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One of the biggest fights brewing for control of the Senate is taking place in deep red Nebraska, where an industrial mechanic and Navy veteran named Dan Osborn is trying to turn the backlash against high beef prices into a winning campaign. Osborn joins Helena and Theodore for a Forked conversation on this surprisingly competitive midterm fight. We dive deep into the state of his race against GOP incumbent Pete Ricketts, the power of Big Four meatpackers and how Osborn says he would break them up, why he thinks the Trump administration’s efforts to lower food prices won’t work, and more. Forked fans, we're bringing FORKED LIVEto the Brooklyn Museum on November 4 for a special conversation with Top Chef judge and eight-time James Beard Award winner Tom Colicchio! Join us as we dig into the MAHA movement, the midterm elections, the challenges facing restaurants, and the fight for a fairer food system. Buy tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/forked-live-with-tom-colicchio-at-the-brooklyn-museum-tickets-2002215489427?aff=prxEnjoying Forked? Follow the show, leave us a review, and share this episode with someone who cares about food and politics. Forked is produced by the Food and Environment Reporting Network (FERN). Learn more at www.fern.org or on Instagram @fernnews.

The workers at the JBS meatpacking plant in Greeley, Colorado went on strike and won a new contract with better pay and benefits. Many of those workers are immigrants from countries that the Trump administration has stripped of their Temporary Protected Status visas. FERN senior editor Ted Genoways returns to his reporting on Tchelly Moise, a Haitian immigrant who helped lead the strike at one of the largest meatpacking plants in the country. This episode is courtesy of KCRW’s “Good Food.”

GOP rising star Kat Cammack drops by to talk with Theodore and Helena about the future of the farm bill, her perspective on SNAP fraud and errors, why some government regulation is BS, how MAHA and MAGA can make nice, and more. This is a rollicking, in-depth conversation about serious issues in the American food system, providing deep insight into how a working legislator thinks about policy. Experience Forked Live! We're coming to Brooklyn on 11/4 with special guest Tom Colicchio! Buy tickets now!

As the fight for Congress grows more tense, the difference between victory for Red or Blue may hinge on the MAHA movement. Are its members satisfied with what the GOP and Donald Trump have done for them? Do they feel betrayed by everything that hasn’t gone their way? RFK Jr. may still be their charismatic leader, but he’s not on the ballot. Theodore Ross sits down with three great FERN reporters — Jill Filipovic, Jane Black, and Teresa Cotsirilos — to get their take on where the movement is headed and which party benefits now that food politics is driving the debate. This interview is part of FERN’s special series, “MAHA and the Midterms,” in partnership with Mother Jones and Politico.

There was a Mitch McConnell sighting in the Senate last week, which could mean a proof of life for Mitch McConnell ... but probably not for the farm bill. Helena and Theodore both think Congress is basically cooked. Meanwhile, RFK Jr.'s speech at the Children’s Health Defense Conference in D.C. showed everyone he is still very, very antivax, and that the movement has a “strong and steadfast friend in the White House." Bonus content: Mamdani food porn and a $60 loaf of rye in Manhattan.