Ben Garvin

Stills: The New Hmong Migration

Jai looks for dead birds as he walks through one of four chicken houses. The 20,000 squawking birds will demand his attention every day for the next 15 years, the length of his mortgage. If it gets too hot, or if equipment breaks down, the chickens won't forgive the farmer. They'll lay fewer eggs, or they'll just die. Lor says he feels like he is throwing all of his money into an ocean. "We dive and swim and see how much of it we get back," he says.
Jai looks for dead birds as he walks through one of four chicken houses. The 20,000 squawking birds will demand his attention every day for the next 15 years, the length of his mortgage. If it gets too hot, or if equipment breaks down, the chickens won't forgive the farmer. They'll lay fewer eggs, or they'll just die. Lor says he feels like he is throwing all of his money into an ocean. "We dive and swim and see how much of it we get back," he says.