Drone on the Farm
In 2014, I launched a Kickstarter-funded investigation to document environmental destruction caused by factory farms.
At the time, states were passing sweeping “ag-gag” laws which made it a crime to photograph and expose the practices of industrial agriculture. These laws reflected a dangerous trend of criminalizing photography and journalism as “terrorism.”
With the support of 1,312 backers, I used drones to photograph environmental pollution at these facilities in defiance of censorship laws. This project marked one of the first drone investigations of its kind. It was risky, legally and personally, but created an international discussion about press freedom, factory farming, and political corruption.
The project evolved over the years. I originally envisioned a documentary, but the deeper I went, the more I realized this needed to become a story not just about agriculture, but about truth, resistance, and witnessing.
That story is now a book, Little Red Barns: Hiding the truth from farm to fable (City Lights, 2025).
Below is a sampling of photos from the investigation, and a look at how it evolved.
“The good news for us, I think, is that awareness is low. Most people are only concerned with what their friends are doing on Facebook . . . Most people are only concerned about what’s the next iPhone, or, you know, things that really matter in your life.”
— Jarrod Sutton, assistant vice president of the National Pork Board
Featured by…
Netflix’s “Truth & Power”
WIRED magazine
The Guardian
Outside magazine
Greenpeace Mobilization Lab
National Geographic’s “Proof”
Columbia Journalism Review
Fast Company
National Public Radio
And dozens of international media interviews…
“Ag-Gag” Ruled Unconstitutional
As I carried out these investigations, I was also a plaintiff in several lawsuits challenging “ag-gag” laws as an unconstitutional attack on journalism. With the support of dozens of organizations, include news associations and press freedom groups, many of these laws were struck down.
Helen’s Song
A turning point in this investigation was visiting rural communities under siege from factory farms, and hearing the stories of local residents. Helen Reddout guided me on what she calls a “poop tour” of Yakima Valley, Washington, and the environmental destruction caused by industrial dairy farms. It made me realize that my drone photography and covert investigations weren’t enough to tell the full story of factory farming. Here she sings for me a song she wrote about the changes she’s seen in her town.
The Chilling Effect of “Ag-Gag” Laws
I’m grateful for the support of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, which provided legal support as I prepared Little Red Barns for publication.
There were many photographs that lawyers advised were simply too risky to publish in this political climate, as attacks on journalists escalate.
This project was a balancing act between challenging unjust laws that restrict journalism, and recognizing the very real threat of prosecution.
Out Now!
This investigation became the foundation for Little Red Barns: Hiding the truth from farm to fable.
It tells the full story — from drone flights and legal threats to the deeper questions about bearing witness and fighting factory farm corruption.
The Washington Post called it “an impassioned and thoroughly researched examination of factory farming and how it harms animals, the planet and us."
Thank You
This investigation led me to farm communities, university archives, industry conferences, and tracking political repression around the world. It challenged my thinking about what it means to exposure injustice, and bear witness.
It also intersected with a painful chapter of my life, including severe depression and personal loss, which delayed communication and completion. I know that disappointed some early supporters, and I’ve carried that with me.
But I never walked away. I kept going. And the result is a book I’m proud of — and that I hope honors the intention behind this investigation: to expose what these industries work so hard to keep hidden.
Thank you to my Kickstarter supporters for trusting me to follow this story to the end.
