Farmer Grant is eager to pass on his farm to his son. Poultry farming has made its diversified operation financially stable enough to do so. He thinks you can get what you put into it with poultry farming. He takes good care of his chickens and sees the results when he sells them. He is proud to feed the world. He knows that chicken doesn`t just come from grocery stores, but from farms. As a poultry farmer who raises and maintains live poultry for slaughter by a separate unit under contract, you have certain rights and protections under the Packers and Stockyards Act („Act“) and the Rules. Below is a summary of the rights, with references to sections („s.)“ of the Act and Regulations („R.“), including Meet Bill and Jeff. Bill is a truck driver for Tyson Foods and Jeff is a poultry farmer. They have been friends for 50 years. They grew up together and spent their whole lives in the same community. Jeff is grateful for the oversight, technology, and advancements of American agriculture. Jeff says farmers are important and he has built something very special.

The relationship between poultry processors and broiler farmers is largely regulated by federal law. For example, farmers are legally entitled to it: a poultry farming agreement („contract“) is a development contract, a marketing agreement or another agreement. A live poultry trader („company“) enters into contracts with poultry farmers for the rearing of live poultry for slaughter. If you want to know more about the life of an independent contract poultry farmer, check out this video: we provide poultry farmers with written contracts detailing how payments are calculated. Poultry farmers are mainly paid for their proper care of chickens and for increasing the weight of birds while they are on the farm. We use a performance-based incentive system, which rewards poultry farmers who efficiently transform the food we provide into weight gain in the birds they raise. The payment formula includes factors such as the number of birds, the amount of fodder used, the performance of their flock compared to those raised by other contract farmers, and the weight of the birds delivered to the processing plant. More and more consumers today want to know the story behind our food. From the farm and as a culinary creation on our tables, there is a journey to maintain a robust and sustainable food system.

To delve deeper into the story, we got together with poultry farmer Stoni Jo, whose family farm has contracts with Tyson Foods, to find out how her role as a poultry farmer contributes to the food system – and how she plays a fundamental role in preparing the right food for family tables. The practice of farmers raising chickens under contract for poultry processors has existed since the 1930s and is the industry standard. Tyson Foods has been working with poultry farmers since the late 1940s and it`s a relationship we believe works well for both the farmer and the company. We provide the birds and food and provide technical advice, while the poultry farmer takes care of the work, accommodation and incidental costs. This collaboration between Tyson Foods and family businesses improves efficiency and quality while maintaining affordable prices for consumers. The income from raising hens varies and depends on a number of factors. For some farmers, it is a single source of income. For many, it is an additional income from other work or raising crops or other animals. In fact, a 2014 study from the United States…