Why are America’s cattle ranchers beefing with Donald Trump?

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!

America’s meat supply is produced largely by vulnerable immigrant workers, many of whom have been targeted by the Trump Administration. But a group of workers in Colorado voted to strike against conditions in the JBS flagship plant – risking the loss of their jobs and potentially being deported. FERN staffer Ted Genoways gives an in-depth interview with Tom Philpott about his reporting on the union workers who led the largest meatpacking strike in forty years. This episode comes courtesy of the Unconfined podcast.

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.