This week on We Dig Plants Alice and Carmen sit down with Lorraine Brooks of the Cornell University Cooperative Extension. They discuss the history of the land grant college going all the way back to Abraham Lincoln, and discuss what the Cornell Co-op is doing to educate folks in Central Park and beyond through hands-on, informal research and education, and via organizations like the Central Park Conservancy and the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation. Making sure we have enough trees throughout the country and educating folks on why we need them in the first place is a big part of what Lorraine does, and she recounts some stories of success and frustration as she tries to spread arboreal joy. This episode was sponsored by Hearst Ranch: purveyors of grass-fed beef grazing on the beautiful coast of San Simeon, CA.

History of Wine Along the Silk Road with Peter Cousins, wine geneticist at Cornell University.

Welcome to the first episode of Nothing Urgent, hosted by Impose Magazine's Derek Evers and Gothamist's Chris Robbins. Derek and Chris call up urban entomologist Jody L. Gangloff-Kaufmann of Cornell University to talk about the 17-year periodical cicada. Learn more about the insect's life-cycle. Would Jody recommend eating a cicada? Find out what bugs are not prime eating, and learn how magicicadas communicate. Later, Amanda Contrada, Showcase Coordinator for the Northside Festival, comes by to talk about the history of the event, and how it has grown over the past five years. Hear what showcases Amanda booked, and which ones she is looking forward to attending. This program has been brought to you by Cain Vineyard & Winery.

"Cicadas have this thing on the side of their bodies called a tymbal... when they flex this membrane it clicks, and that's how they communicate." [14:05]

-- Jody L. Gangloff-Kaufmann on Nothing Urgent