What inspires you to write about food and farming?

I grew up just north of Detroit with very little connection to or understanding of where my food came from. Unfortunately, I think a lot of people grow up in a similar way despite the massive role that food — and how it’s produced – plays in all of our lives. I feel fortunate to play a small part in helping readers and viewers understand what it takes to keep our grocery stores full. Food and farming intersect with so many aspects of our health, environment, and state and federal policies. I’m inspired to arm people with knowledge so they can make informed personal and political choices.

My specific beat is animal agriculture and the meat industry. I see this beat as vitally important, as animals cannot tell their own story. Meat consumption and deregulatory efforts are both at all-time highs in the United States — it’s never been as crucial to investigate and report on livestock and dairy operations and the policies that impact them so people know the true cost of meat and dairy.

What’s a recent story that you’re proud of and why?

I recently reported on two separate campaigns underway aimed at swaying public opinion on state animal welfare laws in California and Massachusetts that require farmers to provide hogs, calves and chickens with enough room to turn around, lie down and stretch. The laws also apply to meat sold in the states that was produced elsewhere. The campaigns included essays, research reports, letters-to-the-editor, and opinion articles placed in newspapers throughout the country — all claiming the two state laws were violating federal commerce laws and harming pork producers in other states that have to comply.

The campaigns were run by the Carver Center for Agriculture & Nutrition and the Center for the Environment and Welfare. However, most of the public-facing outreach from both organizations failed to mention that they are both industry-linked groups with connections to the lobbying arms of the meat industry. In addition, none of the newspapers that ran op-eds from these groups mentioned the industry links, leaving readers of those papers to only see the innocuous sounding names of the front groups. I think it’s important for the public to know who is behind the information they are getting and the sometimes deceptive ways that powerful lobbyists work to sway public opinion. Congress is currently debating this very issue as it marks up the draft Farm Bill, and I was proud that my reporting came out in time to inform this debate.

What’s something you’ve learned recently that more journalists should know about?

If possible, try to establish a relationship with the people in charge of fulfilling Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. This may not always be possible, but, as someone who files FOIAs frequently, it has helped move along some requests that were otherwise stuck in the queue. For one federal agency, I have periodic video calls with the FOIA coordinator in which I leave with more understanding and information about the requests than I would have by just refreshing their portal. Communicating face-to-face (over a screen anyway!) breaks down some of the bureaucratic hurdles and allows you to connect with another human, clearly explain what you’re looking for, and leave with a firm understanding of what you might get (or not get) and when you might get it (or not get it). Again, this isn’t always possible — and it’s certainly not allowing me to skip the line or enjoy free rein on government information — but, in some cases, it’s at least allowed me to better understand where things are at and if and when I could expect information.

One other thing I’d want other journalists to know: Your work matters. This work can feel isolating at times. And, given the “attention economy” we operate in, your published work doesn’t always get the audience it deserves. But fact-based reporting is the best bulwark against mis- and disinformation, and proliferating AI content.

Brian Bienkowski is the managing editor of The New Lede. He is a veteran journalist with more than 15 years of experience covering the environment, agriculture and human health. Prior to joining TNL, he was the senior editor of Environmental Health News for nearly a decade, where he oversaw the newsroom and two regional bureaus. He was also the founder, producer and host of the Agents of Change in EJ podcast from 2020 to 2024. Bienkowski has received multiple awards for his editing and reporting, including honors from the North American Agricultural Journalists, the Association of Health Care Journalists, Columbia Journalism School, Hunter College and the Society of Environmental Journalists. He has a masters in environmental journalism from Michigan State University and lives in northern Michigan. When not reporting, he’s likely on his bike or cross-country skis.

Factory-farmed seafood is the fastest-growing source of seafood worldwide, and right now in the U.S., the aquaculture industry is promoting farmed fish as a sustainable alternative to wild-caught seafood. But that framing buries direct links between this form of food production and land-based industrial farming, including impacts on ecosystems, local economies, and communities.

In FFJN’s latest webinar, Feini Yin and James Mitchell from the North American Marine Alliance and Laura Lee Cascada from the Aquaculture Accountability Project gave journalists tips on how to report on “Big Aquaculture” responsibly and critically, including current aquaculture legislation and red flags to look for in large-scale aquaculture operations.

They also discussed how to look for underreported angles, how to engage with affected communities, and how to use various resources, giving journalists the background necessary to evaluate industry “bluewashing” and brainstorm story ideas. If you missed the webinar, you can view the recording here, plus a handy tip sheet with links, tips, and other resources below.

Tips From the Fields

• General Good-To-Knows

  • Federal operations will likely be heavily industrialized

  • More than 50% of all seafood production is now aquaculture

  • Farming fish emits more greenhouse gas emissions per kilogram on average than wild-caught fish, and shrimp farming emits double that amount

  • Some research on aquaculture and fisheries is paid for by industries to push their narrative. Be critical and follow the money

  • Always seek out independent experts who aren’t influenced by industry, such as Aquaculture Accountability Project’s advisory board

  • Companies often buy favor to operate without pushback in communities (social license)

  • A company may be the main employer in communities where job prospects are scarce

  • Avoid conflating distinct types of aquaculture. Independent, small-scale bivalve and seaweed farmers are very different than large industrial fish farms

  • Pay attention to whether a project is in state or federal waters

  • Be wary of environmental and sustainability language used in an organization’s name or mission

• Aquaculture Fact-Checks

  • Myth: Fish Farming Reduces Pressure on Wild Fisheries

    Reality: Using wild fish for feed exacerbates overfishing

  • Myth #2: Fish Farming Meets a Growing Demand for Seafood

    Reality: The industry engineers unsustainable demand for seafood

  • Myth #3: Farmed Fish Is a Healthy Ocean Protein

    Reality: Crowded farms breed disease, drug use, and antibiotic resistance

  • Myth #4: Farmed Fish Is a Climate-Smart Food

    Reality: Fish farming intensifies the climate crisis and destroys carbon sinks

  • Myth #5: Certifications and Labels Ensure Sustainability

    Reality: Labels function as greenwashing, not accountability

• Under-reported topics

  • Economic viability of aquaculture projects

  • Critical analysis/investigation of aquaculture practices

  • Which corporations and industries are benefitting from new legislation

• Questions to ask when investigating an aquaculture project

  • Who benefits? Who loses? Who’s missing from the picture?

  • Are communities involved, or are products for export / luxury goods?

  • Follow the money: Who paid for or supported this project?

  • Are policies and regulations being enforced?

• Known bluewashing / lobby organizations:

  • Stronger America Through Seafood (SATS)

  • Coalition for Sustainable Aquaculture (CSA), created by Environmental Defense Fund

• Common aquaculture bluewashing tactics and misinformation:

  • Not disclosing where fish feed is from

  • Claiming that there’s a seafood trade deficit

  • Boosting exports without cutting down on imports

  • Large-scale aquaculture does not alleviate commercial fishing pressures

    • ~E.g. It takes roughly 44O wild-foraged fish to produce one farmed salmon. For carnivorous species, it takes about 2 to 5 lbs of wild fish to produce 1 lb of farmed fish

• Legislation of note:

  • Marine Aquaculture Research for America (MARA) Act of 2025

  • AQUAA Act

  • Executive Order 13921

    • Trump-era executive order promoting aquaculture expansion and streamlined permitting. Reaffirmed by the 2025 Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness executive order.

  • Keep Finfish Free Act of 2025

  • Domestic Seafood Production Act

Resources and Links

• For a clear view of supply chains:

  • Outlaw Ocean Project

  • Global Fishing Watch

  • World Benchmarking Alliance

  • World Forum of Fish People (WFFP) – they can connect you with local knowledge around world

• The FoodPrint of Farmed Seafood:

  https://foodprint.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/2020_09_29_FP_Aquaculture_Report_FINAL-1.pdf

• Science Advances Special Issue:

  https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adt5725

• Forbes report: Feeding the Future or Eating the Ocean?

  https://www.forbes.com/sites/feliciajackson/2025/05/22/feeding-the-future-or-eating-the-ocean-the-80-billion-salmon-crisis/

• Blue Empire: FoodRise food colonialism & fishmeal report:

  https://foodrise.org.uk/research/blue-empire/

• Fish Farm Disaster Tracker: https://dontcageouroceans.org/resources/fish-farm-disaster-tracker/

• Atlas for Values-Based Aquaculture

  https://sites.google.com/dontcageouroceans.org/aquaatlas/home?authuser=0

• NAMA’s Sustainable Seafood Guide: https://www.namanet.org/guides/sustainable-seafood-guide/

• DCO2 / CFS v. Army Corps decision that CFS litigated:

  https://centerforfoodsafety.org/press-releases/7027/victory-for-oceans-and-the-public-good-federal-government-declines-to-appeal-ruling-striking-down-offshore-fish-farming#

• Letter: 420+ entities against MARA:

  https://dontcageouroceans.org/400-groups-leaders-and-businesses-urge-congress-to-reject-mara-act-and-block-ocean-fish-farms/

• Keep Finfish Free Act press release:

  ​​https://dontcageouroceans.org/senators-cory-booker-and-dan-sullivan-introduce-the-bipartisan-keep-finfish-free-act-of-2025/

• Domestic Seafood Production Act press release:

  https://dontcageouroceans.org/representative-peltola-introduces-domestic-seafood-production-act-to-support-u-s-fishing-communities/

Connect with the speakers:

Feini Yin (they/them), Communications Director at North American Marine Alliance

Email them at feini@namanet.org

James Mitchell (he/him), Legislative Director at North American Marine Alliance

Email him at jmitchell@dontcageouroceans.org

Laura Lee Cascada (she/her), Founder and Director of Aquaculture Accountability Project

Email her at laura@aquacultureaccountability.org

What inspires you to write about food and farming?

I’ve always been interested in reporting on the environment, but I didn’t tap into my interest in agriculture until my first journalism fellowship after graduate school, when I lived on a cattle farm in rural Kentucky. That experience was so foreign to me coming fresh out of a lifetime of suburban living. Every day was something new. One farmer showed me what soybean plants look like; another let me sit in a jolting tractor cab while he baled hay. Some evenings I’d go for walks in the fields, the air sweet and thick, and watch the cows loping across the hills. It was so beautiful and yet so riddled with the complicated and bleak realities of environmental science I had studied in the classroom. Ever since then I’ve been fascinated by the beauty and pain, the heartbreak and joy of modern farming. It’s such a human story.

What’s a recent story that you’re proud of and why?

This winter I had the chance to finally finish a story that was three years in the making. My (now former) colleague, AP photojournalist Josh Bickel, had heard about the spread of invasive apple snails in the South in 2023 and pitched the story, but we could never quite find the right source to help us illustrate it. Three years later, those snails had gained even more of a foothold on a rice and crawfish farm in Louisiana where we were ultimately able to travel and see them firsthand. We even got to “help” drive the crawfish trawler (I will not be quitting my day job!). I was super happy that my cold-calling paid off and that we were able to get an up-close-and-personal view of just how much havoc invasive species can cause.

What’s a new skill you’d like to learn, and why?

I definitely want to learn more methods of data reporting, and I’m excited to be attending IRE this year, where I hope I’ll get to work on it with the best of the best. I’ve been really fortunate to work with some terrific data journalists over the years, and if I’ve learned anything from them it’s that well-wrangled data can really make or break a story. I love interviewing people, but I’d like to get better at what Grist editor-at-large Tristan Ahtone described at SEJ as, essentially, “interviewing documents.”

Melina Walling is a features and investigative reporter for Sentient. She reports on agriculture, climate change, science and environment and is passionate about understanding the nuances and intersections of food, labor, culture and planetary health. Her work has been published in The Associated Press, USA Today, Grist, The Arizona Republic and The Cincinnati Enquirer and other outlets. Walling is based in Chicago.

What inspires you to write about food and farming?

I’ve covered the climate beat for nearly the entirety of my career, but I find that food and agriculture stories still take a backseat to energy and extreme weather. And yet, food is exactly where climate change most immediately touches people’s lives — it’s whether your family can afford groceries, whether storms have flooded farms and ruined harvests, whether it’s too hot to work in the fields and do your job safely. I’ve always felt there are so many stories to tell about how climate change radically reshapes our food system and the lives of the people who sustain and depend on it.

Part of it is personal. I’m a second-generation American raised in an immigrant household where constant economic struggle wasn’t some abstract thing, but a lived reality. I also grew up in South Florida, where I saw firsthand what happens when a historic rainfall event floods your family’s home and federal disaster aid bypasses those who really need it. That is what drew me to this beat, and what drives me to cover it the way I do: flipping the focus from consumer-first to policy-first, putting access before culpability, and centering the people most affected by a food system in turmoil.

What’s a recent story that you’re proud of and why?

I recently published a Grist and Associated Press collaboration with the inimitable Melina Walling (who, incidentally, is Sentient’s newest staffer!) that we spent several months working on together with Clayton Aldern, Grist’s senior data reporter, and AP data reporter M.K. Wildeman. We analyzed data on both commercial-scale solar projects and small-scale rural energy development across the country and found that, so far this fiscal year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture hasn’t awarded a dollar in rural energy grants or loan guarantees.

Melina and I also did a considerable amount of reporting for the piece. We contacted roughly a quarter of the nearly 300 developers that have proposed projects on agricultural land in the last two years, and found that they are either preparing their businesses to do future projects without federal support, or have already lost millions in investment because of the administration’s new tax credit policies. As someone who has spent the last year and a half closely covering the Trump administration’s food and farming policy, I’m really thrilled with how the story turned out, and how we were able to show that the collapse of federal support for rural solar has rippled across American agriculture, from major corporations to family farms. (It also got an honorable mention in The Best of AP!)

What’s something you’ve learned recently that more journalists should know about?

I’ve spent the last year and a half sourcing up inside the USDA as a national reporter in Florida, and it’s been a real journey. I wish there was some kind of candid 101 guide to best practices for building up your government source rolodex, particularly for those of us not based in D.C., but if something like that exists, I’ve never seen it. So here are some things I’ve learned, in no particular order.

When you’re talking to a federal employee who is taking a risk in speaking with you, it’s essential to establish up front what kind of conversation it is. I always do this pretty much immediately, to signal to prospective or current sources that I want them to set the tone. And it’s more than just saying boilerplate terms like “off-record, on-record, on-background” — I like to follow up and ask what folks think those words mean. (You’d be surprised by how many people conflate on-background and off-record. I blame the movies for that.) You also have a responsibility to verify that people are who they say they are. Toward the end of my initial call with a new government source, I ask them to send me a photo of their work ID. Since these conversations tend to happen over Signal, I often request folks send it using the disappearing message function. (How you go about verifying identity can also depend on what your editor asks for, so I wouldn’t take this as blanket advice.)

And lastly, not every tip needs to be acted on. I spent almost half a year talking to one USDA source about something related to their work that I had planned to cover in a big piece. Then, late last month, there was a rather unexpected development in their situation (I’m being intentionally vague, if you can’t tell), so I had a frank conversation with them about their comfort level with me moving forward with the story. Ultimately, they were worried that my coverage would put them in a really difficult spot, so I made the call not to do it, because doing so could have had really serious consequences for this staffer. Other journalists may not agree with that decision, but I feel strongly that we have a moral and ethical responsibility to ensure our coverage creates positive change. Yes, I would have landed a hell of a scoop — but at what cost?

I could go on. There are so many other nuances I’m still thinking about even as I write this! I’ll just end with the confession that before I started covering the USDA, and sometimes even now, I felt completely out of my depth reporting on an arm of the government as vast and complex as this one. But I do believe focusing my efforts on one agency has made me a more capable reporter, and my work is better for it.

Ayurella Horn-Muller is a staff writer at Grist covering the intersection of climate change, food, and agriculture and an incoming Ted Scripps Fellow. She previously reported for Axios and Climate Central, and her work has appeared in CNN, National Geographic, The Associated Press, El País, The Atlantic, WIRED, and The Guardian. She has been recognized with a first-place Society of Environmental Journalists Award for Outstanding Beat Reporting, an honorable mention Nina Mason Pulliam Award for Outstanding Environmental Reporting, and honors from the Society of Professional Journalists and Green Eyeshades. She is the author of Devoured: The Extraordinary Story of Kudzu, the Vine That Ate the South, and her work has been anthologized in The Best American Food and Travel Writing 2025.

Food and agriculture journalism can feel arcane — full of policy minutiae, supply-chain complexity, and scientific jargon. But the best feature writers have found a way to turn wonky subject matter into stories readers can’t put down. In this members-only workshop, Southlands Magazine founding editor and freelance journalist Boyce Upholt walked FFJN members through what it actually takes to go from a topic you care about to a story worth pitching. Using real examples, Boyce explored how to find the idea at the center of a compelling feature, how to articulate what makes it worth reading, and how to write the pitch that gets an editor to say “yes.”

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Factory-farmed seafood is the fastest-growing source of seafood worldwide, and right now in the U.S., the aquaculture industry is promoting farmed fish as a sustainable alternative to wild-caught seafood. But that framing buries direct links between this form of food production and land-based industrial farming, including impacts on ecosystems, local economies, and communities. In this FFJN webinar, join Feini Yin and James Mitchell from the North American Marine Alliance, along with Laura Lee Cascada from the Aquaculture Accountability Project, to explore how to report on aquaculture.

We’ll unpack industrial aquaculture operations and examine less visible impacts on coastal communities and wild fisheries. You’ll also learn how to explore underreported angles, how to engage with affected communities, and how to report with a critical lens, so you can evaluate industry bluewashing and incorporate these approaches into your own reporting.

Date: Friday, June 12
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
This session is open to all interested journalists and storytellers.

Register

Meet the speakers

Feini Yin (they/them) is Communications Director at the North American Marine Alliance and a former NYT science reporter. Feini will give an overview of the U.S. aquaculture landscape, including the risks of industrial aquaculture, key corporate players, and parallels with industrial agriculture. They’ll share recent research on problems like feed, disease, and pollution, while also sharing bright examples of values-based aquaculture rooted in community, local food systems, and ecological responsibility. Lastly, they’ll share tips with reporters about critical questions to ask, and what journalists can look out for when evaluating aquaculture operations and claims.

James Mitchell (he/him) is Legislative Director at the North American Marine Alliance, leading legislative work for the Don’t Cage Our Oceans campaign. James will discuss current aquaculture legislation before U.S. Congress, such as the MARA Act and the Keep Finfish Free Act. He will also provide a brief background on the key federal agencies involved in the aquaculture space in U.S. federal waters, along with prior executive actions and judicial decisions – and share quick tips on how to track policy developments, interpret legislation, and identify story angles.

Laura Lee Cascada (she/her) is Founder and Director of the Aquaculture Accountability Project as well as an environmental advocate and investigative researcher. She will discuss the latest report from the Aquaculture Accountability Project and Farm Forward, “The Myths of ‘Sustainable’ Aquaculture.” The report exposes five major myths, arguing that industrial fish farming is not a sustainable alternative to wild-caught fishing and instead intensifies pressure on wild fish, spreads disease, drives pollution and climate impacts, and relies on “greenwashing” labels to mask harm.

Register

Industrial livestock operations produce 110 billion pounds of manure each year in Iowa, yet no one tracks where it’s all going. As the cancer incidence rate nationwide declines, it’s growing in Iowa, where diagnoses among young adults are rising faster than they are elsewhere.

In this webinar, you’ll hear two reporters based in Iowa, Nina Elkadi from Sentient and Anika Jane Beamer from Inside Climate News, share their experience in covering the effects of agricultural pollution on Iowans, from the science to the stories.

Climate change and the global food system are two of the most important topics a journalist can cover when it comes to catalyzing conversations that lead toward a more hopeful future for humanity. On April 10, Mary Hoff and Emily Cassidy of Project Drawdown introduced journalists to a new resource for enhancing the quality, ease and impact of their climate solutions reporting – with a particular focus on technologies and practices that improve the global food system and the well-being of people and our planet at the same time.

If you missed the webinar, you can view the recording here:

Tips From the Fields

• Project Drawdown Explorer

  • A free resource with research-backed, fact-checked, science-based climate solutions assessments curated by a team of Project Drawdown scientists

  • Website: https://drawdown.org/explorer?gad_campaignid=23179587314

  • Methodology: https://zenodo.org/records/18037237

• How the Explorer can help your reporting:

  • Fact-checking climate solutions claims

  • Finding story ideas

  • Offering citations / identifying vetted scientific research

  • Connecting with expert scientists

  • Finding maps, data, and other resources that are readily available for download and publication free of charge

• Story examples using Drawdown Explorer:

  • “Why companies are phasing out these super-pollutants despite Trump,” by Nicolás Rivero for the Washington Post

    • Focuses on phasing out hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)

  • Agriculture and land use emissions in Southeast Asia (presentation by Emily Cassidy)

Connect with the speakers:

Mary Hoff, Communication and Outreach Manager

Email her at mary.hoff@drawdown.org

Emily Cassidy, Staff Environmental Scientist

Email her at emily.cassidy@drawdown.org

General press inquiries

press@drawdown.org

What inspires you to write about food and farming?

The United States’ food system is fundamentally misunderstood, underreported and in need of serious interrogations. Growing up as the son of a dairy farmer, I deeply appreciate the land, the people who care for it, the animals, and the rural spaces that form these vibrant communities. I am inspired to write about the nation's meat, dairy and consolidated agriculture sector because concentrated power has warped and changed how rural communities — from migrant and undocumented labor forces to longstanding generational farm owners — live, work, and commune across the country.

What’s a recent story that you’re proud of and why?

I recently published my last story for Investigate Midwest before starting a new position with Sentient Media. This story capped my past few years of reporting on the meat industry. I’m proud of this story because it examined how the federal goverment is once again trying to investigate consolidated and monopoly power in the beef industry, despite past investigations, lack of agency staff, budgets, or political will to address the meat industry in the country. It went beyond the news cycle surrounding the investigation’s announcement and examined what it would take for movement to occur in this sector.

Is there a reporting nugget or darling that didn’t make it into a recent story that you’d like to share?

I reported a recent story about how the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resoruces has seen a decline in employees who monitor and enforce the the state’s Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation water permits, as a part of the federal Clean Water Act. Wisconsin is a major dairy state with thousands of cattle and millions of pounds of manure, but the state’s permitting process is poorly enforced.

The nugget that didn’t make it into the story is that some farms or permit holders will have fluctuating cattle numbers. This allows them to legally avoid needing a water permit initially, but they can increase their cattle count later, making it harder for the agency to track and enforce permitting. For example, a farm could tell the DNR it has 999 animal units, but it only needs a permit when it reaches 1,000 or more.

John McCracken is an investigative reporter for Sentient Media whose work examining the nation’s consolidated meat industry, industrial agriculture and climate change has received awards and recognition from the Chicago Book Club, North American Agricultural Journalists, Wisconsin Newspaper Association, Iowa Newspaper Association and more. He has been invited to speak about his reporting by the Society for Environmental Journalists, NICAR and more. Follow his work on Instagram @johnmccwrites.

Date: Friday, May 8
Time: 1:00 pm ET

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When we report on food, it’s just as important to include the people producing it: the farmers. And while national and international-scale stories about agriculture and food systems are vital to understanding global food security, local food sovereignty stories are equally consequential.

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Climate change and the global food system are two of the most important topics a journalist can cover when it comes to catalyzing conversations that lead toward a more hopeful future for humanity. In this presentation, Mary Hoff and Emily Cassidy of Project Drawdown will introduce a new resource for enhancing the quality, ease and impact of your climate solutions reporting – with a particular focus on technologies and practices that improve the global food system and the well-being of people and our planet at the same time. As an added bonus, Mary and Emily will highlight lesser-known hotspots of emissions to spur ideas for future reporting.

Date: April 10, 2026
Time: 1:00 pm ET
Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/7vDcaJeUS6eFAwtRYLCVkA

This webinar is open to any and all journalists who are interested in this topic.

How does Southlands approach food and farming stories?

I guess it starts with how I approach food and farming stories. I sometimes call myself a “nature critic,” in that I try to scrutinize the more-than-human world in the same way a critic might a film, or a book, or a new building by a star architect: what does it tell us about, well, us? What interests me most is not just Southern nature, but the relationship that people in the South have with nature. Food -- and agriculture especially -- is a huge part of that. Every issue features a short essay on something edible in nature. That was Appalachian salt in issue one. In our second issue, coming soon, we will feature okra. Our third will look at mullet.

What’s a recent story from your publication that you’re proud of and why?

I’ll say first that it’s just been a tremendous privilege and joy, to work with such a wide range of writers. New York Times bestseller Kim Cross took a brave dive into memoir for us, something she doesn’t typically do. Our cover story, a McPhee-esque exploration of the homeland of prescribed burns, was a showcase clip for an emerging young writer.

Relevant to FFJN, though, I’ll highlight a great essay by Olivia Pascal about Wendell Berry’s agrarian influence and whether or not his philosophy can address our difficult moment. It showcases our approach to agriculture: it’s less about investigating Southern farms and more about considering how those farms shape our thinking about nature.

What sorts of story ideas or pitches do you wish you saw more of?

It’s an old saw that editors always complain, but many pitches present a topic more than they propose a story. Or, in our case, it’s often a setting. Since we only publish two issues a year, we can greenlight maybe ten feature stories. There’s gotta be something in there that grabs me by the collar and won’t let go. Sometimes, I’ll be honest, seemingly really weird pitches do that best -- if the writing sings. I got a pitch from a writer who wanted to write about the dogs that chase him while he bikes through rural Arkansas. The pitch was hilarious, and in many ways we built our second issue around it.

Boyce Upholt is a founding editor of Southlands, a new, bi-annual print magazine exploring nature and outdoors culture in the South. He is the author of The Great River: The Making and Unmaking of the Mississippi, which won the 2024 Willie Morris Award for Southern Writing in nonfiction, and is a frequent contributor to the Food & Environment Reporting Network.

Date: Thursday, March 26
Time: 6:00 pm ET
Register here

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The Food and Farming Journalism Network (FFJN), powered by Sentient Media, is a free membership group dedicated to helping journalists increase the frequency and quality of their reporting on industrial food systems with a focus on the dramatically underreported issue of factory farming and its impacts on climate, the environment, public health, rural economies, workers rights, and animal welfare.

We support members in a few different ways. Notably, we offer resources, programming and peer networking opportunities for journalists who report on — or who want to report on — food, agriculture, and intersecting issues.

1. We have a Slack group where people can share their work, uplift others, ask questions, connect with colleagues, plan in-person meetups, share and receive story tips, and more.

2. We have a biweekly newsletter called From the Fields. This includes announcements, job and funding opportunities, upcoming events, webinars, trainings, and a monthly member spotlight highlighting FFJN journalists.

3. We now have a Substack to share brief tip sheets, resource lists, Q&As with members, and more.

4. We organize monthly webinars and trainings. Webinars are virtual presentations open to the public and focused on hot topics in food and ag journalism. Trainings are virtual workshops exclusive to FFJN members and geared toward building skills, learning how to use specific reporting tools, and engaging in a more hands-on conversation with presenters.

5. We host in-person meetups, such as happy hours, conference sessions, and Climate Week events.

6. We facilitate and offer freelance resources, such as via Slack channels designed to provide tips and ideas for freelancers, and an expert database to help quickly identify reliable sources.

7. We share job and funding opportunities from a wide array of organizations and media outlets, bringing the most relevant career opportunities directly to your inbox.

These are just a few of the ways FFJN aims to help journalists do their best reporting on food and agriculture. Importantly, this network creates a space for journalists to connect with one another.

We’re happy to have you here!

Marlowe Starling, FFJN Manager