Growing Urban Agriculture

                                    
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in this country

in this country most people live in cities weather food is grown out of the country by others

advocates of urban agriculture sale lot of food can be grown in the city providing home

remedy for food deserts other problems Meadows today on foot

today on focus will look at the urban agriculture movement 2 different viewpoints

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will Malik talks about how realistic community support munching his for banana

urban agriculture organization Roman power Milwaukee University of Illinois from Sun

Illinois from science professor talked about the environmental challenges Urban

which is urban farmers urban agriculture today on focus

my program continues after the news

welcome to focus MGM Meadows the urban agriculture movement define the cons

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define the concept that food just comes from rural areas in doing so its practitioners funny

pictures of funny more benefits rowing food in the city in simply having something to eat nearby

nearby benefits can range from social economic to enviromental there are also

there are also challenges to growing food in the city in later on focus of talk with Professor San Juan

send wart many heads of the urban agriculture research lab and the Department of Sciences

science is the University of Illinois right now let’s talk to someone who left a non farming

the non farming jobs start up an urban farm he’s Will Allen the founder of sin cos

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CEO of growing power which operates farming operations in Milwaukee and

Waukee end in Chicago he will be speaking on the University of Illinois campus tonight

Campus tonight Tuesday night I believe that’s at 7 p.m. At the Illini Union

Will Allen welcome to focus  Straight Talk use this morning

whats wait to have you with us and I’m wondering I understand you crop a form yourself

the border

and um you know after death

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after death experience what were you ever thinking of a forming career yourself because it sounds like this

is it sounds like that’s not what you did for starters no I won the farm

I had a hundred scholarship office basketball University

universities in the nation and I said I’m never go back to the farm again

I guess you should never say and you YouTube you play basketball

who played basketball you play the old ABA you played in Europe um and Larry

later on you had I gotta say you work for Procter and Gamble yeah I work for Factor

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pack and Gamble

actually I got back open your

what am I your pants family had a farm

I guess I had this guy in the army

farming I want a farm I got 25 chickens

I’ve started Gordon food in that’s where I got fed

transformer back in the 70’s that was back in the 70’s but later

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70’s bit later on when you were back in the US and you were in Milwaukee understand

stand Bend KS yes my wife was the Marquis remove back

vacuum with 3 children in a burning desire to farm

Farm 3508 resides within the job

job what factor and also farming and going to farmers market

farmers markets in selling wholesale back in the 70’s and 80’s

one day I was driving down the street in my f***** gamble account

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I ran across the farm in Milwaukee on Silver Spring Drive

Dr I was looking to sell my farm produce

what is the busiest Street Milwaukee I know and what color food desert

food after a large is the housing project 5 blocks away

location great I just saw my farm produce and to grow food

gross food in the city 21 years ago now before that you had been Grove

been growing out of the country near Milwaukee a ticket yeah I was going out so creepy

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pre k in a hundred acres growing and selling

just looking for another new retail space in the fact

and the fact that there will be a great place to

bring my good food have naturally gone

naturally growing into the city and the ivy

I got sucked into

non profit organization that we have today what before we go for the red light

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go for the red like to invite listener cinema conversation perhaps you do some farming in the city

the City yourself wet weather its raising a backyard chickens in Spanish you in Champaign Urbana

Champaign Urbana recently are growing crops in a community garden or something bigger we like to hear

we’d like to hear from you on the program today call with your questions and comments at 1 800

1 800 2229 455 toll free 1 800

800 222 wyll you can email Assante wyll

Hawaiian luau dish talk at illinois.edu and walking your questions on Facebook

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Jensen Facebook and Twitter focus 580 how did you

how did you how did you was sucking evolve with using a working this farm in the city

what was the wanted to grow

Garden State greenhouses

on the farm I like your own back

back in 1995 850 area

area help them start selling Avon from Sweden

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Farmers Market Eminem

intercity and I hope to set up a standing Milwaukee Journal

front page story about a kid that’s how I got sex

kids my friend said you should start a non profit

I said I don’t wanna Office

office work if you guys want to do that ministrator work I would do it

I would do it and that’s how I got started today’s date

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back in 95 now is 25 acres greenhouses

how about 2075

what I am wondering with the operations

what’s the operations you have in the city are those are the special challenges to forming inside the city

the City compared to a ruler  yeah there are some challenges

challenges of Courts asphalt concrete

is gross oil compost very light scale

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scale app for concrete rooftops

city lights Milwaukee Chicago Detroit

Michigan really all of the Midwest

Eastern cities but you have to have a compost Grove

contaminated up because we’re heading

heavy industrial city lot of lead arsenic

oils to feed 50

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hardpan player asphalt concrete

40 million pounds

nitrogen put in compost go to food

okay I’m having that’s having that the New Deal

newly produced soil as it were um is that something that has to be constantly

constantly to maintain an added to our union the richest able to vision without soil

oil well because it’s compost

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the capital of friend of course to bring up at level 20

2 seat from the base of a toilet

food about the fertility

how close is high fertility

that’s what’s really important to help make sure you get off food high

food high in nutrients you know it’s all about

its all about the rubber meets the road health value of the food

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and God are so over all today is 50 cent

how was 50 years ago so that’s the issue

that’s just us something USO and generally means yes

dog have to do something that

birthday have a safe to have sex urban

urban connection cancel all the food in urban areas

single farm living will form

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Farmers how to grow more intense a blade on left

on left face looking at Caltrain schedule

bakers square footage 44026

570 I want to make sure grip every square

every square foot do that you have to have high fertility

oil okay um what’s what’s the crops

what’s the crops are you growing in India various operations 1250 different

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50 different good rap road live for the Bulls edible

edible flowers herb how do I cook it going fish

Phish train people how did the Knicks which is something I think

very young people today as I go to the country

young people interested in aquaponics its not its not like

28 degrees

Eric Church Yelp

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how to build a greenhouse plants

plants in fish so you getting out of a protein from the fish that your groin

growing vegetables NFL

vacant buildings insidious

1055 Chicago Milwaukee Ford

something that is going to factory trailer hundred forty

40 people a year is going on

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people that people that you work with your programs now its young people but it is

what is it is it adults well oh yeah I said

generational signs that the end

Atlanta Falcons today is said about 17

the hundreds

148 over all day

people from all walks of life like trains January

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okay what is this century

this is interesting to me because he must be working with a lot of people who a centrally are starting from 00’s far

100 bars from farming experience  yeah I think sometimes

sometimes it’s good that there’s a f*****

f***** new concept going out in the city

in the city and going on slaughter space barrier

barrier how to roast a bit different

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difference in grain food in a room will Arian row crops

craps Hobbit everybody’s welcome and it said I purchase

opportunities for folks that have been fired do I sound like that transition

transition from conventional farming new type of farming and I think

Farmingdale much for financial aid beneficial what’s going on

out in America in the industrial

lava farm  where talking with Will Allen he’s founder of grey

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founder of growing power with with herban farms in Milwaukee

Milwaukee and also more recently in Chicago and also a training programs in very

grams in various parts of the country from time to time you can call him with your comments and also

and also your thoughts about a urban farming maybe your experiences as well or phone numbers

phone numbers 1 800 222 94551 800 222

222 WILL and RR email addresses

addresses will a dash talkin Illinois dot edu I will I’m wondering

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will I’m wondering are you grow the food where does it go once you harvest  what we have

what we have a very surprised market everybody

send that have to guess the same

good food find Avenue do that

can we go to farmers market farm stands

CSA winter farmers market operate

warehouse incest sex Wisconsin Ave

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HyVee sell to Sysco large enough for 25

25 acres greenhouses 300 acres outside directions to be able to deliver

how to deliver to wholesalers so we’re getting out food everybody

everybody in the community economic situation ad

add the way we do that is able to cut the connection cost by Greyhound

5 renewable energy renewable energy

energy and olive garden near out of the inside

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Inside Passage 85 Chicago

how to get a food into the walking store carries

Chicago so I will Michigan

Mission Trail access because that’s what it’s all about food

people that don’t have excess food a really about

about access access to the same give me an idea of when you’re talking

when you’re talking about a food desert in a large metro area like Milwaukee Wisconsin what is someone

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what is someone you know with with without an operation my growing power or some other Urban

urban agriculture going on there whats the options somebody going to have for groceries

people that

Levolor FIBA struggle

struggle and 6 mile

closest grocery store op 7

hello cloudy

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corner stores in Detroit

coke have a hard time Fabolous

outside pictures arches

Hills grocery store

grocery stores until Lisa Whole Foods

just go to store in Detroit

grocery store out of name in Detroit City

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city that has 1969 square miles of territory Atlanta

90 square miles is Atlanta traffic

what’s happening in Detroit

Troy and Abed Troy

Troy there in the city in terms of people taking it

background on food eyes

that way that’s the most important thing in life

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the granite at the only way in the healthcare

health care prices hydro healthy pizza

supposed to be at Madison 5th movement

5th movement that I call a revolution revolution of Alabama

people’s health food community

community  you talked about training people

people to farm not just in your programs but be on that do you say have have have you seen other

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have you seen other operation startup in other cities of people who started training with you

I get cause I’m a failure of the country in the world

small communities

how do you think a city like in Beijing

Seattle Washington area

NFL

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city that has a lot of well when you look at it

what they do southern states

because I are rx

Rx change shape

Uhaul in this together high

figure out how do you change your local

local to have a healthy food system

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farmers cabinet

I need the corporate community on board

universities on board Medical folks

folks engineers and architects need to really designs

twerk indeed communities around the country will I have a tweet

do I have a tweet in from Lisa Ann and she was wondering if I have growing power has it

power has any partnerships involved with institutions likes a food banks are correctional officer

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correctional facilities just a couple of examples of places that you might be providing food

providing food for  yeah we have 5000 correctional

in house work

train from correctional facilities terms

15 minutes warm farm

70’s Show

sad that only believe donate food food bags

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Beyonce pickup fairways internet it to compost food

how to cause a lot of times of food did they get from glass

from wholesalers only has one day shelf life of Charlotte

Trader lot of weight

Megadeth that sounds like a very Gaga instructive arrangement

virginity by infinity

can people did Mark Lane

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directions from fines and also to purchase fresh vegetables

people

will what parts what are some of the big challenges as far as being able to

being able to expand urban agriculture mean what what what challenges do you ca

is do you see I had that that that need to be overcome

organization started after

activating Atlanta rush status

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status I get land on a long term basis

basis transforming a vacant lot Costco

Costco situation you think about the yard

how to grow in soil

that’s why the big issue is a big issue

Farm so

sexy girl farmer overnight year

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hide ongoing saying you have been 5050 s

can I get a copy of place

complacent anything because of Texas good or bad

bad storm with your c*** out so young

Yahoo how was going to go go

will working on a vertical bar vertical

Food City weather is not live on land mass we’re going to have to

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we’re going to have to grow up vertically looking at a

looking at a hundred Story vertical farm in cities like New York a Boston

Chabad Tokyo San Francisco price of Future

future what is next generation 2

the pass on flag

what happened to Carmen ok

ok 5 story

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will I was wondering a groin

during a growing power of course is a non profit organization is there a roll or do you use

are do you see commercial farmers setting of operations in urban areas

are you there already I met a fact that would say

7506 training

for profit small farm Ohio

think that’s important that the trait that the crate

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great businesses week great jobs Leafly can create jobs

jobs local communities

the potential for growth in urban agriculture in the future how big is it

is it  is tremendous specially is like I said vertical

vertical farm with rooftops have with rice

asphalt concrete going on a foreclosed

foreclosed former factories in Billings

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use idling low cost houses at the Grove

round food iPhone saying about the food 25

25 weeks outdoor party is going on do we need to feed

need to feed people 365 days a year good local food

and that’s possible that’s why things that we have to poop

significant amount of food in size shape or

are on the exterior use out so we had to

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we have to continue to quantify that that we can’t we have to continue

how to continue to qualify as a people especially after the cause me to be a saw

balls and I hope you get land plot of land is just sitting around

chicken wrap in city of Chicago has 33 square miles

square miles 77008 South Atlanta news

can be use to grow food resident next 20 years

tremendous potential to fix Aikman

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68 mint small 5 minutes great place in pharmacy

pharmacist at start growing inside Landis sewing

weather outside most major cities

city-state said pretty difficult to get started the Great

the Great study  what will Alan thank you very much for talking with us

talking with us today and of course you will be on the U of I campus Odyssey

this evening Tuesday evening at 7 o’clock to give a lecture and odds

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anti the Illini Union yeah I’m headed that way right now

looking for thank you very much for talking Memphis

take care and will take a short break your on focusing me back with more discussion

discussion about urban agriculture without Francis m workman of the Department of Sciences

Night at the University of Illinois this is focus on wyll

Rebecca focus era wyll MJ Meadows continuing artist

can you bring our discussion of urban agriculture and we welcome your questions and comets especially yours

00:26:45

especially your own experiences with farming in the city weather its a garden plot

Martin plot raising chickens Arbor have doing something a little more ambitious give us a call at

give us a call at 1 800 22 29455 you can email Los Angeles

us and we’ll talk at illinois.edu we’re on Twitter and Facebook

and Facebook at focus 580 the phone number again 1 800 222

222 WILL my next gas is an assistant professor

professor in the Department of crop science is at the University of Illinois Urbana campus

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Pacetti’s also the lead investigator somebody should have your own TV show lead investigator

investigator at the urban agriculture research lab department runs a professor

professor ascend Boardman thank you very much for being on the show today happy be here and how long

how long has urban agriculture been a deferred subs

define subject of the sentence that that would be something other than

department wants to take a serious look at a topic

the tool you can find in the scientific literature for at least a couple decades a receiver

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received most attention from social scientists and urban planners

that’s been looking at ways to use urban land and looking also the social issues which will

which will itouch not quite a bit um but as far as the production side of things the reason that the

is the reason that the Department of Science is interested is the RC ng urban agriculture

urban agriculture in a much bigger scale and cities like Chicago and production challenges

production challenges what are unique production challenges with growing food in cities in so um doctor

Dr Sarah Taylor level in our department started doing some research on 2900

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8900 Wilshire looking at the multi functional benefits of urban agriculture things

miracle tree things like pollinators you find cities on another

benefits like stormwater runoff in things the turban farms can provide to the city in so

so um so I was brought on a 2012 focus more on some of those production challenges how can we

challenges how can we maximize productivity on urban farms well cementing sustainability

sustainability increasing profitability which is the main issue because as well mansion

the folks are wanting to I’m going to for brother touched my presence on urban farms

00:29:05

honorbuddy forums I gather if you go back for enough I mean like a century of self

century is so and go to cities you would you would you would see more forming going on

going on um that there would be more land available for that people would just end

Justin to have livestock because if nothing else horses were moving to cities anyway

and if you have horses you could you could turn other animals as well so something happened between

something happened between say hundred fifty years ago and now the change the face of urban agriculture

call for time yeah that’s definitely true and um in really the top

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the topic of urban agriculture is is someone for unto us in the US

the US but I remember cultures very prominent in developing countries looking to sign

look in the scientific literature um for urban agriculture most of the examples you find

and um come from Africa or Latin America and so hold your is

pictures is kind of movement right now in the US but I did something urban art urban

urban an agricultural landscape sorority well integrated in many countries are in the world

world it is something and this is really a vague terms askew urban Farmington were

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Farmington work that is in the largest sense can provide food informant

pointment in the long run or is it just something that you know you been in

Indian terms of love culture so fat yeah the great question one that we get all the

can one that we get all the time and I think it just depends how you find food

find food because the throwed urban agriculture can really provide is

is in the way of fruits and vegetables and herbs and things that will out

things that will Illinois mentioning um in my opinion we’re never going to be able to grow all of the

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all of the greens in meet that we really need to provide a lot of calories

calories in protein have for a growing population in cities so there’s always going to be

always going to be a role for relaxer Coulter we need large large acreage to provide greens

greens to feed livestock and provide protein but um there’s a will there’s a really strong

there’s a really strong be filled in cities to grow nutritious fruits and vegetables and herbs

herbs that will Ellen I fink touch Dunham on something on the environmental challenges

mental challenges your face is concerta sounds like he’s not really growing directly in

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n in the top soil that you might find in a vacant lot if you would do if you if you were to find a good

find a good time what are even if your backyard in your backyard

yard if you say had a bungalow in a city neighborhood I don’t know if you were in Chicago and

and the way you live the life you live in a brother had a backyard space how

how fun how long does the quality of the soil in there

I would be fairly suspicious um most is the show notes the Grouch

trout Chicago the the average backgrounds will lead concentration for example

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examples about 400 parts per million that’s right at the threshold of the EPA uses for

is for defining a contaminated soil when you talk about things like building children’s playground

children’s playgrounds for example um that’s quite a bit higher than what we find another major metropolitan

major metropolitan areas us talking with colleague on Oakland California any mention that the city white

citywide average in Oakland about 100 parts per million for lead so it is because

because I will mention somebody industrial history that we have in the Midwest cities like Detroit Chicago

train Chicago and that that has resulted in kind of a long term environmental problem when it comes

00:32:35

when it comes to heavy metals in other organic contaminants in so um people should be

should be you neyo at least aware of the potential for contamination when you’re going to grow I in

write in your backyard in a vacant lot but that doesn’t mean that its not possible

and there are very common sense types of precautions people can take that still allow them to grow

how to grow food very safely in their backyards directly in the soil

if they just take some proper pick up precautions things like wearing gardening gloves washing your fruits and vegetables

fruits and vegetables on the big thing that I told people that usually get to laugh is just don’t eat the soil

00:33:10

don’t eat the soil that’s the number one way that people get exposed

exposed hoes contaminants is through direct injection obviously most people are taking spoonfuls of soil and eating it

toilet eating it but you might be in Hayling it if you’re out telling up your garden ic just want to be tied

be careful that you’re not indirectly ingesting it with the lights on your produce or urine healing that

Healing that contaminated dust I’m wondering also in downstate Illinois

State Illinois in small metro areas even industrial one’s son riddle

the long term industrial 168 Decatur in Danville areas and then other channel

00:33:45

and then other towns Champaign Urbana Charleston ARMA 2 North Springfield what have you

does do this to the same levels of risk in in soccer

insult contamination exists there as exist in the major cities

yes but not the same degree um so let is the containment

containment that was received the most attention rightfully so um and we do fine

and we do find higher levels and cities like Chicago because of industrial background just because of the density of

city of cars that we historically Haddon in the cities and still have

00:34:20

in the presence of light comes from house paint and gas

gasoline leaded gasoline up until the late 1970s and so the

the amount of lead contamination that we find in urban soils fairly proportional to

proportional to the density of housing of aging housing stock and also I’m just population from the

elation from those of vehicles in a city like Champaign Urbana certainly we on if your

if you’re directly adjacent to a house that is fairly old the most likely

Lykke Li was painted with lead based paint then love will lead contamination candy

00:34:55

temptation can be an issue but the the source from leaded gasoline in a less density

that long term environmental impact is not going to be a substantial is a city like Chicago

Chicago and if you’re in a newer residential area sales subdivision that was lady

that was laid down 35 years or so is it reasonable

reasonably certain that the the things will be a little say for at least as far as a sled

is lead contamination is concerned think that would be inaccurate to assess Minton is specially

especially most of those newer developments are going to be further from the city Corp

00:35:30

the core further from those initial sources of the contaminants on your probably

does residential communities are probably on land that was farmland

farmland 30 years ago and so its on its likely less than 10 minutes now were here in

now we’re here in champaign-urbana and their various the garden community garden projects

projects were talking about some of them before the broadcast from what you know about that

about taking precautions badoo do the possible so I can temptation yamo store

yamo star in the number one way that the community gardeners take those precautions is to

00:36:05

precautions is to grow in raised beds and um this raised beds are smaller there

are there often times using lumber to create walls and then camping

capping the soil I was some type of barrier maybe landscape fabric and then feeling in with a couple feet

couple feet of compost the smaller scale version of Will Allen growing power

growing power base inch Lee create a gigantic raised beds on top of a cat Lots

that’s sometimes the words in acre in size lizard a smaller versions of what growing power does

growing power does okay what about um I think you were talking about water runoff

00:36:40

run off in in urban areas is that something that a Leatherman farming provide

informing provides a benefit to orzo are are are the risks involved with water contaminants

whats a good question one that we don’t really have the answer to get um

there’s a lot of speculation that’s been farming that might be a great benefits

great benefit of urban farming as a stormwater runoff is in a major problem in most

woman most US cities and so the ideas that if we got this thus far

does farm in a farm with olives healthy soil that’s going to sleep

00:37:15

is slowly percolators water maybe that’s a great way to reduce stormwater runoff

butterly Banos studies to show that that’s an actual benefits of urban farming slats

farming slats slats an area that are open to do some research on the future okay we have a call in now

Ellen now 11 David champagne welcome to focus on the air ok

number of people who have pulled out of urban gardening

because the fastest is a sociological problem can you improve

improve the big picture of your life by having Garden City

00:37:50

encourage people to not just walk in and have things to fit on a car door

hanging out there a problem to have another one

urban buildings

buildings from the soil

Detroit has been removed a dump truck and replace price

low grade have

praying and then 3 Inches of Blood

00:38:25

how do you handle it

forever David wondering about your first question

question using their instances where people are rating other people’s gardens and gets run over the vegetable

with vegetables how do you handle it and I dye my wish my Tazewell Allen

Will Allen that question but a is is is is that affected the people have to consider their everything

everything’s in close quarters here when you’re when you’re Garden in the city it is the end

and um in so many people on many organizations will put up fences

00:39:00

fences around urban farms because it is a business in this is the end

this is another produces a valuable commodity in so often times Frances Arnstein

senses are installed but you know people can conceal fences and son some cases

some cases you do Lisa produce so many unique challenges to urban farming and humans are one of them

are one of them really really maybe have more problems with deer better taking out some of your crops

and in this case um we have people taking a crap send a SPECT that will another phone

what will another folks um as their part of the urban farming movement would say that its not in tires

00:39:35

not entirely bad thing because somebody stealing fruits and vegetables from an urban gardener in urban farm

urban farm they probably really need it and um so that’s the worst things to be stolen

things to be stolen Ben 10 fruits and vegetables can probably be positive

yeah and so that’s that’s approaches some people take if they don’t necessarily put up fence is because they say

is because they say it’s kind of the community approach and there’s a PsyD of community food for

food forest springs and Pilar um they want to try to make it acceptable to all of that means you want to come in

you want to come in and out of the tree yourself for pulled out of the ground yourself on the net positive impact

00:40:10

positive impact in and that works really well for the non profit organizations but it is a very good point

very good points for the future of four profits urban farming what about the Dozen

does the soil? Brought up remind me with that?

you were just day we were talking about essentially soil being replaced

usually takes away the cops are because

because it’s not good for construction in the returners

return a set amount of time sunset and after grow on

00:40:45

I can imagine is not very good for growing crops yeah and that is a problem stove

problem so so even if um even if we find the soil isn’t contaminated

aminated with letter other heavy metals organic containment we still

we still find the most urban soldier of fairly low quality compaction is it you just you and

is it you just you and me and we run into compaction because of the fact that heavy machinery was used

is used for the initial purpose of Atlanta Amanda’s you mention topsoils remove dandruf left with that

left with the heavy clays and so some type remediation if not for contamination purposes

00:41:20

immigration purposes is needed to improve the overall quality of that swell and so it so you know if we’re not going

if we’re not going to be running raised beds does usually in need for some type of remediation

through the use of organic amendments sew a compass application Dora

order up some top soil that is mixed in with thats that if you want to call it native soil

so they think you very much for the contents of the gates the on the hope I was breaking

hope I was bringing up that save you if if if if you were living in a newer subdivision you could possibly

could possibly avoid lead contamination problems but you might be missing a lot of the original topsoil anyway

00:41:55

anyway we are on focus in WI allow talking about

about urban agriculture and right now we’re talking with Professor cent workman he is the leader

he is the lead investigator at the urban agriculture research lab at the University of Illinois

Illinois Department of crop science is not give us a call at 1 800 222

hundred 222 94551 800 222 w IL

do I ll run Twitter and Facebook and focus 580 the email address

email address wyll dust off at Illinois Dodge ETW you talk to

00:42:30

you talk to a little bit earlier about the about pollinators being a benefit or is that something

are is that something that’s lacking in urban areas when your Foreman what was the question the Tesla

Pizza miko Lee Dr level I ask a couple of years ago and because they thought was the

thought was that maybe urban gardens community gardens can actually help to increase pony

responder populations inside of urban areas but really

what they found was thats that pollinators are not

are not necessarily on the populations are not necessarily higher

00:43:05

higher in community gardens Android find other areas in so it it seems like that’s not here

that’s not a huge benefits of urban agriculture but um but um she is current

currently in studying other multifunctional benefits states does urban active

been trill landscapes to provide to cities to urban farms kit

get to the pollination of the need the need some justices

just to get by I don’t know exactly how that works in France far is a survivor

survival of plants that you just going from seed yeah and that was really the main finding um

00:43:40

um of their study was that they they are having enough pollinators at the sermon Garden

urban garden sights and so they were looking at Siena does having a buffer strip of saber

offset a perineal flowers around your garden does that increase pony

Polly are populations for your vegetable crops hour does Beano proximity to certain things

certain things in the landscape does that increase your props and sandwich

hands and what they found was that’s really the abundance of pollinators in urban areas

urban areas isn’t as much a problem for finding variable populations of pollinators at all these

00:44:15

all these community gardens and so that the doesn’t appear to be one of the challenges of implement

of implementing urban agriculture which is the positive Will Allen talked about love

about a vertical farming with others forming on on on on on

several levels of going up to make up to make up for the lack of available land

Land how does that work in how well do you know how well can that works as far as

what works as far as is is far is being keeping the keeping metastable in making sure

bowling making sure that everything has the light on the water that needs yes oh verbal farming

00:44:50

brookelle farming is a great concept and its it’s one that’s still very poor

still very preliminary and it’s one that we need a lot of Engineers to be working on because

working on because i right now the biggest turtle is is energy

um because when you start to grow vertically in Wilmington example of maybe a 100 story

100 story building where were we’re going for today inside of the challenge there is that

where is that it’s very energy intensive and extensive 2012

um to provide lights inside the building is going to be getting a lot of lights on the south

00:45:25

lights on the south side of the building artificial light switches is very energy intensive

intensive and then just the amount of heating and cooling um in that building

building to provide optimum temperatures for your crop environment is going to be on

it’s going to be very expensive is well in so there’s just a lot of on technical

technical challenges that need to be overcome before we see something like that

what’s become profitable in sustainable do you see um any

any simpler forms of vertical farming where someone might be working with a 20 or 30

00:46:00

two or three or four levels not something I need an elevator to get to ya ensign drilling

ensign really um you know I see what’s with growing power is already doing as a form a vertical

vertical farming example will touch down there aquaponic systems

aquaponic systems they typically have a fish tank that is built down into the ground

into the ground and then on top of that they have a structure where the water runs on top of

top of filtered out from plants that are going directly on top of that fish tank so you got

so you got two layers there and will mentioned maximizing on maximizing

00:46:35

maximizing every square foot on the way also need to think about maximizing every a cube

a cubic foot and so do you think about something like a green house right on the expense of infrastructure

infrastructure we need to think about um utilizing every cubic foot of space within the greenhouse

in the greenhouse inside another example is going to be doing some research I’m here on campus

Campus research center Dixon springs we’re going to be growing strawberries in vertical towers

hours for going to be stacking 5 pots on top of each other for a total of about 45

about 45 feet towers um and growing hydroponically sew in

00:47:10

nickel a sew in soil is media and we see that is a great way to

how to utilize every um cubic foot inside of a high tunnel

in situations remove oil contamination can you lies hydroponics in soil is media

Media I’m trying to get a visual idea of that if you have a positive

top of each other which direction are the plants growing growing up on the growing to the Sun

growing to the side what so the pots are staggered so you can put for strawberry

strawberry plants in each corner of the pot and then you stagger them on top of the

00:47:45

I’m on top of each other so they’re kind of coming out of the corner of each of those Poteau ok and so because

and so because it’s a strawberry strawberries work so well because it doesn’t put on a lot of vegetative biomass

biomass so it doesn’t necessarily need to grow up or out just kind of gross in place strawberries grow

strawberries grow in kind of hang off the sides of the pots and Ice everything able to get enough light

flight yes there’s Benson preliminary research originally Wendy’s

originally when is vertical systems came out you know going to that idea of maximizing every cubic foot

every cubic foot of the item space the original thought was let’s taxi Spotsy nw20 high

00:48:20

20 hi let’s put them all the way to the roof the greenhouse of course light became very limiting NC

and someone recently that scale back and 405 pot stack on top of each other

souther seems to be kind of the optimum number where the bottom part is still getting enough light to be

to be economically viable and how much savings and put your savings is the right word

word but how many more strawberries can you grow compared to just the flat ground

ground area of soil that would be taken out I’m not sure what the

what the exact number is but um its it is um more profitable

00:48:55

more profitable to to grow vertically in Illinois you know if that might not be the case

the case on anymore ideal strawberry growing environment like California butts

abuts the preliminary work that my clarity Jeff kinda hurts dun dun Dixon springs Houston

Asian that’s a vertical system is is more space intensive and profit

profitable for Illinois farmers want one question everything urban farming

farming on this comes to mine is is there a lot of extra effort needed in order to

order to water the plants in Minnesota specialized environment and is it

00:49:30

is it worth it in terms of land in terms of the year old get maybe this

maybe this Savings you get since you’re not trucking in food from a from rural areas

that’s a question that remains to be seen it

scene it is long term investment as is Willard e touchdown

it can be very expensive mansion $100 per cubic yard of compost

post so if you’re talking about you know the putting that compost on 1 acre

acre of land it starts at a pretty quickly and so there’s a very expensive

00:50:05

expensive on short term investment and working to be done to quantify

quantify some of the more long term social benefits health benefits

economic benefits in terms of job creation job training um if you’re just looking about

looking about the break-even point for your one year to year 3 it’s probably hard to justified

how to justify that type of farming I just economically but when we look at a longer a picture of

a picture of this time it starts to make a bit more sense well I wanted to thank you

thank you Sam workman for a talking with us today San workman is up with the Urban

00:50:40

with the urban agriculture research lab at the Department of Health Sciences at the University of Illinois

city of Illinois my things also to Will Allen of growing power who was on the

who was on the first half of our program and he will be speaking tonight Tuesday evening at 7

7 at the U of I Illini Union everyone thought you had

thoughts you have about urban agriculture in the days program your comments welcome in our website where you going

site where you can also find links to growing power in the urban agriculture research lab

will.illinois.edu/focus

00:51:15

produced by Lindsey moon Jason Crawford technical director tomorrow we will be looking at the latest

get the latest proposals for pension reform in Springfield and what their impact might be

might be this is focused on wyll