Farms and Frontlines

In this weeks episode Max and Jess welcome Dr. Chase Sova, Senior Director of Public Policy & Research at the UN World Food Program (WFP) US to the show. Dr. Sova talks to us about his work published for the WFP titled "Dangerously Hungry", the follow up to 2017's "Winning the Peace". Join us as Dr. Sova details how food insecurity can lead to conflict, what drivers and motivators to look out...

In this special episode of Farms and Frontlines , hosts Max Terzano and Jessica Rudo are joined by Dr. Zane Swanson, Fellow at the Global Food and Water Security Program at CSIS (Center for Strategic and International Studies). Together, they delve into the complex intersections of food security and alternative proteins, exploring how growing populations, urbanization, and climate change are resha...

Max and Jess do their best to define the term "Food Security". This episode also explores the history of food security on the global stage, ranging from an organization founded by the King of Italy, to the League of Nations, to modern day organizations.

This week Jess and Max take a look at foreign entity ownership of U.S. farmland. Who owns what and why? Are there nefarious acts afoot, or is it all in the name of strengthening the global supply chain? Tune in to find out!

Max and Jess dig into the interesting origins of some of America's most well known foods, including Hershey's, M&M Mars, SPAM, Chef Boyardee, and of course Cheetos!

In this episode of Farms and Frontlines , we explore the burgeoning world of alternative proteins with our special guest, David Voorman, Vice President of Food Solutions Action. As global food systems face mounting challenges and consumers seek more sustainable choices, alternative proteins are emerging as a possible solution. David brings his wealth of experience to the conversation, sharing insi...

Max and Jess finish up their Haiti series with a rundown of Haiti's agricultural history. The hosts match up the events of the previous three histories with what was happening from an agricultural viewpoint and how these events helped create the situation the country finds itself in today. DISCLAIMER: The views expressed by the hosts are their own and do not reflect their employers or anyone e...

Max and Jess try to make sense of Haiti post 1950's. By looking at trends in their politics we can start to see how the country ended up where it is today. Tune in to get caught up to current events and hear some more wild facts about Haitian history.

This week Jess and Max take a bit of a break and lighten things up with a look at how Pepsi ended up with the 6th largest navy in the world, how Pepsi essentially enabled Richard Nixon to run for President, and more! DISCLAIMER: All of the opinions given by the hosts are their own and do not reflect their employers or anyone else but themselves.

On this weeks episode, Max and Jess dive into the U.S. invasion and the following occupation. This involves a daring gold heist, guerilla insurgencies, and a certain banks hostile takeover of an entire countries finances. Link to NYT Article: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/20/world/haiti-wall-street-us-banks.html DISCLAIMER: All of the opinions given by the hosts are their own and do not reflect...

Max and Jess dive into the wild history of the worlds only country founded after a successful slave revolt, Haiti. In their longest series yet, the hosts explore the events that led up to the countries current day struggles. If revolution, Napoleon Bonaparte, natural disasters, shady international banks, foreign occupations, gangs, barbecue, and rice laced with arsenic intrigue you, look no furthe...

"The Bread Basket Goes Dark" What happens when 30% of the world's wheat supply gets cut off overnight? Welcome to the very first episode of Farms and Frontlines, the podcast where food security meets global conflict. Hosts Max Terzano and Major Jessica Ruto (history professor at West Point) kick things off with the conflict that put food security on the world's radar: Russia'...

"Sea Babies and the Grain that Wouldn't Quit" Russia killed the Black Sea Grain Initiative in July 2023, expecting Ukraine to come crawling back to the table. Instead, Ukraine started sinking ships. In Part 2 of the Ukraine Grain Strain, Max and Jess pick up where they left off and get into the truly wild story of how a country with no navy managed to devastate one of Russia's mo...

"Blame It on the British" What do the Opium Wars, the California Gold Rush, Chinese railroad workers, Prohibition, and Miami's cocaine cowboys all have in common? They're all stepping stones on the road to Mexican drug cartels extorting your guacamole. This week, Jess brings her graduate thesis to the mic as Farms and Frontlines digs into one of the wildest origin stories in food...

"Green Gold" The avocado is a prehistoric fruit, patented by a Wisconsin postal worker in 1935, first advertised alongside filet mignon, and launched into mainstream American culture by a Super Bowl guacamole contest. It now moves billions of pounds a year into the United States, almost exclusively from one state in Mexico — Michoacan — the same state where the most violent cartel turf w...