Barb’s note: Thank you Paul, for sharing this wake up call. We need to get back to local food sources, and less dependence on the corporate structure of monopoly, greed, and debt-financed farming methods.

Source: The Sharecroppers

The Sharecroppers is a short documentary film by Jonathan Shepard. A brief exploration into a world that most city dwellers have never seen, The Sharecroppers explores the quiet struggles of America’s chicken farmers as they struggle to provide for themselves and their families. Essentially forced into upgrading their farms, these farmers have no choice but to perpetuate a never-ending cycle of debt – on pain of bankruptcy.




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3 Responses to “The Sharecroppers”

  1. patty t., alabama says:

    thank you for this film. i had no idea.

  2. Chris,

    The whole structure must be changed. The mega-corps like Pilgrim’s Pride provide the market. That is the only buyer, and they call the shots. To take a different approach is what is needed, but many are so indebted by design that to start over and try to only sell to local customers will not meet their overhead. They have expanded beyond their capacity to be self-sufficient.

  3. Ed Howes says:

    When we find we are trapped, we do well to examine the nature of that trap to see the exit clearly. The purpose of bankruptcy is to make a new start. The writing is on the wall. Local organic husbandry, agriculture and marketing is the future and it can be a very profitable. There is no future in commercial puppetry. That much should be obvious.