Episodit
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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!
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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 Jangwa
Learn 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.
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Puuttuva jakso?
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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!
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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.
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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!
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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!
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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.
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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!)
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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!
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(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!
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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.
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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?
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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!
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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.
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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.
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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!
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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.
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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.
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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!
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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.
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