Welcome to FERN’s Friday Feed (#FFF), where we share the stories from this week that made us stop and think.
What should California’s ranchers do about the return of wolves?
Pacific Standard
In Northern California, wolves are returning after decades of absence. But despite being heartened by the wolves’ rebounding numbers, local ranchers worry for their calves—four of which have been killed by the wolves since July. “Area livestock producers feel their hands are tied if wolf numbers continue growing,” writes Jake Bullinger. “Federal and state laws prohibit lethal recourse against wolves. Plus California lacks the robust deer and elk populations such as those in Oregon and Idaho, so ranchers think their herds will be the top option on the wolves’ menu.”
Big food brands struggle to attract brand-averse shoppers
NPR
Before the internet, food shoppers were heavily influenced by television and in-store advertising from the biggest food companies. But those brand-loyal consumers are aging, and younger shoppers care more about ingredients, sustainability, and price. “During the Great Recession, Americans warmed up to cheaper off-brand products, like generic or store brands,” writes Alina Selyukh. “And then, they kept buying them even as the economy improved.” The resulting market shifts are driving Big Food companies to major leadership and strategy overhauls.
What one controversial road reveals about GOP plans for Alaska development
Reveal (The Center for Investigative Reporting)
Debate around whether to build a controversial road in rural Alaska has spanned presidential administrations. The Trump administration’s quiet decision to move forward on construction has scientists concerned about the fate of migratory animals, as well as the safety of the road’s travelers. “The road is the centerpiece of a campaign by Trump and Alaska’s Republican congressional delegation to monetize the state’s public lands by approving private development, oil drilling, mining and logging,” writes Jane Kay.
How fried chicken conquered industrialization
Vice
Even fancy-pants chefs know that it isn’t easy to make large quantities of fried chicken consistently delicious, with moist meat and shattering crust. Pope “Popeyes has become the stick by which many chefs measure their own efforts, but the point here is not that industrialization is inherently good,” writes Adam Clair. “Virtually every other form of food makes for a strong body of evidence to the contrary. And even Popeyes is not so much the exception that proves the rule but a rather a breaking of the mold itself.”
Milk consumption is down. Sonny Perdue’s school-lunch edict is trying to change that.
Bloomberg Businessweek
When President Trump’s agriculture secretary rolled back President Obama’s healthy school-lunch initiative, he threw a lifeline to the flagging dairy industry. “It’s a victory for many of the big food companies that count on schools as a steady source of revenue and see them as an opportunity to shape the buying habits of future consumers,” write Peter Robison and Lydia Mulvany. “The win is especially sweet for the $200 billion U.S. dairy industry, which has been in a self-declared crisis for years because of declining milk consumption.”