The concentration of market power into the hands of very few corporations defines nearly every farming sector in the U.S., continuing to push family farmers off the land while corporations gain power and influence over our food system. But the situation is perhaps most severe in the poultry industry, where farmers are all but serfs in a feudal economic system that funnels profits to corporate integrators. The Crutchfields have watched many of their friends endure the same hardships they suffered, often losing their farms as a result—a fate Karen and Mitchell hope to avoid. So what does corporate power look like? Below, we highlight the Crutchfields’ story plus two other stories of farm families in Arkansas who also raised chickens under contract with Tyson. Unfortunately, the stories they tell are similar to ones we’ve been hearing on the Farm Aid hotline for years. We’ll continue working until family farmers have justice. Karen and Mitchell Crutchfield Karen and Mitchell Crutchfield have farming ingrained in their DNA. They both grew up in farm families before inheriting 13 acres of land in Arkansas from Karen’s grandfather in 1978. Since then, the two expanded their land to 42 acres, now named Granny Creek Farm. … Continue reading Life Under Contract: Poultry Farming in Arkansas