In late September 2024, Pure Prairie Poultry, Inc., based in Fairfax, Minnesota, filed for bankruptcy, leaving numerous poultry producers in Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin without essential resources to feed their broiler chickens. The company’s financial collapse prevented it from supplying feed to contracted farmers, leading to significant animal welfare concerns. In response, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) obtained an emergency court order to take custody of approximately 1.3 million chickens across 14 Iowa farms, coordinating efforts to provide necessary care and feed.
Wisconsin farmer Terry Filla, who was left with 85,000 unfed birds for nine days, expressed frustration over the lack of assistance and the state’s refusal to euthanize the suffering animals humanely.
Now, more than six months later, Filla says they haven’t heard anything. Understandably he is frustrated and says that he is disappointed in the USDA and the Congressional representatives who promised to help.
Just like how all this started, Filla is not the only farmer who is still hanging in the lurch. However, the procedure for Pure Prairie’s bankruptcy has not been typical, and this adds to the frustration of the producers who were hung out to dry.
Filla says they have heard too many promises that won’t even make them whole from this bankruptcy. Essentially, it punishes the producers of Pure Prairie for a second time, after already losing their birds. Filla calls on those who promised to help to follow through on those promises.
The situation remains unresolved, leaving producers disillusioned and questioning whether any real support will come. With no clear end in sight, frustration continues to mount across the farming community.
