West Oakland, California In 1999, a class-action suit by America’s black farmers won what some called the biggest civil rights award in United States history. The U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., ruled that the USDA had systematically discriminated against black farmers in awarding loans and other government assistance. The judge estimated that $2 billion […]
Laughing Onion Farm
Maria Inés Catalلn Hollister, California “If you’re a farmworker until you’re sixty years old, either your back breaks, or your spirit does.” That’s what Patrick Troy sees around him in California’s Salinas Valley. People call the region “The Salad Bowl of the World,” but few mention that the area’s agricultural productivity relies on legions of […]
Marin Sun Farms
Inverness, California The cows behind David Evans’ house are not alone. Following them through the grass are 150 chickens, who spend their days pecking through what the cattle leave behind. They live in mobile coops, which look like covered wagons and roll to a new spot in the pasture every few days. To their left […]