Fields
Activity Overview
Episode publication activity over the past year
Episodes
A Farewell to Fields (For Now)
16 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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...
The Farm Report Episode 4: What’s the Future of Urban Agriculture?
15 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 c...
Vicki Sando on Green Roofs at Schools
08 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Wythe chats with NYC educator Vicki Sando about her years of research into green roofs—especially those on schools—and her creation of the illustr...
Henry Obispo on the Resilience of the South Bronx
17 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Melissa and Wythe host the inspiring food and urban agriculture entrepreneur Henry Obispo. Henry is founder of Born Juice, the United Business Coopera...
Henry Gordon-Smith on the State of Indoor Farming
08 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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, found...
Catching Up with Wythe: The Recent Troubles in Vertical Farming
30 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Melissa and Wythe catch up with each other regarding a recent trend in urban agriculture: the closure or financial restructuring of several high-profi...
Catching up with Melissa: Harvest Time at the NYU Urban Farm Lab
17 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 Univers...
Michael Treglia on Green Roofs, Birds, and Pollinators
17 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Joseph Charap on the Ecosystems of Cemeteries
10 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 discus...
Allison C. Meier and Erin Chapman on NYC’s Microseasons
27 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
(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 n...
Mary Wetherill of Green Food Solutions on Residential Agriculture
20 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Fields team chats with domestic farming entrepreneur and nutritionist Mary Wetherill about her company, Green Food Solutions. They set up farms in...
Allie Wist on the Future of Taste and Smell
13 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Yolanda Gonzalez on Cooperative Extension in New York City
06 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Zac Harrison of Fresh Harvest on Modern Food Hubs
29 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Jeff Landau on Urban Ag Policy
22 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Melissa and Wythe catch up with their friend and collaborator Jeffrey Landau, Director of Business Development at Agritecture Consulting. Jeffrey is a...
Leigh Ollman on Learning and Teaching Mycology
15 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 k...
Annie Novak on Plant Education for Everyone
08 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 St...
The USDA's Nina Bhattacharyya and Blake Glover on the People's Garden and Urban Conservation
01 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Jonas Günther on Falling in Love With Microalgae
25 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 Fa...
H3irloom Food Group on Cooking and Urban Agriculture
18 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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—Lind...
Ben Flanner of Brooklyn Grange on Rooftop Farms
11 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 tal...
Season Three Teaser!
04 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 bef...
A History of Farm Animals in NYC
07 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Urban Greenhouses: A Conversation About Growing at Home
31 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Following up on our various dives into mission-driven commercial vertical farming, greenhouse-growing at the Texas State Fair, indoor growing as a too...
Scott Kellogg, Educational Director of the Radix Ecological Sustainability Center
24 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Scott is a scientist, advocate, and educator working at the intersection of social justice and biodiversity conservation. He helps manage the amazing ...
Post-Meat: A Conversation About Cellular Agriculture and Plant-Based Meat
17 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What does “progress” in developing new kinds of environmentally friendly meats look like? What are the hidden costs of cell-based and plant-based ...
Greg Peterson of The Urban Farm, Phoenix, AZ
10 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 develop...
Farms Unknown: Tenisio Seanima on the City of East Point’s First Ever Agriculture Plan
04 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Farms Unknown: J. Olu Baiyewu on Urban Agriculture in Atlanta
24 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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?...
Exploring Farms Unknown with Jeffrey Landau
17 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Fields team chats with Jeffrey Landau, Director of Business Development at Agritecture Consulting. Jeffrey has been on an exciting road trip to do...
Sitopias: Visions of Urban Futures, Shaped by Farming
10 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Dr. Peter H. Wood on Rice and the Reshaping of South Carolina
02 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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, specifica...
Urban Farmers: The Book, with Writer Mónica R. Goya
27 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
From rooftop beekeeping to underground mushroom farms, the new photo-driven book Urban Farmers (Text by Mónica R. Goya and photos and editing by Vale...
Dr. Edda Fields-Black on Rice, the Legacy of African Slavery, and Symphony as History
20 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 agr...
Evan Marks of The Ecology Center on Fostering Local Farm Hubs
13 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 practice...
Amy Franceschini of Futurefarmers on Art, Seeds, and Public Space
06 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 flatb...
Tyrean Lewis and Reversing Food Apartheid Through Urban Ag
30 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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,...
Season Two Sneak Peek!
15 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 r...
Season Two is Coming Soon!
10 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 i...
Mayoral Candidate Kathryn Garcia Talks Urban Ag
14 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 m...
Alex Rewagan: Craft Cannabis
09 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
How will cannabis legalization play out in different cities? Will legalization give rise to a craft weed industry?With cannabis laws fluctuating every...
Prepping with Delicious Microbes
02 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What are ways that the pandemic is nudging us to work with delicious microbes?”During a time when antibacterial soaps and wipes are flying off shelv...
Alexis Mena: Universe City and Afro-Indigenous Food Sovereignty
26 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
How are Universe City and Grow Brownsville helping community members grow their own food, invent their own technologies, and push back against gentrif...
Candace Thompson: Foraging in Cities
19 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
How can we learn to forage in cities—and use Instagram to get to know the living world around us?Artist, organizer, urban forager, and social media ...
Maya Kutz: Urban Ag and Mutual Aid
12 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
“What’s it like, farming on a roof next to a jail in Brooklyn during a pandemic? How have urban farms responded to the pandemic?” Melissa and W...
Victory Gardens and Teaching Urban Farming Over Zoom
05 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Long-time farmer, gardener, and educator Melissa Metrick (manager, NYU Urban Farm Lab, and adjunct professor in the Nutrition and Food Studies Departm...
Penny McBride and Farming as a Second Chance
26 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
How did you come to start farms that employ people with different abilities and people exiting the prison system? Vertical farming pioneer and industr...
Meat Breweries: Cell Agriculture
19 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is cellular agriculture, and why would anyone want to “brew” meat? We asked these questions and many others of Meera Zassenhaus—Communicati...
Drew Demler, Community Growing, and Growing Community
12 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What's it like, farming at the Texas State Fair... during a pandemic? Drew Demler is the head grower at Big Tex Urban Farms, which stands on the groun...
‘Shrooms! Indoors, Foraged, and Friendly
05 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Why are mushrooms so popular recently, and who is growing them—and searching for them in the wild—in New York City? To find out, we interviewed a ...
Allie Wist and the End of Restaurants
29 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What will our diets be like in the future due to climate change? How will restaurants change due to the pandemic, rising inequality, and an increasing...
“Phantom” and Spicy Tomatoes
22 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Why does it matter what a specific kind of tomato is named—or who named it? Picking up the theme of seeds, history, representation, and changes to t...
Kevin Espiritu and “Epic” Home Gardening
15 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Why is now the perfect time to start a garden? The energetic and inspiring Kevin Espiritu—the “Epic Gardener” himself—joins Melissa and Wythe ...
Seeds and Time Travel
08 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
How are seeds gender-defying time travelers? Subscribe to Fields and find out! In our first story, Melissa and Wythe talk to plant-focused artists Ell...
Coming Soon, From HRN: The Unfinished Story of Urban Agriculture
07 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Fields brings you the stories of people who are working in urban agriculture—for money, for fun, to feed the hungry, and for entirely other reasons....