This week on Greenhorns Radio Sev speaks to agro-ecologist Houston Wilson. Wilson discusses the primary goal of his science: eliminating "off farm" input. This essentially means designing your farm in a way that encourages nature to do the tasks we often leave up to chemicals or people. With enough crop diversification farmers will find that controlling pests, nutrient cycling, and dealing with diseases can all be executed internally if the farm is designed appropriately. This episode was sponsored by Hearst Ranch: purveyors of fine grass-fed beef from the coasts of CA.

Photo 1: The Altieri Lab at UC Berkeley has been conducting cutting edge research in vineyard agroecology over the past decade. Recent efforts focus on the management of non-crop vegetation to enhance the natural regulation of key insect pests in vineyards. We strive to conduct comprehensive research spanning landscape-level dynamics to specific within-field insect interactions. We also believe in the importance of collaborating with growers to conduct research in real-world settings where the system designs that we are developing will be employed.

Courtney Banach has been spending time around Shelburne Farms for almost her whole life. About to enter her junior year of high school, her love of farming began when visiting the Farmyard in Shelburne, Vermont when she was very young and subsequently attending their summer camps. Her first summer camp experience led her to volunteering on the farm, when she became a Steward in Training (SIT for short) for both the animal side and the educational side of the farm. Courtney later became a weekly volunteer helping with chores on Saturdays and school vacations. Her volunteer work led her to joining the Farm’s 4-H club which in turn led her to a paid farm job. Working on a farm has become her life; she loves the work and how rewarding it feels, and she plans to pursue an agricultural field in college. Today's show has been brought to you by Hearst Ranch.

"If farming is something you're interested in, you should definitely explore all of your options...It's all about exploring and finding out what you want, and sticking with it even if it gets rough." -- Courtney Banach on Greenhorn Radio

This week's episode of Flash Talks Cash sees hosts JoAnn "Flash" Fleming and Andrew Newman talking to Andy McNamara, Senior Consultant, VP New Construction and Renewables at Bright Power, a company that provides solar and energy efficiency consulting to property owners and managers. Learn more about alternative energy and LEED standards as Andy describes his work in the field and the political landscape surrounding renewable energy. Find out what has hanged since the energy market was de-regulated and discover whether or not it's worth it to go with a third party provider. This program was sponsored by Whole Foods Market.

"Just because you do a LEED building doesn't mean it's going to be energy efficient."

"The Northeast and NYC are among the worst in energy use per square foot."

--Andy McNamara of Bright Power on Flash Talks Cash