The price of cattle has increased, but only marginally, while prices at the grocery store have soared. McDonald’s and other food industry players accuse the big beef packers of collusion and price-gouging, while the packers deny these allegations. Co-published with @thefern.org:

As FERN's Theodore Ross explains, rising beef prices are a concern for consumers. Learn more in Ted Genoways' recent story for FERN and The Guardian, which breaks down the systemic reasons: https://thefern.org/2026/02/big-four-beef-processors-under-fire-as-prices-for-steaks-and-hamburgers-soar/

“Since the robot bee was first used in 2017 to pollinate almond orchards in New York, it has been used to pollinate almond, apple, cherry, and pistachio orchards from California to Brazil,” writes Claire Turrell. ⬇️ https://thefern.org/blog_posts/ferns-friday-feed-here-come-the-robot-bees/

Read the full story, a collaboration with The Guardian, at https://thefern.org/2026/02/big-four-beef-processors-under-fire-as-prices-for-steaks-and-hamburgers-soar/

FERN's Teresa Cotsirilos gives insight into what she's learned through her reporting on the H-2A visa program, which could dramatically expand under the Trump administration. Read it here:https://thefern.org/2026/02/everyone-in-washington-wants-to-reform-agricultures-main-visa-program/

FERN's editor-in-chief talks about how the story came together about Haitian meatpackers striking at a JBS plant in Greeley, Colorado. We hope you’ll read it, as well as the rest of the reporting from our "Trouble on the Line" series. https://thefern.org/special-series/trouble-on-the-line/

Reporter Jane Black, who's been covering food policy in D.C. for the last 15 years, talks about how that history is what informed her recent story on food reform. Read the story here: https://thefern.org/2026/02/food-reform-was-always-democrats-territory-then-rfk-jr-and-maha-hijacked-it/

Big news: FERN is a finalist for a National Magazine Award, aka the "Ellie." Reporter Elliott Woods spent over two years reporting on the 2022 migrant tragedy in Texas. We're so honored and proud! https://thefern.org/blog_posts/editors-desk-understanding-why-beef-prices-are-so-high/

“In response to what they allege is years of price-gouging and collusion, many of the Big Four’s business partners have filed lawsuits,” writes Ted Genoways. ⬇️ https://thefern.org/blog_posts/ferns-friday-feed-the-beef-over-beef-prices/

Theodore Ross, FERN's editor-in-chief, talks about Elliott Woods' recent win of the prestigious Polk award for magazine reporting for his stories about an immigration disaster, written for FERN and Texas Monthly. We hope you'll read them, and learn more about the award, at www.thefern.org.

Watch the full interview for this episode here: https://youtu.be/wNukz5W2NUE And subscribe to our YouTube channel for future episodes.

Watch the full interview for this episode here: https://youtu.be/wNukz5W2NUE And subscribe to our YouTube channel for future episodes.

Ted Genoways, in his story for FERN and The Guardian, reports on why food giants like McDonald’s and other food industry players are accusing beef packers of collusion and price-gouging. ⬇️ https://thefern.org/2026/02/big-four-beef-processors-under-fire-as-prices-for-steaks-and-hamburgers-soar/

Watch the full interview for this episode here: https://youtu.be/wNukz5W2NUE And subscribe to our YouTube channel for future episodes.

Helena and Theodore talk about Iron Mike Tyson’s mama-said-knock-you-out vibes on ultraprocessed foods, RFK Jr. tag-teaming with David Kessler.

Reporter Ted Genoways spent more than a year reporting on Haitian migrants working at a beef packing plant in Greeley, Colorado. Recently he went back there to cover a strike vote by those workers, which passed almost unanimously. Details at https://thefern.org/special-series/trouble-on-the-line/

Read the full story, a collaboration with The New Republic at https://thefern.org/2026/02/food-reform-was-always-democrats-territory-then-rfk-jr-and-maha-hijacked-it/

The catastrophe that unfolded on June 27, 2022 would result in the deadliest immigration-related disaster in modern American history, explains Elliott Woods, in his investigative piece for FERN and Texas Monthly.

“Once upon a time, though, healthy food wasn’t a Republican talking point. In fact, “eat food”—the ‘real’ was implied—has long been a progressive message,” writes Jane Black. ⬇️ https://thefern.org/blog_posts/ferns-friday-feed-paging-michael-pollan/

Elliott Woods, a longtime FERN contributor, spent nearly two and a half years reporting and writing two stories on the death of 53 migrant workers who suffocated in the back of a tractor-trailer in Texas, in 2022, as they were being smuggled into the U.S.

Our latest REAP/SOW episode, produced in partnership with Second Nature, explores how everyday habits and larger food systems shape food waste — and the solutions already underway. Watch the full episode on our FERNnews YouTube channel. https://youtu.be/ofw873zcQME

A third of the food Americans produce goes to waste, and a shocking amount of that waste happens in our own homes. But reducing food waste is possible, if we make a few simple changes.

In her story for FERN and The New Republic, Jane Black asks: With midterms looming, can liberals convince voters that they, too, are prepared to tackle the problems of the U.S. food system? ⬇️ https://thefern.org/2026/02/food-reform-was-always-democrats-territory-then-rfk-jr-and-maha-hijacked-it/

“ ... despite these threats, the largely immigrant union workers at a JBS beef plant in Greeley, Colorado, many of them recent arrivals from Haiti, still voted to strike ... ,” writes Ted Genoways. ⬇️ https://thefern.org/blog_posts/ferns-friday-feed-courage-in-colorado/

Why changes to the H-2A visa backed by the Trump administration won't solve farmers' labor problem, and how they will make the serious health and safety issues that farmworkers face even worse. ⬇️ https://thefern.org/2026/02/everyone-in-washington-wants-to-reform-agricultures-main-visa-program/

Watch the full interview for this episode here: youtu.be/5ZsocvIn6rs And subscribe to our YouTube channel for future episodes. @foodfixco.bsky.social @hbottemiller.bsky.social @mikegrunwald.bsky.social

Watch the full interview for this episode here: youtu.be/5ZsocvIn6rs And subscribe to our YouTube channel for future episodes. @foodfixco.bsky.social @hbottemiller.bsky.social @mikegrunwald.bsky.social

Watch the full interview for this episode here: youtu.be/5ZsocvIn6rs And subscribe to our YouTube channel for future episodes. @foodfixco.bsky.social @hbottemiller.bsky.social @mikegrunwald.bsky.social

Our guest on this episode is Michael Grunwald, a journalist and the author of ‘We are Eating the Earth: The race to fix our food system and save our climate.’

The largely immigrant workforce at JBS's flagship U.S. plant, in Greeley, Colorado, is refusing to back down after accusing the company of poor working conditions. Reporting by Ted Genoways for FERN and Mother Jones. Photography by Maryanne Andrei. thefern.org/2026/02/thes...

“My dad and I have accidentally found ourselves in the funeral-catering business. In many ways, it is the perfect gig for my father, a retired chef with a penchant for gossiping over an afternoon pint,” writes Vida Adamczewski. ⬇️ https://thefern.org/blog_posts/ferns-friday-feed-mourning-meal/

“In Japan, you can assume that the fish at any good restaurant met its end by way of ‘ike’ and ‘shinkei jime’; in the U.S., the same is true at restaurants offering catch imported from Tokyo’s famed Toyosu Market.” ⬇️ https://thefern.org/blog_posts/ferns-friday-feed-how-to-kill-a-fish/

Watch the full interview for this episode here: youtu.be/zHBWMiQ__p4 And subscribe to our YouTube channel for future episodes. @foodfixco.bsky.social @hbottemiller.bsky.social @thefoodbabe.bsky.social

Helena and Theodore are joined by Vani Hari, “the Food Babe,” a New York Times Best Selling Author, wellness entrepreneur, and social media influencer.

“When I moved into a new house in June, I inherited a three-year-old, bottom-mount Fisher & Paykel refrigerator,” writes Maggie Hennessy. “Though I find plenty of time to complain about its lack of a dedicated cheese drawer.” ⬇️ https://thefern.org/blog_posts/ferns-friday-feed-cold-storage/

“‘Os Menino da Pecuária’ ... Brazil’s version of country music … celebrating not just rural life but cattle ranching, soy farming and the agricultural industry at large.” ⬇️ https://thefern.org/blog_posts/ferns-friday-feed-the-dulcet-tone-of-propaganda/

Read the full story, a collaboration with The Baffler, at thefern.org/2026/01/rese... @thebaffler.com

Read the full story, a collaboration with The Baffler, at thefern.org/2026/01/last... @thebaffler.com

Watch the full interview for this episode here: youtu.be/Kb1E7bDIohI And subscribe to our YouTube channel for future episodes. @foodfixco.bsky.social @hbottemiller.bsky.social

It’s 2026 and Forked has returned from a short holiday break. Helena and Theodore are excited – and maybe a little nervous – to see what happens in the second year of life in the MAHA moment.

“Since the Point Reyes National Seashore was established in 1972, ranches ... helped reconfigure our nation’s understanding of what we should eat ... and the ethics of its production,” writes Lauren Markham. https://thefern.org/blog_posts/ferns-friday-feed-can-conservation-and-ranching-coexist/

On the morning of March 25, 2023, thirty thousand people marched across western France in protest of the unfinished 190-million-gallon Sainte-Soline reservoir, which was to become part of a system that already included over two dozen reservoirs that primarily served large agricultural operators.

In her story for FERN and The Baffler, Lauren Markham tells the complex story of how a fight over protecting the tule elk pitted environmentalists against ranchers in Point Reyes, California. Link below ⬇️

When you support us, we want to be able to give something back in return. Donate at least $50 or $5/month and you can receive The Dirt, an annual print collection of our favorite stories. It’s a great way to stay on top of FERN’s essential work on food and agriculture. https://thefern.org/donate/

At FERN, our multi-format storytelling ensures important stories reach diverse audiences in the ways they prefer. Learn more about our multi-format strategy and donate to support our work at https://thefern.org.

The Gulf Coast is one of the last places in the world where there is still a major wild oyster harvest. Lately, though, that harvest is in trouble.

At FERN, every collaboration begins with a story, and we work with top journalists and major media outlets to bring deeply reported food and environmental stories to hundreds of millions of people. Learn more about our partnerships and donate to support our work at www.thefern.org.