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One of the biggest fights brewing for control of the Senate is taking place in deep red Nebraska, where an industrial mechanic and Navy veteran named Dan Osborn is trying to turn the backlash against high beef prices into a winning campaign. Osborn joins Helena and Theodore for a Forked conversation on this surprisingly competitive midterm fight. We dive deep into the state of his race against GOP incumbent Pete Ricketts, the power of Big Four meatpackers and how Osborn says he would break them up, why he thinks the Trump administration’s efforts to lower food prices won’t work, and more.  Forked fans, we're bringing FORKED LIVEto the Brooklyn Museum on November 4 for a special conversation with Top Chef judge and eight-time James Beard Award winner Tom Colicchio! Join us as we dig into the MAHA movement, the midterm elections, the challenges facing restaurants, and the fight for a fairer food system. Buy tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/forked-live-with-tom-colicchio-at-the-brooklyn-museum-tickets-2002215489427?aff=prx Enjoying Forked? Follow the show, leave us a review, and share this episode with someone who cares about food and politics.  Forked is produced by the Food and Environment Reporting Network (FERN). Learn more at www.fern.org or on Instagram @fernnews.

GOP rising star Kat Cammack drops by to talk with Theodore and Helena about the future of the farm bill, her perspective on SNAP fraud and errors, why some government regulation is BS, how MAHA and MAGA can make nice, and more. This is a rollicking, in-depth conversation about serious issues in the American food system, providing deep insight into how a working legislator thinks about policy. Experience Forked Live! We're coming to Brooklyn on 11/4 with special guest Tom Colicchio! Buy tickets now!

There was a Mitch McConnell sighting in the Senate last week, which could mean a proof of life for Mitch McConnell ... but probably not for the farm bill. Helena and Theodore both think Congress is basically cooked. Meanwhile, RFK Jr.'s speech at the Children’s Health Defense Conference in D.C. showed everyone he is still very, very antivax, and that the movement has a “strong and steadfast friend in the White House." Bonus content: Mamdani food porn and a $60 loaf of rye in Manhattan.

Forked is back for a third season, and the premiere episode is all about BEEF. The cattle ranchers are beefing with the president about importing tariff-free beef from other countries. The president is beefing with the Big Four meat processors, who he blames for high prices. Trump says he’s going to make it easier for ranchers to process their own meat, and that Americans will be better able to know where their beef is coming from. But since he needs Congress to do all that, it has Theodore and Helena wondering: Where’s the beef in Trump’s newest executive order? Plus: White House wolf content, an upcoming Forked live taping in Brooklyn — and more!

The grassroots activist and MAHA leader Kelly Ryerson, known as Glyphosate Girl, has been an influential voice on agricultural issues for years. But with the Trump administration siding with Big Ag at the Supreme Court, it’s an open question where Ryerson and MAHA’s political home will be in the future. Helena and Theodore talk to Ryerson about these and other issues. Bonus: Why does the U.S. send so much ice cream to Saudi Arabia?

Some parts of the media have pronounced MAHA DOA PDA. But maybe they’re just FOI? Helena and Theodore discuss. They also tackle the staggering, stunning, Holy Guacamole adoption of GLP-1s by Americans, and the rise – and risks – of compounded weight loss drugs and direct-to-consumer pharma. Finally, a good vibe: a pool full of pickles for a proper purpose!

A signature goal of the MAHA-backed USDA was to stop SNAP recipients from using their benefits to purchase sugary foods. They were on their way to achieving that – granting waivers in nearly half the country – until a federal judge struck it down in five states. It’s a potentially precedent-setting move that may ultimately end up at the Supreme Court. Theodore and Helena get into the consequences of the federal ruling for SNAP beneficiaries, government regulators, politicians, and the MAHA movement. Also: RFK Jr. said the Trump Administration is solving the American obesity problem – but it’s probably the GLP-1s. Bonus: European soccer fans love American junk food!

This episode dives deep into the impact the MAHA movement has been having on the midterm elections. Zach Lahn was the first statewide candidate endorsed by MAHA Action, the movement’s largest political action committee. Donald Trump supported the other candidate, Rob Sand. Lahn won. That doesn’t mean Trump’s influence is on the wane. But it does mean MAHA issues are moving votes. Also in this episode: Did we get DOGE’d on New World screwworm fly?

It’s been 20 years since Michael Pollan published The Omnivore's Dilemma, a book that drove a huge shift in how Americans thought about food and agriculture. He joins us to discuss how his ideas have been adopted across the spectrum of American food politics. Plus: psychedelics, consciousness, and Theodore’s favorite dim sum spot in Brooklyn.

The MAHA movement has hit some turbulence. Is it a few bumps or is it gonna crash? Casey Means for Surgeon General didn’t happen. Marty Makary flamed out at FDA. On this episode, Helena and Theodore discuss what it means for the movement, plus what the work requirements for SNAP are doing around the country. Bonus: Theodore brags about his James Beard Media Award nominations.

The senior senator from the Garden State has taken a leading role on the food and ag issues that we care about at Forked. We were so excited that Cory Booker was our guest on this episode. Helena and Theodore get his take on what Democrats should be doing about food policy, whatever happened to the farm bill – and whether his party can grab food issues back from Republicans before the midterms.

The Supreme Court recently heard arguments in Monsanto v. Durnell, a case that could decide the fate of state-level glyphosate warning-label lawsuits — and perhaps the MAHA movement. If the Supremes rule in favor of Bayer, which owns Roundup, the glyphosate-based herbicide that powers industrial agriculture in this country and around the world, MAHA’s leaders may revolt. Theodore and Helena discuss this, and the other ways MAHA is flexing its political power, including on the long-delayed Farm Bill.

What happens when you get a James-Beard-Award-winning chef together with one of the best food and ag daily reporters out there for a live, in-depth conversation on what’s happening now in food in this country? You get a Forked special episode! Taped live in Washington, D.C. with Theodore Ross, this episode gets into glyphosate battles, the GLP-1 future, and how restaurants are recovering in the Twin Cities.

How would you feel if someone told you one of the most pressing problems in food safety in this country was fixed? Now how would you feel if you learned that wasn’t really true? Helena and Theodore provide answers to these questions and more – in this episode.

In this episode, Helena and Theodore look at how efforts to allow states to ban soda and candy purchases for SNAP recipients may fizzle out — for now. We also unpack what the war with Iran is doing to fertilizer and food prices, and in Colorado, workers at one of largest meatpacking plants in the country go on strike.