Editor’s Desk: FERN’s new staffers, and redesigned site
By Sam Fromartz
FERN is growing, with the addition of two new staffers. Nancy Averett, a seasoned science and environmental reporter, is our new Midwest Climate Reporting Fellow, based in Ohio. She will report on the many ways climate change is affecting agriculture in the region and how farmers are reacting. She’ll also tackle issues like land access, labor, and farmer equity. She comes to us after freelancing for many years for publications ranging from Scientific American and Audubon to Undark, where she produced an award-winning story on air quality.
We’re also pleased to bring aboard Petruce Jean-Charles as a full time Assistant Engagement Editor, contributing to @FERNnews presence on social media platforms. Petruce had worked at USA Today as an emerging platforms editor and also an intern and freelancer for FERN.
FERN also has a new look, with a redesigned website intended to be more intuitive and attractive. Jeff Fassnacht of South Bend Design, who has served as FERN’s designer since its inception, handled this months-long project, assisted by developer Dan Jaworsky, and we thank them both for a fantastic job. We hope you check it out – in particular our new series page on “The Biodiversity Crisis.”
Finally, Tuesday marks the release of FERN’s last episode of Hot Farm, our four-part podcast series on what climate change is doing to farmers — and to your food. Hosted by Eve Abrams, Hot Farm takes you across the Midwest, as farmers describe how climate is affecting them and what they are doing, or could be doing, to fight back. This last episode takes us to the Delta region of Arkansas, where one farmer is working to create a regional alternative to California’s drought-ridden Central Valley, the biggest fruit-and-vegetable growing region of our nation. We hope you check it out.