REAP/SOW
Dispatches from the frontlines of food, farming, and the environment. From the Food & Environment Reporting Network, the producers of Hot Farm, REAP/SOW brings you narrative and investigative reporting that examines the consequences of what we choose to eat and why. Currently featuring BUZZKILL, a six-part series on the pollinator crisis
Episodes
One of the biggest fights brewing for control of the Senate is taking place in deep red Nebraska, where an industrial mechanic and Navy veteran named Dan Osborn is trying to turn the backlash against high beef prices into a winning campaign. Osborn joins Helena and Theodore for a Forked conversation on this surprisingly competitive midterm fight. We dive deep into the state of his race against GOP incumbent Pete Ricketts, the power...
The workers at the JBS meatpacking plant in Greeley, Colorado went on strike and won a new contract with better pay and benefits. Many of those workers are immigrants from countries that the Trump administration has stripped of their Temporary Protected Status visas. FERN senior editor Ted Genoways returns to his reporting on Tchelly Moise, a Haitian immigrant who helped lead the strike at one of the largest meatpacking plants in t...
GOP rising star Kat Cammack drops by to talk with Theodore and Helena about the future of the farm bill, her perspective on SNAP fraud and errors, why some government regulation is BS, how MAHA and MAGA can make nice, and more. This is a rollicking, in-depth conversation about serious issues in the American food system, providing deep insight into how a working legislator thinks about policy. Experience Forked Live! We're coming to...
As the fight for Congress grows more tense, the difference between victory for Red or Blue may hinge on the MAHA movement. Are its members satisfied with what the GOP and Donald Trump have done for them? Do they feel betrayed by everything that hasn’t gone their way? RFK Jr. may still be their charismatic leader, but he’s not on the ballot. Theodore Ross sits down with three great FERN reporters — Jill Filipovic, ...
There was a Mitch McConnell sighting in the Senate last week, which could mean a proof of life for Mitch McConnell ... but probably not for the farm bill. Helena and Theodore both think Congress is basically cooked. Meanwhile, RFK Jr.'s speech at the Children’s Health Defense Conference in D.C. showed everyone he is still very, very antivax, and that the movement has a “strong and steadfast friend in the White House." B...
Forked is back for a third season, and the premiere episode is all about BEEF. The cattle ranchers are beefing with the president about importing tariff-free beef from other countries. The president is beefing with the Big Four meat processors, who he blames for high prices. Trump says he’s going to make it easier for ranchers to process their own meat, and that Americans will be better able to know where their beef is coming...
The grassroots activist and MAHA leader Kelly Ryerson, known as Glyphosate Girl, has been an influential voice on agricultural issues for years. But with the Trump administration siding with Big Ag at the Supreme Court, it’s an open question where Ryerson and MAHA’s political home will be in the future. Helena and Theodore talk to Ryerson about these and other issues. Bonus: Why does the U.S. send so much ice cream to S...
Some parts of the media have pronounced MAHA DOA PDA. But maybe they’re just FOI? Helena and Theodore discuss. They also tackle the staggering, stunning, Holy Guacamole adoption of GLP-1s by Americans, and the rise – and risks – of compounded weight loss drugs and direct-to-consumer pharma. Finally, a good vibe: a pool full of pickles for a proper purpose!
A signature goal of the MAHA-backed USDA was to stop SNAP recipients from using their benefits to purchase sugary foods. They were on their way to achieving that – granting waivers in nearly half the country – until a federal judge struck it down in five states. It’s a potentially precedent-setting move that may ultimately end up at the Supreme Court. Theodore and Helena get into the consequences of the federal ru...
America’s meat supply is produced largely by vulnerable immigrant workers, many of whom have been targeted by the Trump Administration. But a group of workers in Colorado voted to strike against conditions in the JBS flagship plant – risking the loss of their jobs and potentially being deported. FERN staffer Ted Genoways gives an in-depth interview with Tom Philpott about his reporting on the union workers who led the l...
This episode dives deep into the impact the MAHA movement has been having on the midterm elections. Zach Lahn was the first statewide candidate endorsed by MAHA Action, the movement’s largest political action committee. Donald Trump supported the other candidate, Rob Sand. Lahn won. That doesn’t mean Trump’s influence is on the wane. But it does mean MAHA issues are moving votes. Also in this episode: Did we get D...
It’s been 20 years since Michael Pollan published The Omnivore's Dilemma, a book that drove a huge shift in how Americans thought about food and agriculture. He joins us to discuss how his ideas have been adopted across the spectrum of American food politics. Plus: psychedelics, consciousness, and Theodore’s favorite dim sum spot in Brooklyn.
The MAHA movement has hit some turbulence. Is it a few bumps or is it gonna crash? Casey Means for Surgeon General didn’t happen. Marty Makary flamed out at FDA. On this episode, Helena and Theodore discuss what it means for the movement, plus what the work requirements for SNAP are doing around the country. Bonus: Theodore brags about his James Beard Media Award nominations.
The senior senator from the Garden State has taken a leading role on the food and ag issues that we care about at Forked. We were so excited that Cory Booker was our guest on this episode. Helena and Theodore get his take on what Democrats should be doing about food policy, whatever happened to the farm bill – and whether his party can grab food issues back from Republicans before the midterms.
The Supreme Court recently heard arguments in Monsanto v. Durnell, a case that could decide the fate of state-level glyphosate warning-label lawsuits — and perhaps the MAHA movement. If the Supremes rule in favor of Bayer, which owns Roundup, the glyphosate-based herbicide that powers industrial agriculture in this country and around the world, MAHA’s leaders may revolt. Theodore and Helena discuss this, and the other w...
What happens when you get a James-Beard-Award-winning chef together with one of the best food and ag daily reporters out there for a live, in-depth conversation on what’s happening now in food in this country? You get a Forked special episode! Taped live in Washington, D.C. with Theodore Ross, this episode gets into glyphosate battles, the GLP-1 future, and how restaurants are recovering in the Twin Cities.
How would you feel if someone told you one of the most pressing problems in food safety in this country was fixed? Now how would you feel if you learned that wasn’t really true? Helena and Theodore provide answers to these questions and more – in this episode.
This episode dives back into the issue of food waste, why it matters, and what you can do about it. But it’s also a behind-the-scenes conversation about reporting on the topic. Katelan Cunningham, the host of the Second Nature podcast, talks about why she pursued this story, what the biggest obstacles to her reporting were, and what you do when failing on food waste makes you feel guilty.
In this episode, Helena and Theodore look at how efforts to allow states to ban soda and candy purchases for SNAP recipients may fizzle out — for now. We also unpack what the war with Iran is doing to fertilizer and food prices, and in Colorado, workers at one of largest meatpacking plants in the country go on strike.
FERN senior editor Ted Genoways traveled to Colorado to report on a strike vote by the unionized workers at the JBS meatpacking plant in Greeley. Many of these workers are from Haiti and are at risk of losing their work visas in the United States. Yet, given the opportunity to exercise their political power by voting, they’ve chosen to do so. It’s a moving act of basic democracy, and Genoways talks about how he reported...
Popular Podcasts
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by Audiochuck Media Company.
DISGRACELAND is an award-winning music and true crime podcast about musicians getting away with murder and behaving very badly. Jerry Lee Lewis's 5th wife? Dead. Sid and Nancy? Both dead. Why? Because musicians are insane, and insane things happen to them. Why did we lose Amy Winehouse at 27? Was Debbie Harry really abducted by Ted Bundy as she claims? Is Patti Smith not just the "Godmother of Punk", but also the "Original True Crime Girl"? What really happened the night of the Jay Z nightclub stabbing? What do the Diddy indictments truly reveal? All these stories and more, on artists from every genre and their true crimes, in our massive 260-plus story archive. The Dead, the Stones, Johnny, Willie, Frank, Kurt, Courtney, Gaga, Lana, Taylor, and too many to name. DISGRACELAND is music history come to life through audio storytelling as you've never heard it before, with revealing facts: yes, assassins are the real reason the Beatles quit touring—reclaimed myths: no, Mama Cass didn't die from choking on a ham sandwich––and constant reckoning between art and artist––all told through the lens of true crime. This is the podcast for the self-proclaimed "Disgos", the musically obsessed and the true crime heads; the outsiders, the independent thinkers who know that the best history is the history that gets buried. DISGRACELAND is where host Jake Brennan tells the stories they didn't want told. The kind you'll end up telling someone else. Get ready to uncover hidden truths and buckle up for truly edge-of-your-seat storytelling. New, fully scripted, sound-designed episodes are released every Tuesday. Bonus chat-style episodes where Jake responds to voicemails, texts, and emails from Disgos hit on Thursdays, and "Rewind" episodes from our archive drop on Sundays. DISGRACELAND is not a journalistic podcast. It's an entertainment podcast inspired by true events. Certain dialogue and scenes are dramatized, as is common in scripted entertainment based on real stories. Sources and credits for each episode are available at www.disgracelandpod.com. To unlock ad-free listening, exclusive content, and connect with your fellow Disgos, go to www.disgracelandpod.com to become an All Access member. Rocka Rolla.