USDA to Tighten Protections for Contract Farmers

Oct 19, 2022

By Nadia Ramlagan

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is finalizing rules aimed at increasing protections for contract farmers who grow the nation's poultry and cattle for giant meatpacking corporations.

Supporters of the changes said they will result in fairer pay for farmers and reduce deceptive and discriminatory industry practices, particularly against farmers of color.

Aaron Johnson, manager of the Challenging Corporate Power Program at the Rural Advancement Foundation International-USA, explained the rules involve updating transparency standards in the poultry industry and leveling the field for contract farmers to publicly advocate for better deals or speak out to the media on unfair practices.

"Most poultry growers, the vast majority of poultry growers, they don't own the chickens that are on their farm," Johnson explained. "Really, what the farmer is providing is the labor to take care of the chickens while they're on the farm."

Johnson pointed out livestock and poultry companies have a hard lobbying grip in Washington, noting a decade ago, the USDA attempted similar reforms but was blocked by Congress in finalizing or implementing them. Opponents of the new rules argued they could harm industry efforts to improve sustainability.

Johnson explains meatpacking corporations currently offer advantages to certain contract farmers over others, and with little oversight.

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Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.