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The Food & Environment Reporting Network

@thefern.org

3.6K followers 590 following 610 posts

The Food & Environment Reporting Network (FERN) produces independent, non-profit journalism at the intersection of food, agriculture, and the environment.

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The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · Jun 26

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 Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 1d

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

@bloomberg.com

The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 1d

ICYMI: The sinking of the Gulf Livestock 1 was an existential moment for farm animal exporters. Some of those lessons are being forgotten. Link below ⬇️

The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 1d

This story is part of FERN's special series, “Trouble on the line.”
thefern.org/special-seri...

@revealnews.org

The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 1d

Listen here: thefern.org/2025/10/upda...

The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 1d

Earlier FERN reporting showed how Haitian immigrants at the JBS meatpacking plant in Colorado were being exploited. Now, we return to this story with a podcast update on their lives during the Trump administration's crackdown.

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The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 2d

What will be the influence of MAHA voters in the midterms? Watch the full interview for this episode here: youtu.be/Boz47sWKLok

And subscribe to our YouTube channel for future episodes.

@foodfixco.bsky.social @hbottemiller.bsky.social @livablefuture.bsky.social

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The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 5d

“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/

The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 7d

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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The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 7d

“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.”

The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 7d

“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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The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 8d

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

The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 8d

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

The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 8d

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

@bloomberg.com

The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 8d

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 Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 8d

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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The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 9d

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

The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 9d

Listen here: thefern.org/podcasts/for...

The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 9d

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.

The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 9d

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.

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The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 10d

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

The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 12d

thefern.org/blog_posts/f...

The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 12d

“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.” ⬇️

The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 12d

“To be a foodie in the mid-aughts meant it wasn’t enough to enjoy French wines and Michelin-starred restaurants,” writes Jaya Saxena.

The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 14d

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