Farms and Frontlines

In 1904, a writer on the run from embezzlement charges coined a phrase that would outlast every government he was describing. This week, Max and Jess dig into Honduras, the country O. Henry was watching when he coined...

American farmers were already in crisis before the first bomb fell. In this special episode, host Max Terzano lays out the facts on what federal agricultural programs have been cut since January 2025, what those...

The Panama Canal didn't begin with construction. It began with a clause in an 1846 treaty granting the United States the right to land troops on the Isthmus whenever it saw fit. Over the next five decades, Washington...

Before the Marines came the lawyers. Before the bananas came the sugar. In 1898, the United States joined Cuba's war for independence, and never quite left. What followed was four years of military occupation, a...

We’re kicking off our most ambitious series yet with an overview of the Banana Wars, a sweeping chapter of U.S. history that stretches from 1898 to 1934, with consequences that echo into the present day. In this...

In this second part of our Edward Bernays series, we move from cigarettes and bacon to coups and Cold War politics. Max and Jess pick up where the last episode left off, diving into Bernays’ early work during World War...

In this episode of Farms and Frontlines , Max and Jess dive into the unsettling origins of modern advertising, consumer culture, and even the American breakfast. The conversation centers on Edward Bernays, the pioneer...

Honey is supposed to be one of the purest foods on earth. So why is global honey production rising while bee populations are collapsing? In this episode, Max and Jess follow the sticky trail from declining pollinator...

In this episode, Jess educates Max on the billion dollar, illicit food fraud industry. We cover how the Italian Mafia gained legitimate enterprises through American subsidies post WWII, how they strengthened their...

It’s spooky season, and Farms and Frontlines is diving into the surprising history behind trick-or-treating. Max and Jessica trace the tradition all the way back to the Celtic festival of Samhain, when families left...

After a summer break, Farms and Frontlines returns with a deep dive into one of the most fascinating intersections of agriculture and Cold War politics: the 1972 Wheat Deal, better known as The Great Grain Robbery...

Farms & Frontlines – Episode 23: Reimagining Agriculture in the Wake of American Wars In this episode, hosts Max Terzano and Jessica Rudo unpack their latest project, a paper titled Farms & Frontlines: Reimagining...

We're back from our siesta and diving straight into the dirt, literally. In this episode of Farms & Frontlines , we break down the documentary Common Ground and explore the regenerative farming practices it champions...

In this episode of Farms & Frontlines , Max and Jess dive into the world of government cheese, the shadowy influence of Dairy Management Inc. (DMI), and how big dairy bailed out Domino’s—ultimately making fast food...

In this episode, David Michel joins us to discuss CSIS's newest upcoming podcast Hidden Depths. The show is dedicated to water security, where David is joined by a number of experts who discuss all manner of topics...