founder and CEO of Brooklyn Grange, to talk about the history and future of rooftop farming.Ben walks us through the decade-long history of Brooklyn Grange, which has led the field in turning rooftops into farms in NYC. We talk about the challenges that face rooftop farmers, the innovations that have led their business model to work, the different kinds of crops grown across the many Grange rooftops, and what the future holds. We also brainstorm about edible meadows, urban food forests, and the general eater's shifting awareness about food and agriculture's links to climate. It's a special conversation, and we hope you'll give it a listen!Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Fields by becoming a member!Fields is Powered by Simplecast.

If you enjoyed Seasons 1 and 2 of Fields, get ready for some of our biggest, boldest episodes yet in Season 3! If you haven't tuned in to Fields before, no worries. Check out our new episodes, dropping soon. Many thanks to all of our guests, from farmers and chefs to USDA and Extension agents.

When and why were large farm animals banned from NYC? What's happening on the one working farm exempt from this ban? Did you know that thousands of pigs used to freely roam around New York City? Pre-COVID, Melissa and Wythe chatted with environmental historian Catherine McNeur and long-time animal farmer Heidi Woolever (formerly of Queens County Farm Museum) in order to learn why we don't see pigs in the streets any more. We then followed up with Heidi in March, 2022. Queens County is the oldest farm in the city, and the only one currently home to pigs (and cows, goats, and alpacas…). And Catherine's book, Taming Manhattan, offers rich historical details about our once-pig-filled streets, and why getting rid of the pigs was also a move by the rich to change poor, non-white neighborhoods. We get into “swill milk” (a gross but important story in the city's history), what animals you can raise in the city (no rhinos, sadly), and how Queens County operates today. We also talk to Heidi about how a person even gets into animal husbandry as a career in NYC—and why goats are magnificent creatures. Check out this episode, review Fields, and share us with your friends!Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Fields by becoming a member!Fields is Powered by Simplecast.

Following up on our various dives into mission-driven commercial vertical farming, greenhouse-growing at the Texas State Fair, indoor growing as a tool of food sovereignty in Brooklyn, and food-focused architecture, the Fields hosts discuss both the history and recent innovations in greenhouses in cities, especially NYC. How can domestic homes incorporate greenhouses to grow food? What have cities done so far to create more viable opportunities to grow food in greenhouses? Melissa reflects on her work experiences and future plans; Wythe draws on his research into indoor agriculture; and Allie brings in the aesthetic perspective—laws often focus on what cities should look like, not helping people feed themselves. Join us for another informational and informal host conversation, and if you enjoy Fields, tell a friend!Are you a business owner? Become an HRN business member! For $500 HRN will shine a light on your work AND you will help sustain our mission to expand the way people think about food. As a thank you for this tax-deductible donation, your business will receive on-air mentions, social media posts, listings on our website and more. Go to heritageradionetwork.org/biz to become a business member today.Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Fields by becoming a member!Fields is Powered by Simplecast.

Scott is a scientist, advocate, and educator working at the intersection of social justice and biodiversity conservation. He helps manage the amazing Radix Center in the South End of Albany, NY. Among many other amazing projects that we talk about with Scott, Radix is… growing trees without cloning in order to increase genetic diversity and help protect against pests; planting trees such as paw-paws with climate change in mind; teaching a love for the living environment and an ethic of reciprocity; turning vacant lots into nut orchards; and practicing “compost justice.” Radix is a model for other regions when it comes to connecting urban agriculture, education, and justice. This is an episode you don't want to miss!Are you a business owner? Become an HRN business member! For $500 HRN will shine a light on your work AND you will help sustain our mission to expand the way people think about food. As a thank you for this tax-deductible donation, your business will receive on-air mentions, social media posts, listings on our website and more. Go to heritageradionetwork.org/biz to become a business member today. Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Fields by becoming a member!Fields is Powered by Simplecast.

What does “progress” in developing new kinds of environmentally friendly meats look like? What are the hidden costs of cell-based and plant-based meats? Following up on their interviews with Garrett Broad (Fordham University) and Meera Zassenhaus (New Harvest) regarding cellular agriculture, Melissa and Wythe talk with Allie about some new developments in this growing sector, and what they may mean for urban growers. The Fields team, intrigued by an article in The Counter (“Lab-grown meat is supposed to be inevitable. The science tells a different story” by Joe Fassler), debates the likely trajectories of cell-based and plant-based meats and responds to different media narratives. In doing so, we challenge the inevitability of technological solutions to social and political problems such as the unequal burdens created by climate disruption and the unequal access to futuristic post-meats.Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Fields by becoming a member!Fields is Powered by Simplecast.

The Fields team speaks with Greg Peterson, founder of The Urban Farm in Phoenix, AZ, about his decades of working in urban agriculture. He's developed an “urban to the max” old-growth food forest in the middle of a dry region. (At the same time, Greg is also the host of The Urban Farm Podcast, which has an archive of over 650 episodes!) We talk about trust in nature, the human condition, abundance, why growing grass makes much less sense than growing fruit trees, and how Greg has taught urban agriculture online during a pandemic. In fact, The Urban Farm offers free urban agriculture classes online. Recorded at the end of COP26 summit, this episode also focuses on climate disruption's effects on agriculture as well as the politics of agriculture. Check it out, and happy planting!Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Fields by becoming a member!Fields is Powered by Simplecast.

In April 2021, the City of East Point, Georgia, adopted its first ever agriculture plan. Almost two years later, Tenisio Seanima is leading the charge as urban agriculture manager for East Point. Following up on his interview with J. Olu Baiyewu, Jeffrey Landau interviews Tenisio. Listen as Tenisio shares his findings on the challenges farmers have faced, how he and his colleagues are addressing them, and his advice for policymakers beyond the Atlanta area as they consider urban ag plans for their cities. From there, Jeffrey and Tenisio cover some of the history of agriculture, and Tenisio shares a long list of role models and books that will inspire anyone working in food and ag.Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Fields by becoming a member!Fields is Powered by Simplecast.

What is the role of an urban ag director? And in the City of Atlanta, also known as the City in a Forest, how is urban agriculture impacting the City? In this episode, Jeffrey Landau interview's Atlanta's newest Urban Ag Director, J. Olu Baiyewu. Listen as Jeffrey and J. Olu stroll through the West Atlanta Watershed Alliance (WAWA), during a thunderstorm, discussing the latest achievements and challenges urban farmers face in Atlanta, the divide between producers and consumers, the growing network of urban ag directors and policymakers, and what young and aspiring urban farmers can do to pursue this path.Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Fields by becoming a member!Fields is Powered by Simplecast.

The Fields team chats with Jeffrey Landau, Director of Business Development at Agritecture Consulting. Jeffrey has been on an exciting road trip to document farming in the United States, both urban and rural, indoor and outdoor. He's been conducting his own interviews of farmers and agricultural policy makers, and he's sharing a series of conversations about urban agriculture with us. Before we meet some of Jeffrey's contacts in urban ag, however, we thought we'd talk to him about his own career. How did he become a full-time, professional consultant in urban and indoor farming? Why did he leave New York City to tour the country in a camper van? What are some trends he's seeing out on the road, both inspiring and worrying? What is he hopeful for in the world of urban agriculture in NYC, in the year ahead? For more of Jeffrey's work, check out his road-trip blog, Farms Unknown. And don't forget to subscribe to Fields!Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Fields by becoming a member!Fields is Powered by Simplecast.

What is a sitopia, and why does it matter? The term was coined by Carolyn Steel in Hungry City, referencing a utopia which ideologically pivots around food in some way. How has farming been wielded by creatives' in their visions of the future? How have architects and artists imagined sitopias which bring human systems back into harmony with ecology in experimental societies through food? We visit Arcosanti, an architectural and social experimental community in the Arizona desert, and Biosphere 2, the world's largest analog earth system, to examine the role of food in futurist speculation and utopia projects. We look back at food ecologies in sci-fi and NASA's 1970s space farming projections, and hear insight from David Tollas, the general manager of Arcosanti Agriculture, and John Adams, the Deputy Director of Biosphere 2. Follow Fields for more dives into the futures (and futures-past) of urban agriculture.Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Fields by becoming a member!Fields is Powered by Simplecast.

How did rice become a very commonly grown, rock-star grain in many parts of the world? What is the legacy of rice-growing in South Carolina, specifically? How has rice reshaped wetlands—and cultures? Following up on our conversation with Dr. Edda Fields-Black regarding the rice and the West African diaspora, we speak with another historian of rice: Peter H. Wood, Professor Emeritus of History at Duke University and Adjunct Professor of History at the University of Colorado–Boulder. Dr. Wood has been researching the transfer of knowledge regarding rice between West Africa and the Southern United States, including the legacy of the enslavement of Africans on the lands of the United States today. We talk about the history of rice-growing around the world, how it was grown in South Carolina hundreds of years ago and today, and the present and likely future impacts of climate disruption on the state's coastal wetlands. (If you haven't already listened to our conversation with Dr. Edda Fields-Black, check it out.) Dr. Wood is the author of Black Majority: Negroes in Colonial South Carolina from 1670 through the Stono Rebellion (1974), Strange New Land: Africans in Colonial America (2002), and Created Equal: A Social and Political History of the United States (2004). Follow Fields for more explorations of the intersections of urban and rural agriculture, and more discussions of how farming's history shapes our present food systems.Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Fields by becoming a member!Fields is Powered by Simplecast.

From rooftop beekeeping to underground mushroom farms, the new photo-driven book Urban Farmers (Text by Mónica R. Goya and photos and editing by Valery Rizzo, gestalten, 2021) explores what farming looks like today in cities around the world. Writer Mónica R. Goya takes us through her investigation of inner-city agriculture, sharing stories of harvesting precious saffron on a farm in Paris as well as educational gardens in unlikely places. We ask how urban gardening can help us all become entangled in a food web deeply connected to other organisms in a city. Urban Farmers is available today. Photographer Valery Rizzo was the book's creator and co-editor. The book features essays by urban farmers—many of whom work in New York City! Check out the book, and subscribe to Fields for more conversations about the present and future of the urban agriculture industry around the world.Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Fields by becoming a member!Fields is Powered by Simplecast.

How did knowledge of grains from West Africa shape rural lands and cities in North America? Why has it taken so long for historians to address the agricultural knowledge work of enslaved persons? Dr. Edda Fields-Black, Associate Professor of History at Carnegie Mellon University, joins us to discuss these vitally important questions. She tells us all about rice farming in the United States, including the agricultural traditions of the Gullah and Geechee peoples, including her personal connection to this history. We also talk about her new book about Harriet Tubman—and her symphony, Unburied, Unmourned, Unmarked: Requiem for Rice, which is a contemporary classical and multimedia music symphonic work and the first symphonic work about slavery. Dr. Fields-Black is the author of Deep Roots: Rice Farmers in West Africa and the African Diaspora (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2008). Check out Dr. Fields-Black's books and beautiful symphony, and follow Fields for more conversations about the urban–rural continuum and the inescapable political dimensions of growing grains.Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Fields by becoming a member!Fields is Powered by Simplecast.

We speak with Evan Marks, founder of the Ecology Center in San Juan Capistrano (Orange County), CA. Evan is a first-generation farmer who has practiced agroforestry in Nigeria and Ghana. For the past several years, he has devoted himself to fostering agroecological, community-focused agriculture in his own suburban region, in opposition to extractive industrial agriculture that leads to eaters' disassociation from the land. Today, the Ecology Centers is a model of multigenerational farming that supports a 750-member CSA program (community-supported agriculture), farm education programs, volunteers, and diverse conservation practices. We talk with Evan about water and soil conservation, climate disruption, working with other local farms, bioregional cuisine, and how farming is actually punk! His advice: “Be radical!” Check out the conversation, and follow Fields on Heritage Radio Network for more interviews with urban farmers around the world.Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Fields by becoming a member!Fields is Powered by Simplecast.

How does grain cultivation relate to urban agriculture? How can growing food in cities function as art? As education? Why do so many people love flatbread? Amy Franceschini, founder of Futurefarmers, joins the Fields team to discuss these and other aspects of her work. We also talk about seed banking, using agriculture to bring new social life to post-industrial waterfronts, and urbanization and the movement of knowledge about heritage grains. (Oh, and, yes—the King of Norway does get involved.) Check out all of Futurefarmers' brilliant ag-plus-art projects! And follow Fields for more surprising and wide-ranging conversations about urban agriculture and urban culture.Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Fields by becoming a member!Fields is Powered by Simplecast.

How does one commercial urban farm—Heru Urban Farming in St. Louis, Missouri—grow food for a community? Why did its founder and CEO, Tyrean Lewis, start down this path? We interview Tyrean about his familial connection to the land and to giving back to his community, how he pursued urban agriculture full-time during a pandemic, and what he is hopeful for today. We talk about grants, accelerators, and—of course—the many delicious crops growing at Heru. We also talk about food-system disparities and the role that urban agriculture can play in addressing them. Listen to the interview, follow Fields and Tyrean, and stay tuned to Heritage Radio Network.Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Fields by becoming a member!Fields is Powered by Simplecast.

Enjoyed Season One of Fields? Get ready for another crop of episodes, this time featuring co-host Allie Wist (RPI). Allie is an artist-scholar and working on a Media Arts PhD focusing on food and the Anthropocene. In this teaser episode, Allie joins Wythe Marschall (NYU Stern, Center for Sustainable Business) and Melissa Metrick (NYU Urban Farm Lab/NYU Nutrition and Food) in the official Heritage Radio recording booth—located inside Roberta's Pizza in Brooklyn—to discuss some of the themes that have emerged in taping interviews for Season Two. The gang talks grains, climate disruption, compost, indoor agriculture, and more.Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Fields by becoming a member!Fields is Powered by Simplecast.

In this sneak peek, hear just a snippet of a great story told by Amy Franceschini, Founder of Futurefarmers, about the Lykov family's hardships in rural Russia, a single grain of rye, and how agriculture-focused artists are making connections between rural grains and urban education today. Full episodes are dropping! Subscribe to Fields and don't miss out.Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Fields by becoming a member!Fields is Powered by Simplecast.

Season Two of Fields is just around the corner. Fields isn't just for farmers or foodies, it's for anybody who eats food. We talk to guests involved in urban agriculture, including many growers, and we ask why they're so passionate about growing food in cities all over the United States in the world. And this season we're happy to add a new alongside Melissa and Wythe: Allie Wist. Allie is an artist-scholar, photographer, and writer working on topics related to food, futures, sensory studies, and Anthropocene landscapes. Her work encompasses research, radio broadcasts, and experiences that render past and future speculation accessible through sensory narratives. Allie is thrilled to join us as we continue to tell the unfinished story of urban agriculture.Fields is Powered by Simplecast.  

How will Garcia’s ambitious green infrastructure plans promote urban farming in NYC?The Fields team reached out to all of the major candidates for mayor of New York regarding their urban agriculture plans. Kathryn Garcia gave us an hour of her time to discuss her highly relevant background as well as her new green infrastructure plan. Garcia has previously served as Commissioner for the New York City Sanitation Department, incident commander during Hurricane Sandy, Interim Chair and CEO of the New York City Housing Authority, and Food Czar for New York's emergency food program during the COVID-19 emergency response. As mayor, she plans to green every roof in NYC and much more. We discuss food and environmental policy with a special focus on what this means for urban farmers. Give us a listen, plant a seed, and please share Fields with a friend!Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Fields by becoming a member!Fields is Powered by Simplecast.

How will cannabis legalization play out in different cities? Will legalization give rise to a craft weed industry?With cannabis laws fluctuating every year, Melissa and Wythe have a lot of questions about the home-growing of this popular plant, its regulation by the government, and its use by consumers. Before New York State moved to legalize recreational cannabis use—we spoke to social scientist Alex Rewegan (Ph.D. candidate, MIT) about his research into cannabis production and the heterogeneous legalization process in North America. Alex is from Canada and conducts research there, but he lives in the Boston area and has a lot of thoughts on U.S. legalization processes, too. We discuss who will benefit and who will likely be left behind by different forms of cannabis legalization, and we also get into why certain uses of this plant are just now taking off in consumer culture—that is, what’s up with CBD? It’s everywhere! We also discuss home-grown or small-scale “craft” cannabis as opposed to industrial growing, how Canadian smokers have responded to legalization, and who may grow cannabis at home in cities today. Take a listen, plant a seed, and please share Fields with a friend!Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Fields by becoming a member!Fields is Powered by Simplecast.