""The Kill Floor," with its deep dive into the experience of immigrants and refugees who worked at JBS/Swift beef packinghouse, Narsiso Martinez's incredible, poignant art in "Dignified" and Paisley Rekdal's investigation into Chinese immigrants' work on the Transcontinental Railroad in "Eating Bitterness" - all of these articles were of exceptional quality and gave me the opportunity to learn more about my world in all of its beauty and cruelty."
"I live in the Sulphur Springs Valley in southeast Arizona near the New Mexico border. Thanks to Big Ag, Turkey Creek Dairy, Coronado Dairy and the plethora of pecan and pistachio orchards, we are having severe water issues, and our aqauifers are being severely depleted by wells that are 1,000 feet deep or more. Flood irrigation is used extensively in the orchards. People's wells are drying up; we're having major dust storms. It's angering and pathetic. Unfortunately, big money talks loud."
Corporate consolidation concentrates control over food production, distribution, and labor in the West. Immigrants and refugees faced hazardous conditions and exploitation in beef packinghouses. Artistic and literary work documented the dignity and suffering of workers and immigrant laborers. Historical research highlighted Chinese immigrant contributions and hardships in building the Transcontinental Railroad. Large pecan and pistachio orchards, dairies, and flood irrigation practices are depleting regional aquifers through deep wells. Rural residents experience drying domestic wells, increased dust storms, and acute water insecurity. Financial and political influence from large agricultural interests amplifies resource depletion and community distress.
Read at High Country News
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