RAFI-USA has been working with poultry growers for more than 20 years, but we aren’t the only ones talking about it. Learn more about what others have been saying in recent years by checking out the resources below- many of which feature RAFI-USA staff and farmers we’ve collaborated with.
Looking for an old fashioned read? Check out these articles:
RAFI-USA’s former Farm Sustainability Director, Joe Schroeder, is featured in this piece highlighting the differences in corporate and farmer outcomes in recent years:
- Tyson Foods Chairman Joins Billionaires Club, While Wages for Chicken Farmers Wane. Deena Shanker, Buzzfeed. May 2014.
A series from Wired’s Maryn McKenna focusing on Craig Watts, a RAFI collaborator and Perdue poultry grower bold enough to open his doors to the public:
- Hoping to Change the Industry, a Factory Farmer Opens His Barn Doors. December 2014.
- A Factory Farmer Strikes Back at the Company He Farms For. February 2015.
- The Poultry Industry Responds to an Activist Farmer. February 2015.
More on Craig Watts’ partnership with Compassion in World Farming in the New York Times:
- Abusing the Chickens We Eat. Nicholas Kristof. December 2014
Modern Farmer’s Andrew Jenner contributed a well researched & written piece that shows Craig Watts isn’t the only grower facing these issues, and gives a great overview of the industry:
- Chicken Farming and its Discontents. February 2014.
Prefer a podcast or audio piece on the road or at lunch? Try these:
- RAFI’s legendary farm advocate, Benny Bunting, is featured in this story by NPR’s Dan Charles aired on The Salt.
- The System Supplying America’s Chickens Pits Farmer vs. Farmer. February 2014. (7 minutes)
- These radio pieces feature interviews with Christopher Leonard, author of The Meat Racket: The Secret Takeover of America’s Food Business, a recent book on contract agriculture and the meat industry.
- Is Tyson Foods’ Chicken Empire a ‘Meat Racket’? Dan Charles and Renee Montagne, NPR. February 2014. (8 minutes)
- Tyson’s ‘chickenization’ of meat industry turns farmers into serfs. Jennifer Lee, The Splendid Table. February 2014. (15 minutes)
There’s also video & multimedia coverage. We recommend popcorn, but not popcorn chicken.
- The upcoming documentary Under_Contract: Farming in the Fine Print, produced by Sally Lee and Marcello Cappellazzi in partnership with RAFI, will bring together farmers’ stories and address contracts in chicken and hog production. Check out their website now for clips and check back for updates on the film!
- This recent episode of PBS’ Original Fare covers chicken and poultry production in the U.S.
- Dirty Birds: A Story of Chickens in America. PBS Original Fare. Aired March 2015. (19 minutes)
- The Fusion Media team provides an explosive & beautifully rendered multimedia expose on all things poultry industry related.
- Cock Fight: One Man’s Battle Against the Chicken Industry. February 2015. (43 minutes)