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Thursday at 03:00 pm - 03:30 pm

Fields

The unfinished story of urban agriculture

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. In each episode, hosts Melissa Metrick and Wythe Marschall delve into different foods grown in cities. Moreover, we investigate the whys behind getting up in the morning and working as a farmer in the shadow of skyscrapers. You don’t need to be a farmer to enjoy this podcast, or even a foodie! With their expert guests, Melissa and Wythe break down the realities and possible futures of urban farming to their elements. 

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Engineered by Liam Werner

Produced by Melissa Metrick and Wythe Marschall

Hosted by

Melissa Metrick

Melissa Metrick

Melissa Metrick is an NYU Adjunct Professor and manages the NYU Urban Farm Lab. Metrick teaches a hands-on Urban Agriculture class at the farm, where students learn how to grow food and implement sustainable urban agriculture practices. Metrick has upwards of a decade of experience in urban agriculture, from teaching children how to grow food at the New York Botanical Gardens to managing the garden at Roberta’s, where she designed and created the on-site kitchen garden. A graduate of the Master’s Program in Food Studies, she also holds a Horticultural Certificate from Brooklyn Botanic Gardens and is a Master Composter.

Wythe Marschall

Wythe Marschall

Wythe Marschall is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of the History of Science at Harvard University and a research associate in controlled environment agriculture at Cornell University. He is also a socialist and avid sci-fi reader. His research explores the intersection of millennial labor precarity and techno-utopian visions for greening cities. His first book project examines the rise of commercial indoor farming in New York City.

Latest Episodes

Jonas Günther on Falling in Love With Microalgae

Season # 3
Episode 3, Aired: May 25, 2023

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...

H3irloom Food Group on Cooking and Urban Agriculture

Season # 3
Episode 2, Aired: May 18, 2023

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...

Ben Flanner of Brooklyn Grange on Rooftop Farms

Season # 3
Episode 1, Aired: May 11, 2023

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...

Season Three Teaser!

Season # 3
Episode 0, Aired: May 4, 2023

If you enjoyed Seasons 1 and 2 of Fields, get ready for some of our biggest, boldest episodes yet.

A History of Farm Animals in NYC

Season # 2
Episode 15, Aired: April 7, 2022

Did you know thousands of pigs used roam freely in NYC? Fields asks why that's no longer the case.

Urban Greenhouses: A Conversation About Growing at Home

Season # 2
Episode 14, Aired: March 31, 2022

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 of and recent innovations in greenhouses...