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 honey at all.
We also dig into what consumers can do, how to spot the real stuff, and why supporting local beekeepers matters more than ever.Sign up for our newsletter!

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 large.

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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 “guising,” the practice eventually crossed the Atlantic, where American suburbs, postwar candy companies, and even Peanuts comics turned it into the Halloween we know today.

Along the way, Max and Jess uncover why soul cakes might have been the original pumpkin spice, how candy corn started life as “chicken feed,” and why the end of World War II’s sugar rationing was the real turning point for Halloween candy. Expect stories of VHS tapes in trick-or-treat bags, pranks gone wrong during the Great Depression, and the surprising link between peanut butter, Hershey, and Reese’s Cups.

From ancient bonfires to candy capitalism, this episode explores how food and ritual shaped one of the most beloved holidays in America—and why every Kit Kat still has an ancestor in a little cake baked for the souls of the dead.

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 at home, and forever tied the Farm Bill to both foreign policy and domestic food programs. From 300 billion loaves of bread to Cold War soft power, this episode explores how American agriculture became a tool of diplomacy, strategy, and controversy.⁠Sign up for our newsletter!

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 agriculture.

• World War I innovations: The military's early use of motorized tractors and tracked vehicles led to mechanized farming, while conservation efforts began after the Dust Bowl and Great Depression.

• The New Deal & Farm Bills: Jessica and Max trace how FDR’s Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1933 and the 1938 Farm Bill introduced soil conservation programs and targeted subsidies—planting soy, reducing erosion, and stabilizing prices.

• World War II mobilization: War sparked mass food production for troops, innovations in canning, transportation, and even deliberately flavorless emergency rations.

• Military-industrial spillovers: Post-war, chemical agents—from Nazi Zyklon B to Bayer‑Monsanto pesticides like Agent Orange and Roundup—found a new home in U.S. agriculture.

• Cold War soft power: With surplus production, the U.S. used agricultural aid (Public Law 480, “Food for Peace”) and the Green Revolution to influence developing nations and counter communist appeal.

• Looking ahead: Building on past tools, the hosts suggest a “new green revolution” or even a “green devolution” that combines stewardship of soil and climate resilience with innovative tech and Indigenous and Black agrarian traditions.

Max and Jessica close by teasing the rest of their paper, including “The Great Grain Robbery”. America’s massive grain shipments to Russia in the 1970s and its geopolitical and economic fallout.

Join them as they trace the battlefield-to-backyard pipeline, from military needs to modern food policy, and reimagine how we can turn agricultural innovation toward regenerative, climate‑friendly futures.

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 of regenerative farming through Indigenous land stewardship and Black agrarian traditions, spotlighting figures like George Washington Carver and movements like Soul Fire Farm. We also examine how regenerative methods contrast with industrial agriculture, from no-till planting to rotational grazing, and what this means for soil health, climate resilience, and food security.

And yes, we talk about the farm lobby’s surprising reactions, the tangled relationship between chemical companies and government, and the deeply interconnected systems that shape the way we grow our food. Plus: pirates, Ellis Island hangings, and the first recorded guacamole recipe from 1697...because why not?

Whether you're soil-curious or farm-bill fluent, this is an episode that digs deep.

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 corporate and government forces shaped what’s on your plate.

Is it a dairy industry success story, or just another example of corporate welfare? Tune in as we pull back the curtain on the cheesiest scheme in food history.

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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 and links to Hidden Depths.