What We Do

The Food & Environment Reporting Network (FERN) is the first independent, nonprofit news organization that produces award-winning journalism on food, agriculture, and environmental health through partnerships with national and regional media outlets in text, audio, and video. FERN seeks to make the food system more sustainable and equitable through powerful journalism and storytelling.

At FERN, we report stories at the intersection of food and the environment which span the length of the national and global food supply system, from a farm or feedlot on one end to a plate or bowl on the other. Our journalism grapples with the consequences of how we produce our food, its role in society, what we choose to eat, and why.

The American food system faces unprecedented challenges from climate change, pollution, biodiversity loss, agricultural practices, politics, and resource scarcity. Concentration of economic power in the sector, along with intractable conflicts over immigration and the systemic legacies of racial inequity, jeopardizes food and worker safety, undercuts the ability of farmers to thrive and innovate, and results in a vulnerable supply chain. FERN’s food and agriculture journalism and storytelling – rooted in the partnership model and distinguished by our multiformat strategy – is designed to consistently reach audiences of scale in a declining media ecosystem. Our work highlights sustainable solutions, tracks impacts, and illuminates interconnected issues, exposing vulnerabilities, inefficiencies, and opportunities for improvement. We create pathways for people to make informed decisions and to catalyze change, speaking with clarity about the threats facing American democracy.

FERN is a news organization that collaborates with partners to generate, edit, and co-publish powerful journalism in multiple formats. Our editorial and financial support is critical as budgets and staff at existing outlets continue to shrink. Because we are an impact-seeking news organization rather than an audience-seeking news outlet, our goal is to create and distribute “projects” rather than one-off “stories.” Each reporting topic we take on can be plugged into different channels, increasing the momentum around our core issues, and reaching different audiences. This approach creates a critical mass of reporting on a subject, building a strong narrative across multiple platforms, and engaging communities of listeners, readers, and viewers. We measure progress through a range of metrics to track reach, effect on public discourse, and policy changes.

FERN’s approach to the news ecosystem is unique because it is structured in a way that allows it to evolve with existing conditions. We understand that a powerful message in one format may not be heard in others. Exploiting that fact requires strategic, ongoing investment in innovation. FERN has established itself as a significant producer of high-impact, award-winning food and environmental journalism, publishing dozens of in-depth investigations with major media partners like the New York Times, Bloomberg, NPR, and The Washington Post. Our reporting has directly influenced policy and government activity, including toxic chemicals, the COVID pandemic, and child labor. FERN has expanded into multimedia storytelling and original social media content. Our work has garnered prestigious recognition, e.g. National Magazine Award nominations, James Beard Media Awards, and SPJ awards, while maintaining a commitment to elevate diverse voices and marginalized communities.

The Food & Environment Reporting Network is based in New York City. It was founded in September 2010 by an initial team that included Samuel Fromartz, Tom Laskawy, Naomi Starkman, and Paula Crossfield. It began operations in January 2011.

We are funded through the generous support of our donors and current foundation supporters include The Schmidt Family Foundation, McKnight Foundation, the Woodcock Foundation, the BAND Foundation, the Maine Community Foundation, and Joyce and Irving Goldman Foundation.

If you would like to donate, you can do so here.

See our Staff and Board members bios.

We maintain a Code of Ethics for our reporters and staff.

Our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use are also available for review.

Annual Report
2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
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2014
2013
2012

Recent 990s
FY2024
FY2023
FY2022
FY2021
FY2020
FY2019*
2018
2017
2016
2015

Audited Financial Statement
2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019*

Note: Audited financials are including in the Annual Reports for years 2012-2018.

*Short year/change in accounting period