For 22 years, Mr. Bill Ferguson was a chicken farmer in southeast Alabama. Raising chickens for major corporate producers like Tyson had been his life's work, but the burden of that work was becoming too much to bear. His corporate bosses wanted him to raise chickens more quickly and cheaply, sacrificing the animals' wellbeing and Mr. Ferguson’s own health in the process.
Thanks to Animal Outlook's Farm Transitions program, Mr. Ferguson is now using the same sheds in which he raised hundreds of thousands of chickens to grow lettuce for a local school district. And for the first time, we're sharing his story with you. Join us on Tuesday, May 13 to hear from our Director of Farm Transitions, Angela De Freitas, and Mr. Ferguson himself in our latest townhall, Life After Chicken Farming.
Since 2023, Mr. Ferguson has been working with Animal Outlook as the pilot site of our Farm Transitions program. What most people don't know about chicken farming is that the farmers are often boxed in by restrictive corporate contracts. Major chicken producers like Tyson dictate how farmers raise their chickens and what equipment they use, and often monopolize a region and drive out competition. This means farmers are stuck in a cycle of debt where they're forced to put corporate profits over the wellbeing of themselves and the animals in their care.
This is where Animal Outlook's Farm Transitions program becomes a critical tool. We bring a wealth of resources from the agricultural, legal, and financial worlds together to help farmers develop a roadmap for reimagining their farms as a crop farming operations. The program even connects the farmers with buyers for their produce to ensure success. With each transition, hundreds of thousands of animals are spared a life of suffering as part of the industrialized animal agriculture system. Thanks to Mr. Ferguson's transition, over 400,000 chickens per year will avoid that fate.
Join us to hear about Mr. Ferguson's story, how the Farm Transitions program is revitalizing rural communities, and what's coming next in this exclusive webinar. Click the link below to reserve your spot now.
For the animals,
Ben Williamson
Executive Director
P.S. Attendance for this town hall is limited, so reserve your spot today. To learn more about our Farm Transitions work and support the next transition, visit animaloutlook.org/farm-transitions.
As a non-profit organization, Animal Outlook relies on donations from caring, generous people like you. Every dollar matters. Your support makes a world of difference to farmed animals.
