The Food & Environment Reporting Network (FERN)

The Food & Environment Reporting Network stands out as the only independent, non-profit news organization dedicated to in-depth and investigative journalism focused on the often overlooked topics of food, agriculture, and environmental health. By collaborating with both local and national mainstream media, we aim to share stories that not only educate and inspire but also create a lasting difference.

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FERN’s Friday Feed: Listen to the ’shrooms

2 weeks ago | thefern.org | Brent Cunningham

“They are neither plant nor animal, but a wild conglomeration of things, existing in ways that are so central to ecosystems that what we have learned about them forces the breakdown of traditional taxonomy,” writes Meera Subramanian. “And even with what we have learned, scientists from the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew estimate that as many as 95 percent of the planet’s fungal species have not yet been identified.
How fungi are surviving—and even thriving—in a warming world | Food and Environment Reporting Network

2 weeks ago | thefern.org | Meera Subramanian

, This article was produced in collaboration with Orion Magazine. It may not be reproduced without express permission from FERN. If you are interested in republishing or reposting this article, please contact [email protected].
Food and Environment Reporting Network

2 weeks ago | thefern.org | Boyce Upholt

This article was produced in collaboration with Inc. Magazine. It may not be reproduced without express permission from FERN. If you are interested in republishing or reposting this article, please contact [email protected].
FERN’s Friday Feed: Something fishy

3 weeks ago | thefern.org | Brent Cunningham

In May of 2024, the owners of Mary Mahoney’s, an institution in Biloxi, Mississippi, pleaded guilty to fraudulently selling more than 29 tons of fish between December 2013 and November 2019, claiming it was locally caught when in fact it was imported. As reporter Boyce Upholt explains, the investigation found that at least 55,000 customers had purchased mislabeled fish. And that was just the beginning.
Something fishy | Food and Environment Reporting Network

3 weeks ago | thefern.org | Boyce Upholt

This Story’s Impact 17,000 downloads a month This article was produced in collaboration with the Gravy podcast from the Southern Foodways Alliance. It may not be reproduced without express permission from FERN. If you are interested in republishing or reposting this article, please contact [email protected].
FERN’s Friday Feed: Screwed

4 weeks ago | thefern.org | Brent Cunningham

“The United States has, for 70 years, been fighting a continuous aerial war against the New World screwworm, a parasite that eats animals alive: cow, pig, deer, dog, even human. (Its scientific name, C. hominivorax, translates to “man-eater.”) … But in the 1950s, the U.S. Department of Agriculture laid the groundwork for a continent-wide assault.
FERN’s Friday Feed: Fertilizer’s toxic journey

1 month ago | thefern.org | Brent Cunningham

The chemical industry is big business in Louisiana. Companies here manufacture plastics, fuels, pesticides, and cleaning products. But one part of the chemical industry that’s often overlooked is the fertilizer business. Chemical fertilizer is a cornerstone of modern farming. It helps grow the food and food products billions of people eat. It’s also causing vast environmental damage.
FERN’s Friday Feed: Price check

1 month ago | thefern.org | Brent Cunningham

“Derek and Allison Hadfield became more and more fed up whenever they shopped for their family of four at their local Kroger grocery in Belpre, Ohio. When they tried to save money by buying stuff on sale, they said, many of the discounts vanished when Kroger rang up their carts at checkout. Personal pizzas posted as on sale for $1 a piece rang up for $1.25 each. An 8 ounce jar of minced garlic listed at a low price of $2.49 cost $3.99 at checkout — a 60% jump.
FERN’s Friday Feed: Fried fish and family affairs

1 month ago | thefern.org | Brent Cunningham

“The Eastern Shore of Virginia is the southern-most tip of the Delmarva Peninsula, a hunk of land under joint custody of Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. The Virginia portion is a serrated slice some 5 to 15 miles wide and 70 miles long. The bayside looks west across the Chesapeake Bay to mainland Virginia, while the seaside is shielded by barrier islands, the longest stretch of coastal wilderness on the East Coast.
No matter who’s in the White House, the poultry-processing lines move ever faster

1 month ago | thefern.org | Bryce Covert

In one of the nation's chicken-producing hubs, immigrant workers say their employers offer Band-Aids, ice, and ibuprofen for injuries that are often life-altering By Photography by Shuran Huang The first time I met Alex Paul he wore a stylish patterned shirt and a wide smile.