He's running for governor in Iowa on a promise to bust up Big Ag. Is Zach Lahn the real deal? Read the full investigation, reported by Teresa Cotsirilos: thefern.org/2026/08/zach...

MAHA voters helped Trump win in 2024. Now the alliance is straining over pesticides, food labels, and who holds the health jobs. Tomorrow we launch a special series: MAHA & The Midterms, published with partners @politico.com and @motherjones.com . Follow us to keep up with the series as it drops.

At FERN, we’re looking for our next Assistant Engagement Producer to run point on our video and podcast production (Forked, REAP/SOW) and help shape how our reporting shows up on social media. Role is full-time, remote (U.S.), $40k - $50k. Learn more and apply here: https://bit.ly/4bLRkbm

Ready to eat blackberries without seeds stuck in your teeth? Scientists are using Crispr gene-editing to redesign food from the ground up.

The 2018 farm bill quietly legalized trace amounts of THC in hemp products. Eight years later, that clause gave rise to a billion-dollar beverage industry and now a Kentucky senator wants to shut it down. Reporting by Alexander Zaitchik for FERN and @inc.com. Full article here: bit.ly/4gOWFC3

Shoutout to the 13-year-old who casually executed a flawless egg sandwich—great bread, perfect seasoning, and an intentional splash of hot sauce. Parents of toddlers, stay strong: one day your children will make you premium breakfast food.

Zach Lahn is testing a wild political thesis: Can an anti-Big Ag, pro-water-quality, anti-glyphosate MAHA candidate win over deep-red rural Iowa voters? It turns out he's a full-stop MAHA true believer, and the establishment is panicking. Full breakdown here: $$Link$$

The wellness-to-politics pipeline is officially winning elections. A MAHA health candidate just defeated a Trump-endorsed MAGA candidate by capitalizing on voter anger over food systems and chronic illness policies. This isn't a subculture anymore; it's an electoral powerhouse. $$Link$$

In this episode of Forked: 🔹 The terrifying return of the flesh-eating New World screwworm 🔹 Zach Lahn and Iowa's water crisis 🧠 🔹 Helena's "doom buckets" and Theodore's ultimate egg sandwich 🥪 Listen here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts: https://thefern.org/podcasts/forked/

A 25% staff reduction in agricultural disease monitoring is a quiet administrative change—until a crisis hits. If this current threat leaks out past regional containment, it’s a full-blown national disaster. Here is why budget cuts have real-world biosecurity consequences: $$Link$$

Why do we say "please" to chatbots? 🤖 Michael Pollan discusses our evolutionary bias to anthropomorphize everything and the massive design choice that forced us to treat AI like a conscious being.

The food gap: Young people want to eat healthier but cook less than older generations. Michael Pollan argues the fix isn't just nagging people to get in the kitchen. We need to make whole foods convenient via affordable, "real food" fast-casual options. 🥗 🍉

How did Big Food fight back against the food movement? Michael Pollan reflects on the industry's successful pushback starting in 2008. 🚜🛑

Are algorithms hacking our attention? Michael Pollan discusses how social media and modern politics have hijacked our mental space. Time to reclaim mental freedom! 📵🧠

Your headspace is under siege. Michael Pollan dives into the modern crisis of attention hacking and the battle for our private inner lives. 🛡️🧠

Why does science struggle to explain consciousness? "A World Appears" author Michael Pollan explores the limits of objective science in understanding our subjective experiences. 🧠✨

Was the early food movement too naive? Michael Pollan explains why well-intentioned efforts struggled against the political power of industrial agriculture. 🌾🏛️

In this episode of Forked: 🔹 The 20-year legacy of The Omnivore's Dilemma 🔹 Psychedelics, consciousness, and food politics 🧠 🔹 Theodore’s favorite Brooklyn dim sum spot 🥟 Listen here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts: https://thefern.org/podcasts/forked/

Can we reform the food system just by "voting with your fork"? Michael Pollan says it's a start, but we need political engagement too. 🍴🏛️

The Trump admin just announced an antitrust probe into JBS. But with JBS as a massive campaign donor, is it the real deal? 🥩🤔 Sen. Cory Booker tells the Forked podcast he's praying for accountability but currently sees "no credibility" in the move. Listen here! 🎧 https://youtu.be/R22btsrNGzM

France's famous Brittany beaches are being overtaken by a green seaweed that releases toxic hydrogen sulphide gas as it rots. 🌊 The media calls it the "killer seaweed," and scientists are calling it a "monster." 🦠 https://thefern.org/blog_posts/ferns-friday-feed-frances-killer-seaweed/

Only 7% of US ag subsidies go to the foods doctors recommend. The result? An explosion in diet-related disease and healthcare costs. 📉🍔 Sen Cory Booker breaks down the broken food system on the new episode of Forked! Listen here: https://youtu.be/R22btsrNGzM 🎧

Who are the champions of food policy in the Senate? 🏛️ Sen. Cory Booker shouts out his allies Senator Luján and his “bald brother” Senator Warnock for leading the fight for a healthier food system! Listen to the new episode of Forked! 🎧 https://youtu.be/R22btsrNGzM

Sen. Cory Booker exposes the environmental and health horrors of massive CAFOs and how giant meatpacking corporations are polluting low-income communities. 🐖🏭 “These are awful corporations that need people to stand up to them.” Listen to Forked! 🎧 https://youtu.be/R22btsrNGzM

The NYT reveals RFK Jr. hasn't moved on from his vaccine skepticism, quietly searching for a 'silver bullet' link to autism. Listen to the full episode: https://youtu.be/s3Rl0mxvFsc

In this episode of Forked: 🔹 The future of MAHA 🔹 SNAP work requirements update 🔹 FERN's James Beard Media Award nods 🏆 Listen here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts:https://thefern.org/podcasts/forked/

“The math isn't mathing.” 📉🚜 Massive corporate conglomerates are squeezing small American family farms with high input costs. Are we facing another 1980s farm crisis? Sen. Cory Booker discusses the solution on the new episode of Forked! 🎧 https://youtu.be/R22btsrNGzM

A $250M indoor farm in Florida uses AI & 10k sensors to raise Atlantic Salmon. Result: Zero antibiotics & 3x the Omega-3s. But out-engineering nature is pricey. Would YOU eat land-grown salmon? 👇

“Her doctor called it a miracle cure. It's not a miracle... It's access to fresh, healthy foods.” 🥦 Sen. Cory Booker shares how urban farms in Newark helped residents reverse chronic diseases. Listen to the new episode of Forked out now! 🎧 https://youtu.be/R22btsrNGzM

“Hope is the active conviction that despair is not gonna have the last word.” Sen. Cory Booker draws inspiration from the Civil Rights movement as a new grassroots coalition fights for a better food system. ✊ Listen to the new Forked podcast! 🎧 https://youtu.be/R22btsrNGzM