Ch. 3, Slaughterhouse Blues

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Ch. 3, Slaughterhouse Ch. 3, Slaughterhouse Blues Blues

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Chicken Little, Chicken Big: The Poultry Industry. Ch. 3, Slaughterhouse Blues. Poultry Production & Consumption in the Early Twentieth Century. Down on the farm: Chickens were part of daily life Mothers raised chickens for eggs & meat Egg money – an independent source of cash for women - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Transcript of Ch. 3, Slaughterhouse Blues

Page 1: Ch. 3, Slaughterhouse Blues

Ch. 3, Slaughterhouse BluesCh. 3, Slaughterhouse Blues

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Poultry Production & Poultry Production & Consumption in the Early Consumption in the Early

Twentieth CenturyTwentieth Century• Down on the farm:

– Chickens were part of daily life– Mothers raised chickens for eggs & meat– Egg money – an independent source of cash

for women• Occasional luxury items• Treats for children• Clothing, groceries

– Fried chicken was a treat (work to kill, remove feathers, eviscerate)

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1914 Restaurant Menu1914 Restaurant Menu

Crabmeat Supreme $ .60

Prime Rib $1.25

Imported Venison $1.50

Broiled Lobster $1.60

Chicken $2.00

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Mrs. Steele, cont…Mrs. Steele, cont…

• The next year she ordered 1000 chicks• By 1926 she was raising 10,000• Word spread and within 10 years the

region was producing 7 million broilers per year

• This meant a sharp drop in price growers received

• In 1934 farmers were paid 19 cents/lb., 1/3 Mrs. Steele’s 1926 price

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• Corn is the main ingredient in chicken feed

• Pillsbury, Ralston Purina opened feed mills and sold pre-mixed feed– Also funded research on poultry

nutrition

• Chickens need vitamin D to prevent rickets & ensure bone growth

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War & ChickensWar & Chickens

• “Armies march on their stomachs”• WW II – chickens mature in a fraction

of the time as cattle & hogs• The Delaware region produced 2/3 of

the nations broilers• The War Food Administration placed

price controls on chickens & channeled production for the armed forces

• Production shifted to Georgia, Arkansas, & North Carolina

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• Arthur Perdue began to raise hens for eggs on his Maryland farm in the 1920s

• In the 1940s he began raising broilers• His son Frank in the 1950s signed

contracts with farmers to grow broilers• In 1968 he built a feed mill & purchased

a chicken processing plant

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Vertically Integrated FirmsVertically Integrated Firms

• “started in their backyards & built regional & national operations… [managing] production of eggs, hatching chicks, milling feeds, raising, slaughtering, processing, & marketing of the product within a single company”

• Combining production, processing, & distribution in the same firm

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Education & PoultryEducation & Poultry

• University extension agents provided farmers with the latest research findings

• Poultry companies funded university research on genetics & nutrition

• 1946 A&P joined the USDA, Poultry industry, & university extension to form the National Chicken of Tomorrow Committee to find the ideal broiler

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVnaheWzquE

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Contract & Factory FarmingContract & Factory Farming• 95% of broilers are under

contract• Company provides chicks,

feed, medications, technical assistance

• Farmer provides houses, utilities, labor

• Guaranteed payment is tied to feed-conversion ratio

• Farmers can no longer market eggs & birds—integrators own the broilers & the eggs

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Big Chicken Comes to Roost Big Chicken Comes to Roost in Kentuckyin Kentucky

• The broiler belt faced problems of relations with growers, disposal of manure, thus expanded into new areas

• Kentucky: low education & income, decline in industry & unemployment, tobacco came under attack, tax incentives, minimal environmental regulation, small plots ideal for poultry

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• 1990 1.5 million broilers• 1998 178 million (154-fold

increase)• 2001 231 million

Cost = $135,000 -

$140,000 each

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The Sky Is FallingThe Sky Is Falling

• By the early 2000s a number of broiler houses were standing empty

• Energy prices soared in 2001

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• Shawn made $36,000 on his 1st flock• With his 2nd flock, payment for loans on his

1st flock came due• He spent $2,800 for electricity for his 6

houses• And $25,000 to heat the flock• Tyson extended the time between flocks

to 20 days• Tyson terminated his contract in 2002,

since he had not made $10,000 in improvements required by Tyson

• His final payment was $33.22

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The Sky is Falling, cont…The Sky is Falling, cont…

• Since vertical integration of the industry in the 1960s growers have complained about powerlessness

• Research on poultry growers in 13 states found that new growers earn $8,160 on average (half the poverty level)—until their loans are paid off (~10-15 years)

• Less than half were earning enough to cover costs

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MisinformationMisinformation• Companies attracted farmers by

describing poultry production as “part-time work for full-time pay”

• They informed farmers they could earn $7000-$10,000 per house per year, with 1.5-2 hours work per day– Farmers claim it is a full-time job

• The industry depends on its 30,000 growers, but growers are at the mercy of some 50 companies– 4 companies own half of all broilers

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““Serfs in a Post-modern Serfs in a Post-modern Feudal System”Feudal System”

• Stories of abuse:– “if the company is against you, you’re

out of business”– Integrators can send sick birds, short

flocks– Can send a short feed supply– Can short-weigh the birds– Can report arrival of dead birds– Can cancel the contract

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