Food and Agriculture Reporter

About this role:

Straight Arrow is looking for a Food and Agriculture Reporter to cover how America gets fed – and why that process has become a source of economic stress, political conflict and cultural confusion. This role focuses on the systems behind what we eat: farming, food production, supply chains, pricing, policy and environmental impact, and how those forces collide on grocery shelves and restaurant menus.

Food prices, supply‑chain disruptions, environmental pressures and debates over farming practices have become national flashpoints. At the same time, consolidation in agribusiness, antitrust enforcement, lawsuits and regulatory battles are reshaping the food economy behind the scenes, alongside shifting geopolitics. Americans feel the impact of these dynamics daily, but the mechanics are often hidden or reduced to partisan talking points. This reporter will dig into those mechanics, breaking original stories, exposing pressure points and decoding the narratives that surround them.

We’re looking for a reporter who can connect what happens on farms, in factories, in boardrooms and in courtrooms to the lived experience of everyone who eats – including how those forces surface in grocery aisles, restaurant menus and food culture more broadly. The ideal candidate has a strong scoop instinct, is comfortable working with documents and data, and can balance fast‑moving news with deeper enterprise and accountability reporting that makes sense of food both as an economic system and a cultural artifact.

This role applies to our core mission of exposing how systems and narratives shape people’s lives. In the food economy, that means showing how power structures and information framing determine what Americans eat and pay for, often without their knowledge.

Responsibilities:

• Break exclusive, original stories on food and agriculture, including pricing, consolidation, labor, regulation and industry practices.
• Report on farming, food production, and supply chains with attention to economic power, market dynamics and consumer impact.
• Investigate antitrust issues, lawsuits, regulatory enforcement actions, and government oversight related to agribusiness and the food system.
• Analyze how policy decisions, corporate behavior and environmental pressures shape food availability, affordability and the choices consumers ultimately see reflected in menus and food trends. 
• Use data, public records, court filings and regulatory documents to support enterprise and investigative reporting.
• Cover daily news, such as price swings, shortages, and legal or policy developments, with speed, clarity and context.
• Examine how food and agriculture issues are framed by media, industry groups and political actors – and what those narratives obscure.
• Regularly pitch story ideas for breaking news, explainers, and longer‑term investigations aligned with SAN’s mission.
• Develop sources across farming, agribusiness, restaurants, labor, government, legal and academic communities.
• Collaborate with editors and multimedia teams to translate reporting into digital, video and social formats.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in journalism, environmental studies, agriculture, economics, public policy, or a related field is preferred.
• 3-5 years of proven experience as a reporter covering food systems and agriculture.
• Demonstrated ability to generate scoops and exclusives through sourcing, records and persistence.
• Experience reporting on antitrust, litigation, regulatory agencies or corporate accountability is strongly preferred.
• Comfort working with data, public records and legal documents.
• Strong researching, writing, and storytelling skills; proficiency in AP Style.
• Ability to explain complex systems clearly without advocacy or oversimplification.
• Comfort working under tight deadlines while managing longer‑term enterprise projects.
• Familiarity with SEO, CMS tools (such as WordPress), and audience analytics.
• Experience with multimedia or cross‑platform journalism, or willingness to learn.
• Commitment to clarity, transparency and unbiased reporting.

Compensation & Benefits:

• The salary range for this position is $80,000-$100,000.
• Straight Arrow offers comprehensive health and wellness coverage that ensures our employees have the care and coverage they need to stay healthy, build current and future financial security and maintain work-life balance. All full-time employees and their dependents are eligible to enroll in our benefits. That includes generous paid time off, paid holidays and floating holidays; health coverage, vision and dental plans; retirement plans like the company's 401(k) plan with company match; and more.  

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