On this episode of Greenhorn Radio, Severine interviews Michael Meier from the Brooklyn Grange Farm in Long Island City, Queens. Michael is a south Florida citrus country native who was introduced to farming as a youngster spending summers at his grandparents' farmstead in the North Carolina Smokies. He moved to New York City in 2005 and quickly became a part of the local food scene there. He spent a few years working in the ad industry and honing urban homesteading techniques to grow food on the side, before taking an apprenticeship position in 2011 at Brooklyn Grange, a one-acre rooftop farm in NYC. As farm manager with Brooklyn Grange this season, Michael is learning what it takes to run a quickly expanding farm business and is working towards a lifetime career in agriculture, whether on city rooftops or in the country like normal folks. Tune in to hear Michael talk about the Grange's role in the urban farming landscape, and how it serves as a model for a for-profit farm that can help feed the city. Hear about some of the factors that make Brooklyn Grange different from a traditional rural agricultural farm. This episode was brought to you by Hearst Ranch.

"The point of our farm isn't to try to provide every last vegetable or leafy green people need in the city, but to help create a business model for a sustainable urban agriculture that works and can generate jobs and revenue... Looking at the environmental benefits and the educational and social impact that we have, it's a constellation of things, but we are a farm and our main priority is producing food... We're hoping that by constantly testing, working, and spurring innovation in this space that we'll help grow an industry." --Michael Meier on Greenhorn Radio

How do livestock protect the environment? This week on The Farm Report, Erin Fairbanks calls up Judith Schwartz, author of Cows Save the Planet to discuss erosion, carbon, and the health of the planet. Tune into this program to hear Judith talk about the natural grazing habits of herbivores like cows, and how these tendencies help keep the ecosystem in check. How do animals contribute to the biodiversity of plant species? Learn more about topsoil; what is topsoil, and how is it created? Listen in to hear how Judith hopes her book will inspire the future of consumers, and influence producers to adopt alternative land management practices. Tune in and learn how proper holistic land stewardship is a political issue, and how you can affect change. This program has been brought to you by Bonnie Plants. Thanks to Idgy Dean for today's music.

"The livestock functions as biological accelerators- they move this process forward. They keep the carbon cycle, the water cycle, etc. from getting out of whack." [13:50]

"For every ton of grain produced, seven tons of topsoil are lost." [17:50]

-- Judith Schwartz on The Farm Report

It's summertime, and that means it's time to fire up your grill! On this week's episode of Meet Your Maker, Rachel Wharton sits down with Ben Eisendrath of Grillworks in Michigan. Grillworks makes custom Argentine-style grills, and supplies many grill masters around the world, including Dan Barber, Adam Perry Lang, and Steven Raichlen. Hear about the different features of Grillworks' grills that make them in-line with traditional Argentine grilling. Hear about the grills that Grillworks made for Dan Barber at Blue Hill at Stone Barns, and why they had to make a second. Hear why grilling with a wood fire is preferable to using charcoal with starter, as well as the importance of controlling the heat of your fire. Tune into Ben and Rachel's discussion to learn more about the art of grilling. Learn more at Grillery.com! This episode has been brought to you by White Oak Pastures.

"The most important thing is the ability to grill over whole wood, and the ability to control the heat with height. So you have a lot of things that exist in other grills, but they're all in this one. And it's a nice package." --Ben Eisendrath on Meet Your Maker