Pulling Guts For $65 A Month

"Back in the late 1960's, Kenneth Henry, a turkey insemination expert, became partners with T.H. Johnson, a larger-than-life owner of a turkey ranch.  With the government's blessing, they ran an unregulated for-profit program that took in young men from state mental institutions and trained them in agricultural work, and some basic life skills.  They called their philosophy 'The Magic of Simplicity'."



From "The 'Boys' In the Bunkhouse -- Servitude, Abuse, and Redemption in Iowa", by Dan Barry, in the 3/9/14 NY Times.  It's a long but engrossing tale of how the supposedly benevolent intentions of a prior era evolved, over four decades, into outright exploitation as a small town looked the other way.

It's a Buster-recommended read, from NYT Interactive, with embedded videos and photos.  I started reading this article and could not stop.  I bet you'll do the same.  Give it a click.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/03/09/us/the-boys-in-the-bunkhouse.html?action=click&module=Search&region=searchResults%230&version=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fquery.nytimes.com%2Fsearch%2Fsitesearch%2F%23%2Fthe%2520men%2520of%2520atalissa%2F&_r=0