The Food & Environment Reporting Network
@thefern.org
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The Food & Environment Reporting Network (FERN) produces independent, non-profit journalism at the intersection of food, agriculture, and the environment.
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American food politics are a mess, and ordinary people are struggling to figure out who is in charge, what they’re up to, and why. Forked hosts Helena Bottemiller Evich and Theodore Ross cut through the confusion, providing context and analysis.
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“The sinking of the Gulf was the worst disaster in the history of the live-export trade, an industry made up of about 150 ships with a market value totaling $20 billion to $30 billion.”

https://thefern.org/blog_posts/ferns-friday-feed-the-dangerous-livestock-market-youve-never-heard-of/
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Inside the sinking of the Gulf Livestock 1, the worst disaster in the history of the maritime live-export trade. Link below ⬇️

thefern.org/2025/10/a-sh...

@bloomberg.com
Photography by Claire Martin
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“For a vessel full of appliances, car parts or electronics, such a delay would be little more than an inconvenience, but for the Gulf ... every extra day at anchor heightened the risk of the animals becoming ill or dying—and of costing the exporter and ship owner money.”
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“The Gulf was due to arrive at Tangshan, a massive port complex about 100 miles from Beijing, in four days,” writes Andrew S. Lewis. “It was the height of pandemic gridlock in ports around the world, especially in China, where ships often waited more than two days to offload.”
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Buzzkill is only one piece of our audio reporting! Our newest podcast series, Forked, is available wherever you listen to your podcasts. And don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel, FERNNews, the home for all FERN audio and video: www.youtube.com/@FERNnews
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Voting ends tomorrow, Oct. 9! If you haven't yet, please cast your vote now to help our Buzzkill podcast win a Signal Award! Head to the link below. ⬇️

vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting...

#signalawards @prx.org
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Andrew S. Lewis goes deep inside this disaster for FERN and Bloomberg Businessweek, reporting on a little-known global industry with only about 150 ships, but a total market value of $30 billion – and one that has been, for years, disproportionately prone to catastrophic accidents. Link below ⬇️
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The sinking of the Gulf Livestock 1 on August 30, 2020, was the worst disaster in the history of the maritime live-export trade. Forty-one crewmembers perished in a storm with 130-mph winds and 20-foot waves, and 5,900 head of cattle were lost.
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This episode is also available on our YouTube channel. Subscribe to all of FERN’s audio and video reporting: youtu.be/Boz47sWKLok

@foodfixco.bsky.social @hbottemiller.bsky.social @livablefuture.bsky.social
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They talk about why RFK Jr. rejected the UN Declaration on Noncommunicable Diseases, how the MAHA movement has – and hasn’t – transformed our food system, and, finally, what they’re all reading.
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Helena and Theodore team up with veteran food policy journalist Tom Philpott from the Unconfined podcast from the Center for a Livable Future at Johns Hopkins University.
thefern.org
Buzzkill is only one piece of our audio reporting! Our newest podcast series, Forked, is available wherever you listen to your podcasts. And don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel, FERNNews, the home for all FERN audio and video: www.youtube.com/@FERNnews
thefern.org
Time is running out to cast your vote for Buzzkill for a Signal Award! Head to the link below to quickly cast your vote. ⬇️

vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting...

#signalawards @prx.org
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“The pursuit of the ‘best’ food, with the broadest definition possible, became a defining trait: a pastry deserving of a two-hour wait, an international trip worth taking just for a bowl of noodles.” ⬇️
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“To be a foodie in the mid-aughts meant it wasn’t enough to enjoy French wines and Michelin-starred restaurants,” writes Jaya Saxena.
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Want more FERN audio? Check out our newest podcast series, Forked! New episodes drop every other Tuesday and you can listen wherever you get your podcasts or on our YouTube channel, FERNNews. www.youtube.com/@FERNnews
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Did you listen to Buzzkill, our podcast on the pollinator crisis? 🐝 Then we need your help! We've been nominated for a Signal Award, which recognizes podcasts that define culture. It's easy to vote! Just click the link below to get started. ⬇️
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And don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel, FERNNews, for a documentary that we produced for the project, along with video shorts, explainers, and interviews.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=p08K...

@highcountrynews.org‬ ‪
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FERN’s audio reporting for this special issue on food and power in the West is available on REAP/SOW, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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Read all the stories in the series, a collaboration with High Country News, at thefern.org/special-seri...