Farms and Frontlines

After the CIA-backed coup that transformed Guatemala, what happened to the people left behind? Historian Dr. Michael Cangemi joins Farms & Frontlines to explore activism, faith, indigenous self-determination, and the remarkable story of Father Greg and the community of San Lucas Tolimán. This is a story not just about Cold War intervention, but about what ordinary people do when confronted wit...

In 1901, the Guatemalan government hired the United Fruit Company to deliver its mail. It seemed like a practical arrangement — a cash-strapped government, a well-organized American company with logistics infrastructure already in place across the Caribbean. Attached to the contract were land grants. Small parcels, at first. By 1950, United Fruit owned 42% of all Guatemalan land. 85% of it sat unc...

In 1927, every faction in Nicaragua agreed to peace on American terms. Every faction except one. Augusto César Sandino returned to the mountains of Las Segovias and spent the next seven years proving that the United States Marine Corps could not make him come down. This episode, Max and Jessica trace how Nicaragua — a country whose major crop was coffee, not bananas — got pulled into the orbit of...

One island. Two occupations. One Senate committee that looked at what the United States military had been doing in the Caribbean — and then filed the paperwork and moved on. In this episode, we're in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The Marines landed in Haiti in 1915. The Dominican Republic had already been under U.S. financial administration since 1907. By 1916, the United States was runnin...

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 the term "Banana Republic". The story of how three American fruit companies turned a nation's north coast into a private empire: buying land with railroad promises, ins...

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 programs did, and what their loss means for the people growing our food, now compounded by the U.S. war with Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. We cover the gutting of the USDA...

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 would invoke that clause at least 13 times. By 1903, the Roosevelt Corollary had given the U.S. a self-declared mandate to intervene anywhere in Latin America where order was in quest...

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 constitution written with American conditions baked in, and a 99-year naval lease on a bay called Guantanamo. Cuba became a republic with an asterisk: sovereign in name, managed in practic...

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 episode, we lay the groundwork: what the Banana Wars were, why they happened, and how something as simple as a piece of fruit became a driver of military intervention, foreign policy, and...

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 I and how it shaped the modern world of propaganda, public relations, and mass persuasion. First, they explore Bernays’ role in the U.S. government’s Committee on Public Information...

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 of public relations and nephew of Sigmund Freud, whose ideas reshaped how Americans think, buy, and eat. From engineering the bacon and eggs breakfast through manufactured medical co...

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 health to a massive international fraud known as Honeygate. We explore collapsing colonies, crop monocultures, honey laundering, and why so much cheap honey on store shelves isn’t hon...

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 positions through vertical integration, and how they (among other criminal enterprises) figured out how to sell fake olive oil, cheeses, and wines to not only Europe, but the world at la...

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 food to appease wandering spirits, and through the Catholic Church’s “soul cakes” that children collected while praying for the dead. From medieval souling to Scottish and Irish “guisi...

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 . Jess shares her move from West Point to the National Intelligence University, and together we unpack how a secret U.S.–Soviet grain deal reshaped global food markets, sparked inflation...

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 Agriculture in the Wake of American Wars . They explore how successive U.S. conflicts from World War I to today have profoundly shaped farming practices, food policy, and global...

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. What does regenerative agriculture actually mean? Why are farmers, activists, and even celebrities rallying behind it? And why is Big Ag feeling the pressure? We trace the roots...

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 cheesier than ever. From surplus milk turning into mountains of processed cheese to behind-the-scenes marketing deals that pushed extra dairy into fast food menus, we break down how...

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, including conflict, cybersecurity, diplomatic relations, and more. Tune in now for a sneak peak at this exciting project! Sign up for our newsletter for a full bio on David Michel...

On this episode of Farms & Frontlines , Max and Jess sit down with Dr. Vitalii Dankevych, (Dean of the Faculty of Law, Public Administration, and National Security at Polissia National University in Ukraine) to examine the state of Ukraine’s agrarian economy amid war. As one of the world’s top food producers, Ukraine’s farmlands have become battlefields—facing blockades, infrastructure destruc...

The recent bird flu epidemic has sent shockwaves through the agricultural industry, driving up the price of eggs, poultry, and other staple foods. In this episode of Farms & Frontlines , we break down the impact of the outbreak, how farmers are coping, and what this means for consumers at the grocery store. We also welcome back David Voorman to explore how alternative proteins, whether plant-b...

We're back! After a long break, your hosts return to dive into the fascinating history of the Panama Canal, one of the most critical waterways in the world. If you've been following the news, you’ve probably heard a lot about it lately. But why is it such a big deal? Join us as we unpack the canal’s past, its impact on global trade, and the reasons it’s making headlines today. Let’s get into the w...

In this episode of Farms & Frontlines , Max and Jess uncover the rich and complex history of Thanksgiving in the United States. They dig into the iconic "First Thanksgiving" of 1621, exploring what foods might have graced the table and asking the critical question: was the Wampanoag tribe truly invited? The hosts then journey through history to highlight how Thanksgiving evolved, touching on G...

In this enlightening episode of Farms & Frontlines , Max and Jess sit down with Peter McFeely, Global Head of Communications and Strategy, Food & Agriculture at the World Wide Fund for Nature (or World Wildlife Fund, as it's called in the US) (WWF). Together, they dive into WWF’s ambitious initiative, The Great Food Puzzle , which tackles the complex web of challenges in creating a sustain...

In this flavorful episode of Farms & Frontlines, Max and Jess dive into the history and origins of each spice that makes up the beloved Pumpkin Spice blend. From cinnamon's ancient roots in Sri Lanka to the global journeys of nutmeg, cloves, and ginger, this episode takes you on a sensory adventure. But it's not all cozy vibes—along the way, we uncover the darker side of spice trade history, i...